BEST Pulled Brisket (Slow-Cooked)
Cook this pulled brisket in the slow cooker with a delicious BBQ sauce and have shredded beef that melts in your mouth. Serve it in sandwiches, tacos, or on top of mashed potatoes, or pasta. Also, find out the best way to shred brisket!
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 10 hr
- Yield
- 12 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 6 lbs beef brisket (trimmed and pat dry (flat cut))
- 2 tbsp olive oil (or another one such as avocado oil or canola oil)
- 3 cup barbecue sauce
- 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
- 1 1/2 tsp hot sauce (or sriracha (plus 1 tsp of Worcestershire sauce if desired))
- 1 tsp table salt
Instructions
- 1
Spray the bowl of slow cooker with no-stick cooking spray.
- 2
SEASON: Combine dry rub ingredients together in a small bowl. Place brisket on a large cookie sheet and season both sides of the brisket with the dry rub and then drizzle with oil. Be sure to apply the rub well to both sides with your hands. If you have time, you can marinate the meat for 2 hours in the fridge, wrapped in plastic film.
- 3
Place brisket, fat side up, in the slow cooker bowl.
- 4
PREPARE THE SAUCE: Stir sauce ingredients together and cover the brisket with half of the sauce. Refrigerate the remaining bbq sauce for later.
- 5
COOK: Cover brisket with a lid and cook on low setting for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours. When brisket is tender, place onto a cookie sheet, lined with aluminum foil. Check the internal temperature using a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the beef. It must be at least 175 to 185 F to be tender without breaking apart. Between 190 F to 205 F, it will fall apart tender (this is what we want for pulling the brisket meat easily).
- 6
LET IT REST: Baste brisket with meat juices from the slow cooker and then with the remaining bbq sauce. Transfer it to a cutting board (without the liquids) and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- 7
SHRED: Then, using two forks shred the meat and discard any large pieces of fat. Add the pulled brisket back to the cooking liquid and let it soak for at least 15 minutes, making the meat absorb more of the flavors of the cooking liquid and become even more tender. Enjoy!