What happens when you take a slightly scientific approach to your slow cooker brisket?
You might just end up with something amazing. Like a slow cooked brisket bursting with richly infused flavor and mind blowing-tenderness!
This recipe that I snagged from Cook’s Country is probably my best slow cooker beef brisket recipe to date.
“To minimize the moisture absorbed by the brisket (which traditionally isn’t cooked directly in liquid), we came up with an unorthodox solution: elevating the meat off the bottom of the slow cooker with an inverted loaf pan. The liquid exuded from the meat during cooking was drawn under the loaf pan by a vacuum effect, which meant that the slow cooker more closely mimicked how real barbecue cooks.” Cook’s Country
And in honor of Superbowl 2023, I'm thrilled to share this recipe with you.
Get ready to shock and amaze your guests at how good this is.
Step 1: Gather your ingredients.
SPICE RUB AND BRISKET:
- ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- 1 (4- to 5-pound) brisket roast, fat trimmed to 1/4 inch thick and scored lightly
AROMATICS AND SAUCE:
- 3 tablespoons beef tallow
- 1 onion, chopped fine
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 12oz can Blue Moon beer
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke
Step 2: Make the spice rub.
Combine sugar, chipotle, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper in bowl. Rub sugar mixture all over brisket. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour or refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
Step 3: Start cooking.
Heat tallow in large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook until beginning to brown, about 1 minute.
Stir in chili powder, chipotle, and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mound onion mixture in center of slow cooker, arrange inverted metal loaf pan over onion mixture, and place brisket, fat-side up, on top of loaf pan.
Add beer to slow cooker, cover, and cook on high until fork inserted into brisket can be removed with no resistance, 7 to 8 hours (or cook on low for 10 to 12 hours).
Step 4: Rest the meat.
Transfer brisket to 13- by 9-inch baking dish, cover with foil, and let rest 30 minutes. Carefully remove loaf pan from slow cooker.
Pour onion mixture and accumulated juices into large bowl and skim fat. (You should have about 2 cups defatted juices; if you have less, supplement with water.)
Step 5: Sauce the meat.
Transfer brisket to cutting board, slice thinly across grain, and return to baking dish. Pour 1 cup reserved defatted juices over sliced brisket.
Whisk ketchup, vinegar, and liquid smoke into remaining juices. Season with salt and pepper. Serve, passing sauce at table. Enjoy!