Quite a few years ago Gene wanted me to cook a brisket. I had never cooked one and it seemed like a big deal and I just never got around to doing it. One weekend while I was away, he went online, looked at recipes and cooked one in the crockpot. He was so happy with the way it turned out-it really was delicious and very moist. I was very proud of him. I discovered it wasn’t hard at all!!! We worked on the recipe a little more and the following recipe is what we came up with. I cooked it at our local farmers market for a number of years and it has also been a hit when I have cooked it for some of our store events. It is great when cooking for a large group and it freezes well. You can make it weeks ahead of time.
Beef Brisket in a Crockpot.
I have a 22-quart Hamilton Beach electric roaster oven that I use. It will hold about 24 lbs of raw meat. The following recipe is for a 3-4 lb. brisket. In ( ) is for 24-36 lbs. of meat.
Barbecue Sauce: mix together and pour over meat.
- 1 cup water (12 cup)
- 3/4 cup ketchup (9 cups or 7 lb. 2 oz tub or 114 oz.) (Note 64 oz bottle =7 cups)
- 2 T. brown sugar (1-1/2 cup)
- 1/2 tsp. Chili powder (6 tsp)
- 1 tsp minced garlic (4 T.)
- 1/2 tsp celery salt (6 tsp)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper (1-1/2 stp)
- 1/c cup chopped onion (6 cups)
- 1/4 c. Worcestershire Sauce (3 c.) (Note: 1 bottle is approx 2 cups)
- 1 T. Apple Cider Vinegar (3/4 cup)
- 1/2 tsp. dry mustard (6 tsp)
- 1/2 tsp red pepper (Hot Pete or Cayene powder) (3 tsp)
- 1 T. Liquid Smoke (1/2 cup) Found in grocery store where Worcestershire Sauce is.
- 1 tsp. Paprika (4 T.)
- 1 tsp salt (4 T.)
I use the highest heat setting until it is cooking well and then turn it down to about 350. Cook until fall apart tender. The large batch takes 4-6 hours. Take a fork and knife and pull the meat apart. It should fall apart if it is done. Long shreds of meat I cut into smaller pieces.
This is a very juicy. Serve on hamburger buns and delicious with sauteed fresh onions and peppers.
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The other way to cook brisket is to smoke it.
Smoked Beef Brisket
This will do a 12 lb. brisket. To prepare your meat remove any excess fat and silver skin. Rub all sides with the following rub.
Rub:
- 2 T. salt
- 2 T. ground black pepper
- 2 T. garlic powder
Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees. I use Hickory or Apple wood chips. Soak a handful in water several minutes. After you put them in your chip tray in the smoker, start soaking another handful. Mine last about 1 hour in the smoker. Lay the brisket in the smoker on one of the racks and smoke for 4-5 hours.
Remove the brisket from the smoker and wrap in tin foil, sealing all edges. Continue cooking in the smoker (or oven) until the meat thermometer reads 200 degrees in the thickest portion of the meat. Depending on the size of your brisket this will take another 4-6 hours. Remove from the heat and allow the meat to rest (unwrapped) for 1 hour. Slice very thin with a sharp knife or meat slicer.
I like a ketchup based barbecue sauce with smoked brisket.
Barbecue Sauce:
Saute: several minutes
- 2 T. butter, melted
- 1/4 cup chopped onions
Add and cook 15-20 minutes until thickened.
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (or vinegar)
- 1 T. Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tsp Prepared mustard
Yield: 2 cups. This will store for several weeks in the refrigerator.
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If you feel industrious, here a link to my homemade hamburger bun recipe.
