Slow Cooker BBQ Brisket + VIDEO

This slow cooker BBQ brisket uses a homemade seasoning rub and your preferred BBQ sauce. You can also make this tender brisket recipe in the Instant Pot.

Updated 2022

Brisket, A Tough Cut Of Beef

Brisket is a popular cut of beef for braising or slow cooking for a reason. Beef brisket is a cut of meat from the breast of a cow. It’s a tough cut of meat to cook with but the great thing about the slow cooker or pressure cooker (Instant Pot) is that even the toughest cuts will be cooked to melt-in-your-mouth tender. My 4-pound brisket came with most of the fat already trimmed. If you have to trim the fat off your brisket, please note that this will reduce the weight. Also, depending on the size & shape of the brisket you use, you may have to cut it into pieces to get it to fit into the appliance. If you don’t want to use brisket, you can substitute a beef roast like chuck roast or rump roast.

Ingredients For This BBQ Brisket

There are less than 5 ingredients in this easy BBQ brisket recipe.

• Brisket: This recipe calls for 4-5 pounds of brisket. The brisket you see in the pics was a little over 4 pounds.
• BBQ Sauce: Use your preferred BBQ sauce!
• BBQ Rub:  Again you can use your preferred BBQ rub. If you don’t have one, I provide you my homemade blend in the recipe box.
• Beef Broth: 1 cup of low-sodium beef broth.

How To Make BBQ Brisket In The Slow Cooker

1. In a small bowl, mix together the homemade BBQ rub ingredients until well blended. Rub the seasonings all over the brisket until evenly covered.
2. Pour broth into the slow cooker
3. Add the prepared brisket, fat side up
4. Pour BBQ sauce on top of the brisket
5. Cook HIGH 4-5 hours, LOW 8-10.
6. Remove brisket from the slow cooker. Either cut against the grain or shred the meat. Return the brisket to the slow cooker until ready to serve.

Tips & FAQs

Choosing a BBQ Sauce

The BBQ sauce really makes or breaks the recipe in my opinion. If you don’t have any dietary restrictions, use whatever sauce you want! I tend to use my homemade BBQ sauce. It’s both paleo and whole30 compliant. If you’re following a low-carb lifestyle, G Hughes is my go-to store bought brand.

To Sear Or Not To Sear?

That is the question. For the Instant Pot, it’s  included as an instruction. For the slow cooker, searing your meat before adding it to the slow cooker is listed as optional. As you can see, I did not sear my brisket beforehand. I will always leave this as a recommended but optional step. I have made plenty of briskets and roasts in the slow cooker without searing them beforehand and they came out just fine.

Make This Ahead of Time

Slow cooker or Instant Pot brisket can not only be made the day ahead of time and reheated, some might argue that it’s actually better that way. After it cools, I put the entire slow cooker or Instant Pot base right in the refrigerator. The next day, you will be able to easily remove the fat that has hardened. This is also a good time to slice against the grain if you’re going to do so because the meat is easier to cut cold. To reheat, add the brisket back into the slow cooker or Instant Pot and reheat on the warm setting. If you’re using a Crock-Pot brand of slow cooker, did you know that the base is oven safe? Yup, you can pop the entire base in the oven for temperatures up to 400 degrees.

Serving The Brisket

Brisket is a cut of beef that is traditionally served by slicing against the grain. It can also be shredded too. If I’m eating the brisket the day I cook it, the meat is usually so tender that it falls apart I take it out the slow cooker. When that happens, I just shred it down. When I make the brisket a day ahead & cool it overnight in the frig, I usually slice the brisket against the grain. The meat is cold & firm which makes it’s easy to cut. Same taste regardless of how you serve it. The brisket can be served plated with sides, in lettuce wraps to keep it low-carb, paleo, whole30 or on a bun.

Notes About This Recipe

• Jazz this BBQ brisket recipe up by adding sliced onion or even bell peppers.
• When done cooking, you should be able to easily remove any remaining fat with a fork or knife.

Other brisket and roast recipes you might enjoy:

Brisket

Horseradish Brisket (Passover Brisket) 

Holiday Brisket

Brisket Chili

I used a 6-quart slow cooker or Instant Pot.

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