Slow Cooker Brisket is my ultimate comfort food classic and I always look forward to making it. Tender fall-apart brisket, slow cooked with chicken broth and seasoning—it doesn’t get better than this! This crockpot brisket recipe is just a few ingredients but never fails to impress.

Overhead view of sliced brisket on a white platter with pickle slices.

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Crockpot brisket is such a great main dish to serve with your favorite sides. The juicy beef brisket is melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

You can just as easily use leftovers from this slow cooker brisket recipe to make tacos, burritos, and sandwiches. And try my Smoked Brisket if you like smoked meat.

Slow Cooker Beef Brisket Recipe

Brisket is a cut of beef that needs to be slow cooked in order to breakdown the connective tissues. It’s a tough cut of meat, which is why it requires a long slow cooking to get that fork-tender meat. It may look pink-ish If undercooked and will be tough to chew, so the longer the cooking time, the better.

You’ll know brisket is close to being ready when the internal temp reaches 165°F. At this point there is no pink color left on the cut and meat fibers becomes tender enough.

A 6-pound piece of brisket will take around 9 to 11 hours to cook in the crock pot. It is possible to over cook the brisket so be sure to check it several times during the last part of cooking. The beef should be fork tender, but not falling apart. We want to slice it, not shred it!

This crock pot brisket is a favorite for holidays, big family gatherings, and dinner parties! If you don’t own a slow cooker or crockpot than try my oven baked brisket recipe!

Ingredients & Substitutions

Brisket: It comes in two cuts, flat and point. For best results get flat cut or first cut. It’s leaner and slices well.
Chicken broth: I use low-sodium chicken broth in my recipe. But use whichever is available and adjust salt as per taste.
Soy sauce: It shares an UMAMI flavor with Worcestershire sauce. So don’t skip it. If low sodium soy sauce is not available, feel free to use that you have.
Worcestershire Sauce: It create a richness to the sauce while cooking in slow cooker. With soy sauce it complements the UMAMI flavor.
Liquid smoke: I highly recommend using liquid smoke to make that smoky brisket.

This is a great dump-and-go recipe and results in a perfectly juicy piece of beef that the whole family will love.

Variations

BBQ Brisket: Use homemade BBQ sauce along with chicken broth while cooking. This BBQ sauce is specially made for brisket.
Add veggies: I prefer to cook brisket with the seasoning rub, but feel free to add onions, potatoes, leeks, carrots, or any vegetable that you like. Add them at the beginning or after few hours, depending on the texture. An example is how I made it with cabbage in Crockpot Corned Beef and Cabbage.

Tips For Success

Spray your slow cooker with cooking spray before adding the ingredients.
Save the juices after the beef is cooked.
Ask for flat cut or first cut if you don’t see it at your butcher counter.

How to Store and Reheat

Refrigerator: To store leftovers, gently wrap the cooked brisket in aluminum foil. It prevents the meat from drying out. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Add some reserved broth along with the brisket in slow cooker or saucepan (low heat) to reheat.

Freeze: Once the meat is wrapped in foil, keep in freezer-friendly bags and store for up to 3-4 months. Make sure you are storing the broth as well.

Reheat: To reheat, use oven at a low temperature around 275°F to gently reheat the brisket. Add the reserved broth so that it does not get dry while cooking.

Sliced slow cooker brisket on a white serving plate.

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Serving Suggestions

This slow cooker beef recipe makes the perfect centerpiece for any holiday menu or celebration. It’s a great alternative to turkey for your Thanksgiving, and is great for Christmas or Easter. Crunchy Sweet Potato Casserole or Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes or Cheesy Baked Green Beans or Crockpot Potato Casserole or Honey Balsamic Roasted Carrots are some of my favorite side dishes that go awesome with this tender slow cooked brisket recipe.

Add some carbs like Spoon Bread, Beer Bread Muffins, Dutch Oven Jalapeno Bread, Sweet Potato Rolls or another aromatic Rosemary Bread to make it a complete meal.

I also like to add soft golden dinner rolls, Parker House Rolls or Naan Bread.

5-Star Review

“Brisket is the best! This is so tender and full of flavor. Love that you can do this in the crock pot.” -Erin

How to Cook Brisket in a Slow Cooker

Prepare Brisket: Place the 6-pound flat-cut brisket on the cutting board and pierce both sides with a fork, then sprinkle with seasonings.

Rub with seasoning: Generously sprinkle the entire brisket with garlic salt, onion powder, seasoned salt, smoked paprika, and freshly ground black pepper.

Cut the brisket in-half, crosswise, so it fits in the slow-cooker. This is an optional step if the slow cooker is small.

Combine liquid ingredients: In a medium bowl add 2 tablespoons of liquid smoke, 3 tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce, 2 tablespoons of low-sodium soy sauce, and 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, combine everything evenly.

a bowl of sauce with a piece of orange in it.

Prepare slow cooker and add brisket with sauce: Spray the 6-quart slow cooker with non-stick spray. Place half the brisket in the slow-cooker, fat-side up, and pour half the liquid mixture over the brisket half.

seasoned brisket placed in the crock pot

Add the other half of the brisket to the slow-cooker, fat-side up and pour the remaining half of the liquid mixture over the top portion of brisket.

Cover and set the slow-cooker to LOW. Cook 6 hours and flip-flop the positions of the brisket pieces (put the bottom portion on top and the top portion on the bottom).

Cover and cook an additional 3-5 hours or until brisket is fork-tender. It should be tender enough to cut with a fork.

Before serving and serve: Transfer the brisket from the slow-cooker to a large pan and cover it with foil. Let it cool to touch and refrigerate overnight. Spoon the sauce/cooking juices into a separate dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight.