Slow Cooker "Barbecued" Brisket

I'd like to share my favorite new brisket recipe with you.  I've used one from the Betty Crocker cookbook for years but I think I like this one better.  My inspiration is a recipe in "Slow Cooker- the Best Cookbook Ever" by Diane Phillips.  I got it at Costco recently.  I made so many modifications that the author probably wouldn't recognize her own recipe, but  her recipe was my starting point.  It's incredibly easy and I think it will be a favorite for years in this household!  I highly recommend the book, too.

 

4 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced (or about as much of the minced fresh garlic from a jar)
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon black pepper (freshly ground if possible)
3-6 pound  flat cut brisket- fat trimmed (the size of the brisket isn't important- just as long as it fits in the crock pot)
3-5 onions, thinly sliced (depending on size.. 3 big ones or 5 little ones or somewhere in between)
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
About 5 cups tomato mixture:  Combination of ketchup, tomato puree, stewed tomatoes, canned diced tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, or whatever you have.... to total a mixture of about 5 cups.  I used about a cup of ketchup, a small can of tomato paste, a large can of stewed tomatoes, a large can of diced tomatoes and I threw in a fresh tomato (skin off).  It doesn't matter- just use a cup or 2 of  ketchup or one cup of ketchup and one little can of tomato paste, and then some sort of tomato products other than paste.  Be sure to throw in all the juice- don't drain the tomatoes.

Combine 2 tablespoons oil, the garlic, salt and pepper.  Rinse the brisket and pat dry.  Rub the oil mixture on the brisket.  Put the other 2 tablespoons of oil on a large skillet and brown the brisket on all sides.  Transfer the brisket to a 5-7 quart slow cooker.

Cook the onions in the same skillet, scraping the bits from the bottom of the pan.  When the onions are translucent and starting to brown, add all of the remaining ingredients to the pan- stir to combine well and make sure the bottom of the pan is well scraped.

Pour the hot sauce mixture over the brisket, lifting the meat a little to allow some of the sauce to flow under the meat.

Cook on high for 4-5 hrs or low for 8-10 hrs.  I let it go a little longer when I can.  I think I last cooked it on high for 6-7 hrs.

Transfer the meat to a cutting surface, and pour the sauce into a pot on top of the stove.  If things have gone well, the meat will be falling apart.  Get what you can out of the slow cooker, but don't worry about the little pieces that fall off.  Just leave them in the sauce.

Cook the sauce on high for about 10-15 minutes to reduce it. (The picture above was taken when I poured it in the pot- it hadn't reduced yet).  Taste it AFTER it's reduced and adjust salt and pepper to your liking.  The onions and tomatoes are totally broken apart by now, and there are a few meat chunks.  It is a deep, red sauce with thick substance.  I purposely adjusted the quantities to make more sauce than needed for the brisket.  We like it poured generously over the meat and over open faced brisket sandwiches.  When the meat is gone, there is a lot of this wonderful sauce left over.  I mixed it together with a jar of purchased spaghetti sauce and then used it for spaghetti.  I put a little Italian seasoning in (basil and oregano).  You could use it for any kind of pasta dish.

Cut the meat on an angle, against the grain, to get the most tender slices.  You could also shred it with 2 forks and use it for brisket sandwiches.  Great with cole slaw, a nice big pickle, and some potato chips.  Mmmmm...

Enjoy!