Slow Cooker BBQ Brisket with Caramelized Sauce
Tender slow cooked beef brisket in a homemade BBQ sauce, finished in a hot oven for sticky, caramelized edges.
Equipment
- 6-quart slow cooker
- Small saucepan
- Rimmed Baking Sheet
- Basting brush
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 3 lb beef brisket trimmed of thick hard fat
- 1 tbsp olive oil for the oven finish
- 1 tbsp brown sugar for the rub
- 2 tsp paprika for the rub
- 1 tsp onion powder for the rub
- 1 tsp garlic powder for the rub
- ½ tsp ground cumin for the rub
- ¾ tsp mustard powder for the rub
- ¼ tsp kosher salt for the rub
- ½ tsp black pepper for the rub
- 2 cloves garlic minced, for the sauce
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar for the sauce
- 1 ½ cup ketchup for the sauce
- ½ cup brown sugar packed, for the sauce
- 2 tsp black pepper for the sauce
- 2 tsp onion powder for the sauce
- 2 tsp mustard powder for the sauce
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper for the sauce
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce for the sauce
Instructions
Cooking
- Season. Mix the rub and coat the brisket on all sides. Rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or overnight if time allows.
- Slow cook. Whisk the sauce ingredients in the slow cooker, add the brisket, and cook on low for 8 hours for 3 pounds or 10 hours for 4 pounds.
- Reduce. Move the brisket to a tray. Simmer the cooking liquid in a saucepan until syrupy.
- Roast. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F, drizzle the brisket with oil, and roast for 15 minutes until browned in spots.
- Glaze. Brush with the sauce and roast 5 minutes, then baste again and roast 5 to 10 minutes more until caramelized.
- Slice. Rest for 10 minutes and slice thinly across the grain. Serve with the remaining sauce.
Notes
Substitutions: Chuck roast works in place of brisket. Reduce the cayenne for a milder sauce.
Tips: Trim thick hard fat and slice against the grain. Skim fat from the cooking liquid before reducing.
Storage: Refrigerate with sauce for 3 to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat to 165 degrees F.