Slow Cooker BBQ Beef Brisket

This is another America's test kitchen recipe, and as usual they NEVER disappoint!  We made this for my dad's 60th birthday this week and it was a hit!  I didn't think it was too difficult either.

First, a little tip about where to buy your brisket.  The best price was Walmart's price for their whole brisket, and they were the only place I could find that had a whole brisket.  Every store I called had 5 lb brisket for about 4 bucks a pound, including walmart.  But their whole ones are 2.69 a lb.  You know how I love a deal!  We used two briskets for the big dinner, I just cut them in half and used 4 crock pots to cook them.  I used this recipe for each half sized piece of meat. (the recipe says 4-5 lbs)

One more thing.  You need a metal loaf pan, or two foil loaf pans inside each other to place the brisket on inside the crock pot.

Slow Cooker, BBQ Beef Brisket

INGREDIENTS

SPICE RUB AND BRISKET

1/2cup packed dark brown sugar

2tablespoons minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

1tablespoon ground cumin

1tablespoon paprika

1teaspoon salt

2teaspoons pepper

1 (4- to 5-pound) brisket roast, fat trimmed to 1/4 inch thick and scored lightly

AROMATICS

3tablespoons vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped fine

2tablespoons tomato paste

1tablespoon chili powder

1tablespoon minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup water (this is for adding to the crock pot, after you put in your brisket)

SAUCE
(you need your aromatic mixture and the juices from the brisket to make the sauce, so don't dump them)

1/4cup ketchup

1tablespoon cider vinegar

1/4teaspoon liquid smoke

 

The first thing  to do is trim some of the fat off of the brisket.  NOT ALL OF THE FAT, you need some.  They advised trimming it to 1/4 inch.  I am not the best at this, so mine was thicker in some places and slightly thinner in others.  You are going to want to cook it fat side up, so that the fat can get into the meet and make it more tender. 

Before you put the rub on, you have to score the fat on the top at 1/2 inch intervals.  They said this allows the flavors of the rub to get into the meat.  Scoring is to cut into the fat, so when you are done, it will have stripes all across the meat 1/2 inches apart.  I made sure I cut through the fat to the meat to help it get in, then when I was putting on the rub, I made sure I got it down into each cut mark.

I made two versions of this recipe.  I was afraid it would be too spicy for some, so I removed as many seeds and ribs as I could when I was chopping up my chipotle chiles.  I did this same thing for both the rub and the aromatics.  I haven't ever seen them pre chopped, I just buy the whole ones and when I am measuring amounts I add some of the adobo from the can as well as the chiles.  For the other version, I just chopped them as is and even added a few seeds left over from my mild batches as well.  The spicy sauce was too hot for me, but the brisket with the seeds left on the rub, was not spicy at all.  So you can decide which way works best for you.  I thought they were both good.

Basically you mix up all of the rub ingredients and smear it all over the brisket.  Then you wrap it in plastic wrap.  I actually layered two pieces of heavy duty foil and then laid plastic wrap side by side over that so I could make it overlap and have it all ready to go.  Then when I finished putting on the rub, I dropped it on the plastic wrap, washed my hands and wrapped it all up.  The foil didn't totally wrap the top, but the plastic wrap fully encased it.  I just used the foil as extra protection for my fridge without filling it up with pans.  They say you can either leave it out for an hour or place it in the fridge for up to 24 hours before going to the next step.  I left it in the fridge for 12 hours.

The next step is preparing the aromatics.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook until beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Stir in chili powder, chipotle, and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. After it is done, you make a pile of it in the middle of the slow cooker and place the loaf pan over the pile.  Then you place the brisket, fat side up, on the pan, add 1/2 cup water to the cooker and cook till a fork that you insert into the brisket can be removed with no resistance.  They say to cook on high for 7-8 hours or low for 10 to 12 hours.  I opted to have it on low, because in general, I like the texture of roasts on low better.  I pulled them out to rest between 11 1/2-12  hours later, but I should mention, that mine had a short trip over to my sister's house in the middle of cooking, so maybe they would be done faster if that hadn't happened. 

They advised placing it on a 9 by 13 pan to rest and then put it back in the crock after slicing to serve.  I just put it on big trays.  They didn't fill up with water or anything.  Whatever you put them on, cover with foil and let it rest. (basically that means just let it sit there without touching it or cutting into it at all)  You have to let it rest for 30 minutes.  RESTING IS A REALLY IMPORTANT STEP any time you cook meat, from steak to roasts.  They will end up more tender and moist if you do.  If you don't let them rest, the water just runs all over and is lost from the meat, leaving it more dry.  (seriously, I learned all I know from America's test kitchen!  They are great!)

While the meat is resting you make your sauce.  Pour off the drippings from the pan.  They said you should have two cups and if you have less, to add water to get it to two cups.  I had more.  Reserve out one cup of this liquid to pour over your brisket.  Then, one cup to make the sauce.  I actually ended up straining the part I used for the sauce.  I didn't use a fine mesh strainer, so there were still chunks, but it had yucky looking mushy stuff from the meat so I wanted to get that out.  If I had my little immersion blender there, I probably would have just blended it up with that.  Add the sauce ingredients to the liquid and whisk it together.  That is all you need to do.  The sauce is runny, so we thickened it a little with instant mashed potatoes, but you could leave it.

After it rests you slice it across the grain.  They said to slice it thin, but I did probably between 1/4 and 1/2 inch slices.  I just sliced it on the tray and left it there for serving.  Then I poured my reserved liquid from the crock over it.  The barbecue sauce is meant to be passed at the table.

They included a tip for making it ahead, just in case that is of interest to anyone.  After it is fully cooked, but not sliced, wrap tightly in foil and refrigerate for up to 3 days. (Refrigerate juices separately in sealed container)  To reheat, place the whole thing, foil and all in a baking pan in a 350 degree oven.  Cook till heated through, approximately an hour.  Reheat juices in the microwave or saucepan.  Then continue the recipe where you left off, starting off with the resting. 

I used larger sized crock pots, so I didn't have this problem, but if the lid doesn't seem tight, you can cover the whole top of your crock pot with foil to seal it closed.  I did that once with a ham.  I left the lid on even though it was slightly lifted, and covered it with foil and it worked great.

We served this with baked potatoes, broccoli, rolls, and cold shrimp for dad's birthday dinner.  America's test kitchen showed it served with cole slaw.