Lo has always loved BBQ food, but when we lived in Texas, he became obsessed. Not only did he learn how to smoke meat, but he also fell in love with this crock pot brisket.
You get big barbecue-inspired flavor but let the crock pot do all of the work! It’s perfect over mashed potatoes or rice. It’s tender, it’s flavorful, and it’s one of our favorite dishes to make for family dinners, holidays, and special occasions.
If you loved this, try Crock Pot Pot Roast, Crock Pot Ribs, or Slow Cooker Barbacoa next.
Why we think you’ll love it:
- Set it and forget it. Throw all of the ingredients in your slow cooker and cook it for 8-10 hours. This is an especially perfect Sunday dinner idea!
- Fork tender. Low and slow in the crock pot makes shredding this tender cut super easy, making it a favorite beef dinner idea.
- Pair with your favorite BBQ side dishes. Serve your crock pot brisket on the side of Macaroni Salad, Cornbread, or your favorite Roasted Veggies.
Crock Pot Brisket Ingredients
- Beef brisket (3 pounds)- Brisket is typically sold in two different cuts: flat and point. We prefer the flat cut, when possible, as the thick fat cap will aid in giving more flavor to the brisket.
- Dry onion soup mix (2-ounce envelope) –
- Garlic powder (2 teaspoons)- or 3-4 cloves of minced garlic. You can also season with salt and black pepper.
- Brown sugar (1 tablespoon) – light or dark brown sugar
- Heinz chili sauce (2 bottles, 12-ounces each)- We prefer Heinz brand chili sauce, but other brands works too.
How to Make Crock Pot Brisket
SEASON. Place brisket in the crock pot. Sprinkle the onion soup mix, garlic powder, and brown sugar over the top of the brisket. Massage gently into the meat.
- Pour chili sauce over the top, covering the meat completely.
COOK. Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours. Remove the brisket from the slow cooker and slice against the grain. Pour the sauce over the brisket slices to serve.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- We like using flat-cut brisket, but point-cut also works. Don’t trim the fat, it will help give flavor and keep moisture.
- We recommend ½ pound per person. Add 1-2 pounds to that total to account for those who wish to take a little more.
- Note that leftovers store well and make amazing sandwiches!
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Place the brisket in the Instant Pot, fat side up. Sprinkle with onion soup mix, garlic powder, and brown sugar. Massage into the meat then add the chili sauce over the top.
- Cook on high pressure for 80-90 minutes, then let naturally release for 15 minutes before manually releasing the rest of the pressure.
Crock Pot Brisket Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 (3-pound) beef brisket
- 1 (1-ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
- 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 (12-ounce) bottles Heinz chili sauce
Instructions
- Place brisket in the slow cooker. Sprinkle onion soup mix, brown sugar, and garlic powder over the top of the brisket and massage gently into the meat. Pour chili sauce over the top, covering the meat completely.
- Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours. Remove the brisket from the slow cooker and let rest for 10-20 minutes, then slice against the grain. Pour sauce over brisket slices to serve. Serve with some Best Mashed Potatoes or a side dish of your choice.
Notes
- We like using flat-cut brisket, but point-cut also works. Don’t trim the fat, it will help give flavor and keep moisture.
- We recommend ½ pound per person. Add 1-2 pounds to that total to account for those who wish to take a little more.
- You can brown the brisket before adding it to the crock pot, but it is not necessary.
- Leftovers make amazing sandwiches!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Place cooled leftovers and liquid into an airtight container and store it in the fridge for 3-4 days, or freeze this beef brisket recipe for up to 2 months.
Complete The Meal
Side Dishes
Best Homemade Mac and Cheese
40 mins
Easy Coleslaw
10 mins
Best Potato Salad Recipe
55 mins
Baked Beans Recipe
4 hrs 5 mins
Desserts
Chocolate Delight Recipe
54 mins
Jello Poke Cake
3 hrs 50 mins
Easy Peach Cobbler
45 mins
Cream Puff Cake
1 hr 50 mins
Crockpot Dinner Ideas
Crock Pot Pot Roast
7 hrs 5 mins
Crock Pot Ribs
4 hrs 5 mins
Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken
4 hrs 15 mins
Slow Cooker Barbacoa
7 hrs 5 mins
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This recipe was originally published May 2020.
I havent made this yet but it sounds delicious I have made a similar recipe in the oven and added two cans of beer. Can I do that with this recipe?
This recipe turned out amazing! It was so tender and tasted delicious. Great meal for a family or dinner party. Also made Kristyn’s crockpot baked potatoes to go alongside this and they were perfect pairing. Lots of compliments from the family and a new favorite in our house. Thank you for a great recipe.
Sounds like a delicious pairing! Thank you for the kind words, and I love hearing that it’s a new family favorite!
I did not care for the flavor of this brisket at all. I had made something years ago in the oven with onions, brisket, chili sauce and I think some honey and it tasted way better than this. Sorry, this didn’t do it for me.
That’s ok! Thanks for your feedback and giving the recipe a try. Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy the recipe.
This was SUPER easy and exquisitely delicious. Thank you for another outstanding recipe!!
Making a much bigger brisket.. probably 2 pieces about 6lbs each. How do I adjust the cooking time and other ingredients?
What else can I use beside the chilli sauce???
Not a fan of spicy or the chilli flavor.
I don’t find the chili sauce spicy. I’m not a fan of spicy, either, and it makes my husband’s head sweat. Use the chili sauce!! It is perfect
Can this be done if it’s frozen
I would recommend thawing the brisket before putting it in the crockpot.
What do think about swapping out onion soup for dry ranch? I forgot to get soup mix
You could give it a try. I haven’t made it with that so I’m not totally sure how it would turn out. But if you do, you’ll have to let us know how it tastes!
Another way I’ve done is wrap in foil than put in crock pot on low ,very tender. Easy one for Camping because you put on low and cook while you were on beach all day.
That’s a great idea!!
Does the chili sauce make it spicy? Looking to try but we don’t like spicy. If not, I will make exactly as is. Or please let me know if I should substitute the chili sauce for something else if it is spicy.
You can use your favorite Bar-B-Q sauce instead.
Does the brisket taste spicy because of the chill sauce?
You can use your favorite Bar-B-Q sauce.
sounds great going try it
Can I do a larger or two pieces of brisket for a group and double all the ingredients?
Yes you could! If your crock pot will hold the meat, I imagine that would work just fine.
There is no recipe. Hard to even know where to go because this page is full of ads
Hi Carina! There is a button you can click/tap at the top that says “Jump to Recipe” and that will take you right to the recipe. The ads help enable us to keep all of our recipes and content free! Thanks for understanding. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Oh my goodness!!! What a super easy and delicious meal. Our first attempt at brisket in a crock pot and it will be the only way to cook a brisket from now on. The meat is super tender as it melts lts in your mouth. The only knife needed is to cut and serve. Try it as you won’t be sorry. Thanks so much for a wonderful recipe.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the brisket recipe! Thanks for the kind review.
OMG this was so delish. My family loved it. Thank you
Turned out so tender and delicious! I left out the brown sugar and it was still amazing. Highly recommend.
I made this yesterday. I was worried I either cooked it too long, or not enough. My brisket usually turns out shredded and I am never able to cut it into slices.
I read somewhere that if it shreds around the edges and when you pick it up with tongs it bends a little in the middle but doesn’t fall apart, it is done.
It turned out great and I was able to cut it into slices after resting. It is delicious!!!
Delicious! I made it for friends last year and I’m going to be making it for Christmas this year; it’s worthy of holiday meal status!
Instead of chili sauce I always use Rotel tomatoes with green chilis and a little concentrated beef broth base with a touch of liquid smoke. So good!! We use leftovers in burritos
Hi! I’m looking forward to making this delicious recipe! I would like to double the brisket for a crowd. Shall I also double the other ingredients?
This recipe is confusing. Is it 1- 3 lb. Brisket or 13 lb. brisket?
I added a can of dark craft beer from a local brewery and it was awesome. I use beer or wine in every meat recipe.
Good morning instead of using the chili sauce for the brisket could I put a can of soda or something in it
You probably could. I haven’t ever tried it on this recipe, so if you do, you’ll have to let us know how it turns out.
What size brisket? This shows 1 3. Guessing NOT 13 pounds!
Yes, not 13 pounds. It is one 3 pound brisket. 🙂
If someone actually runs across a 13lb brisket, please let me know, id love to one! 😜
Thank you so much for your recipes and tips. They’re easy to prepare with ingredients that are readily available!😍
We had family over and decided to serve them this brisket recipe. It was very simple and it was delicious. Instead of using chili sauce we used our favorite bbq sauce and some liquid smoke. Delicious! Our brisket turned out very tender and we had to shred the meat. I tried to slice it, but it kept falling apart. That being the case, we will still use this recipe again.
Thanks for sharing what you did! So glad to hear you enjoyed the brisket!
I’m who loves to cook,, I like to eat good food. Your recipes are Great. I’m from the south, but I love all types of food. Thanks..
Thank you!! I’m glad to hear you enjoy the recipes and good food. Glad you found us here!
It was so easy and absolutely delicious. I highly recommend trying this one . It was my first time cooking a brisket and it was melt in your mouth
ew LA la
Oh I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the brisket! Thanks for sharing!!
I altered the recipe slightly – I used onion powder instead of the soup mix and omitted the brown sugar and used a different brand of chili sauce. It was still awesome! I’d definitely recommend this one and will make it again!
Thanks for sharing what you did!! Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
I love that it’s easy to make and it’s so good!
I love that it’s easy to make and it’s so good!
How many oz is a serving?
About 4-6 oz.
Its 11pm (west coast time) and I cannot wait to see how this turns out in the morning. I remember, as a young’n, eating brisket med-rare (family traditional recipe), and it was not tasty. I’ll post an update on how it turns out. Cheers!
Yes, we’d love to hear how it turned out!!
This turned out great and I didn’t make any changes to the recipe! I’d like to share it to Facebook but I don’t see that option.
Oh I’m so happy to hear that! So glad you enjoyed the brisket. We don’t have an option to automatically share to FB from our site, just to pin to Pinterest. You can certainly copy and paste the website url. We appreciate any and all sharing!! 🙂
So easy and awesome! Better than chopped beef from a barbecue joint!
Oh thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed the brisket!
In a crock pot, should the brisket be placed fat side down or up? Article didn’t mention this.
I’d suggest putting it in fat side up. Hope you enjoy the brisket!
Look so easy!!
Cooking this in a few minutes!
What if I don’t have chili sauce?? Can I cook with out or Use BBQ sauce or is this something i can fix up with what I have in pantry?
Ty
If you don’t have the chili sauce, you could sub for ketchup! It would be a bit sweeter and more of a mild flavor. BBQ sauce could work too or even salsa, it would just give a different flavor to the brisket. Hopefully the recipe turned out well for you!
I grew up eating brisket and was never a fan. My mom recently made this and I am now a huuuuge fan. Tender. Delicious. Juicy. Melts in your mouth. When I saw the ingredients I am in disbelief all that comes together to create a brisket masterpiece. It’s in my crockpot now and the family is so excited. This is a must try! My mom marinated overnight so I did the same. Enjoy!!
I’m glad you’ve become a brisket convert! It really can be so juicy and tender when cooked the right way. I’m so glad you liked this recipe. Thanks so much for sharing!
Will this work with a slow cooker instead of a crock pot?
Yes 🙂
We’re not a spicy / chili sauce type family… can I just use BBQ sauce instead? If so… same amount?
I haven’t tried, but I am sure that would taste great! I would just use the same amount as the chili sauce. Enjoy!
What amounts should I use for a 4 lb brisket ?
You could use similar amounts to the 3 lb (original recipe). If you wanted to do 1.5 times the recipe, that would work too! Ex) 1 1/2 envelopes of dry onion soup mix instead of just 1 envelope, 3 tsp garlic powder instead of 2, etc. Hope that helps!
Love that this is so easy to make. Turned out super delicious, so juicy and tender everybody loved it. Will be making again!
Can you tell me, is the brisket spicy? I’m worried that 2 bottles of chili sauce may be too spicy for the little ones.
It could be. Mine think it’s ok, but everyone is different. You could lessen the amount, if you want.
Can you cook carrots and potatoes in the crockpot with the brisket for this recipe?
This recipe was delicious! I made it for my Jewish in-laws for Hanukkah and they loved it! It was tender and most importantly not a greasy!! Super easy so I was able to concentrate on the rest of the dinner. I will be making this again.
Glad to hear that! Thank you for letting me know!
Several corned beef recipes and none use water of any quanity. Just recalling my Mother adding water so I always did also.
Thanks for ruining my $44.00 brisket. Sauce was sour and it needed salt which doesn’t work as well after the meat is cooked. I was embarrassed to serve this.
Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy the recipe. Thanks for giving it a try and for the feedback.
Ive seen brisket at the grocers but never really knew a good way too cook it. Thanks for posting i cant wait to try this out! Bonus: its a crockpot meal ?
Such a great piece of meat that goes into the crockpot. You will love the taSte and convenience of this dish!
I never would have thought to make brisket in the slow cooker! So smart, so excited to give this one a try!
I don’t make brisket nearly enough and I am so glad itried this recipe. My whole family-even my picky kids- loved it!
I’m drooling over here! Yum! Tender & juicy & great with so many things!
Oh my, this crock pot brisket looks amazing!! A must try!