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 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!