This slow cooker BBQ Pulled Beef Brisket is cooked low and slow until its deliciously tender. Jam packed with flavour, it’s a must try for anyone who loves hearty and delicious comfort food. Its also gluten free!
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This easy slow cooker BBQ pulled beef brisket is slowly cooked in a rich and flavourful homemade BBQ sauce that is to die for, until it is tender and falls apart easily. Then the meat is shredded and tossed through the BBQ sauce for a melt in your mouth explosion.
The best part? You don't have to spend hours in the kitchen to make it. All you need is a slow cooker or crockpot and a few simple ingredients.
If you love a slow cooker recipe as much as me, check out my Slow Cooker Roast Potatoes and Sausage & Baked Bean Casserole.
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🥘 Ingredients Needed & Notes
✋ Be sure to double check all packaging for allergens. ✋
- Beef Brisket - Brisket is a cut of meat that comes from the chest of the cow.It is known for it’s intense beefy flavour, but can be quite a tough cut of meat, so is best when cooked low and slow. The meat is typically sold in a large, flat piece, and it's often heavily marbled with fat that gives it its distinctive flavour. Brisket is also really good value for money as it is one of the cheaper cuts of meat you can buy.
- Dry Rub For The Beef - I have used a mixture of garlic powder, onion powder and some paprika to add some spice and colour. Massage this into the fat on the beef before you put it in the slow cooker.
- Home-made BBQ Sauce - You can always use a pre-made, shop bought sauce but I find the homemade version tastes so much nicer and you know exactly what is going in it! I have tweaked this and now found the right amounts of each ingredient to make a sweet but slightly tangy sauce. To make the sauce you will need: Ketchup, brown sugar, gluten free Worcestershire sauce or Henderson's relish, apple cider vinegar, honey, garlic and Dijon mustard. It may seem like a lot of ingredients, but don’t be put off! They are generally all things you will have in the cupboard and it takes 5 minutes to put together.
✏️ How to Make Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Beef Brisket
For the full printable recipe, along with ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the end of the post ⬇️
To make the perfect slow-cooked BBQ pulled brisket, you need to start with a quality piece of meat. Look for a brisket with plenty of marbling and fat. This will help keep the meat moist and juicy while it cooks.
Start by seasoning the brisket well with a mix of garlic powder, onion powder and a little paprika to add some depth of flavour and colour.
Next you will need to crush your garlic and mix together in a small bowl with all of the rest of the BBQ sauce ingredients.
Now it's time to start cooking. Add the brisket to the slow cooker with the BBQ sauce and cook on a low heat for 8-10 hours, or a high heat for 4-6 hours, until the meat is tender and easily falls apart. Be patient – the longer you cook it, the more tender and flavourful it will be.
When your brisket is done cooking, it's time to shred the meat. Remove the meat from the sauce before shredding. You can use two forks to pull the meat apart, or a meat shredding tool for even quicker results. Make sure to remove any excess fat or gristle as you go.
Once your meat has been shredded, add it back to the bbq sauce and toss until the shredded beef has been fully coated with all the sauce juices.
💡 Tips & Tricks
- Don’t open the slow cooker! No matter how much you are tempted, try not to open the slow cooker until you think the meat is done. Every time you open the lid it releases a significant amount of heat and it takes a while to heat back up again, so it will take longer to cook your food.
- If you need this recipe to be gluten free and don’t have any gluten free Worcestershire sauce, a good alternative is Henderson’s Relish.
- For best results, cook on low for 8-10 hours.
🤔 What can I Serve With Pulled Beef Brisket?
My favourite way to serve this bbq beef brisket is piled high in a gluten free brioche bun, with a big dollop of crunchy vegan coleslaw & spicy cajun fries.
Another popular option is on top of mac’n’cheese for a meatier alternative and a nice crisp, green salad.
It’s also great with a dollop of sweet potato mash and some vegetables like these roasted carrots & green beans.
⚡ Substitutions
Honey - This can be swapped for maple syrup, just use the same amount as you would honey.
Mustard - If you don’t have any Dijon mustard you can use English mustard, although be aware English mustard is stronger so you may want to use a little bit less.
Worcestershire Sauce - If you struggle to find a gluten free version, Henderson’s relish is a great alternative and can be found in all the major supermarkets.
Apple Cider Vinegar - This is the preference, but you can use white wine vinegar for a similar taste.
🔪 Equipment
There are so many great slow cooker options out there now, a good starting point is one like this Morphy Richards Sear & Stew Slow Cooker. Its great because it has a hob proof cooking pot (although it isn’t compatible on induction hobs) meaning you can sear your meat on the hob to seal it and get some colour, before putting it in the slow cooker and you only need to use one pot, so less washing up!
🥡 How To Store Leftovers
If you do have any leftovers they will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for around 2 days. Re-heat the brisket in the microwave for a few minutes, stirring half way through until piping hot. Brisket can dry out a little when being stored in the fridge, so you may need to add some extra BBQ sauce when re-heating.
You can also freeze the brisket, but again it may be a little drier, so make up some extra sauce or add some shop bought BBQ sauce when you are re-heating the pulled meat.
It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months in a sealed container or freezer bag. Defrost overnight in the fridge and re-heat in the microwave as above.
💬 Recipe FAQ
Beef brisket is a cut of meat that comes from the chest area of a cow. It is a tough, fatty cut of meat that requires slow cooking to make it tender and flavourful.
Yes, it is possible to overcook beef brisket in a slow cooker. While slow cooking is a great way to tenderise tough cuts of meat like brisket, if the meat is left in the slow cooker for too long, it can become dry and stringy.
The amount of time it takes to cook beef brisket in a slow cooker will depend on the size of the cut and the temperature of your slow cooker. In general, beef brisket should be cooked on low heat for 8-10 hours or on high heat for 4-6 hours. Use a meat thermometer to check when it is fully cooked.
If you're looking for a meat that's similar to beef brisket in terms of texture and flavour, there are a couple of options you might want to consider.
One is beef chuck roast or braising steak. Like brisket, it's a tough cut of meat that benefits from slow cooking. When cooked properly, beef chuck roast can be just as tender and flavourful as brisket.
Another option is pork shoulder, also known as pork butt. This cut of meat comes from the upper part of the shoulder and is often used to make pulled pork. It has a similar texture to brisket and can be slow cooked to perfection.
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Want More Comfort Food?
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Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Beef Brisket
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 kg beef brisket
Dry Rub
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
Homemade BBQ Sauce
- 4 tablespoon tomato ketchup
- 3 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon gluten free Worcestershire sauce or Henderson's relish
- 3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 4 tablespoon honey
- 1½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic crushed
Instructions
- Begin by preparing your brisket. Trim off any excess fat, mix the rub ingredients together and rub all over the outside of the brisket.
- In a bowl, mix together the BBQ sauce ingredients & stir until well combined.
- Pour the BBQ sauce mixture over the brisket in the slow cooker. Make sure the brisket is coated evenly on all sides.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on a low heat for 8-10 hours, or on a high heat for 4-6 hours. The brisket should be tender and easily pull apart with a fork.
- Once the brisket is fully cooked, remove it from the slow cooker and transfer it to a chopping board or bowl. Use two forks to shred the beef into bite-sized pieces.
- Return the shredded beef to the slow cooker and mix it with the remaining sauce.
- Serve the BBQ pulled beef brisket hot on buns or rolls, topped with additional BBQ sauce and your favourite toppings like coleslaw or sliced onions.
Notes
- Don’t open the slow cooker! No matter how much you are tempted, try not to open the slow cooker until you think the meat is done. Every time you open the lid it releases a significant amount of heat and it takes a while to heat back up again, so it will take longer to cook your food.
- If you need this recipe to be gluten free and don’t have any gluten free Worcestershire sauce, a good alternative is Henderson’s Relish.
- For best results, cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Let me know what you think of this recipe!