It’s been 4 years since I did any real experimentation with brisket. I make brisket 4 or 5 times a year, based upon the first 4 recorded experiments, but haven’t kept written notes. After reviewing the first 4 brisket recipes and thinking about other results, I came to a few conclusions:

• vinegar is absolutely essential
• brown sugar is essential
• some type of heat, either powder or sauce, is essential
• Hoisin sauce gives it a nice tang, so it’s essential
• Use of a rub is inconclusive, regardless of what I said in Take #4

This one has a thick sauce, which I coated the meat with. It takes an hour for the crockpot to fully heat up, so my guess is the sauce will act as a rub. Time will tell.

06/15/2025: I made some final tweaks to the recipe, which are reflected below.

Crockpot Brisket in BBQ Sauce, take #5

BRISKET:

• 3.25 lb brisket, weight after fat removed

BBQ SAUCE:

• 1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/4 cup prepared yellow mustard
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp paprika
• 1 Tbsp baking cocoa
• 2 Tbsp dehydrated onion (heaping)
• 1 tsp dried mustard
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp granulated garlic
• 1 tsp seasoned salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp Indian chili powder (or cayenne or other spice)
• 8 squirts pepper sauce (Texas Pete, Tabasco, etc.)

Per usual, I removed all visible fat pockets, which reduced a larger roast down to 3.25 lbs.

Poured all sauce ingredient into a crockpot, stirring well. Place the brisket on top, then rolled to ensure it was coated. The brisket is a bit wide so I squished it to fit.

Set the crock pot temperature on High for 2 hours, then on low for 6 hours.

I thicken the sauce on the stove over low heat for 20 minutes.

Notes:

Any vinegar will work. I like the flavor Balsamic adds, and I have rice wine vinegar handy. Cider vinegar is fine.

Any red wine is fine. White is ok as well.

Hoisin sauce is essential, as it adds a tang to the flavor. Alternately oyster sauce (not oyster flavored sauce) will work.

I may bump up the baking cocoa next time. Last time I used 1 tsp, this time 1 Tbsp. Next time? Maybe 2 Tbsp.

More hot spice and/or sauce can be added, depending on the audience. I use Indian chili powder as it’s handy. Chipotle chili powder will add a smoky flavor.

I decided to do another brisket, but this time I went by memory of my previous attempts, using mostly sauces.

The result is mixed — I like the sauce and it goes well over the brisket, but the meat isn’t as flavorable without the sauce. Lorraine liked this one less than Take #3. I’m recording it, but don’t expect to make this one again.

Crockpot Brisket in BBQ Sauce, take #4

BRISKET:

• 3.5 lb brisket, fat removed

BBQ SAUCE:

• 1/2 cup Mirin
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup prepared yellow mustard
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/2 cup oyster sauce
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup dry vermouth
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 Tbsp granulated garlic
• 1 Tbsp paprika
• 1 Tbsp Mexican chili powder
• 7 shots Texas Pete

Per usual, I removed all visible fat pockets, which reduced a larger roast down to 3.5 lbs.

Pour all sauces into crockpot, stir in seasonings, then place onion on top. Place the roast on top of the onion, squishing it to fit.

I put the cooker on High for 6 hours and let it run.

The sauce was thick and did not need reducing.

Notes:

I wondered how much difference the rub made, and discovered it made a significant difference. Next time I’ll use Take #3 as the model.

Lorraine’s asked me to make this — it was my second try at it. The first one was “ok”, but a bit bland. I doubled all the spices and it worked out fine!

The brisket comes out very tender but doesn’t fall apart.

Brisket in Sunday Sauce

• 2 cups diced onion
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 28 oz can whole or diced tomatoes
• 1-1/2 cups dry red wine
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tsp seasoned salt
• 2 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp basil
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 5 to 6 lb brisket, external fat removed
• 6 oz can tomato paste

Place onions, garlic, tomato, wine, and spices in the crockpot; stir to mix. Place the brisket in the crockpot, squishing it in if necessary. Cook on High for 4 hours, then reduce to Low for 2 hours.

Note: If using whole tomatoes, cut them in half with kitchen scissors.

Remove the brisket from the crockpot and keep warm.

Transfer sauce from crockpot to a large saucepan and bring to a simmer. Use an immersion blender to produce a smooth sauce. Add the tomato paste and stir well. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Slice the brisket and serve with sauce.

Notes:

The recipe called for 1/2 cup stock (any kind) and 1 cup wine. I used all wine.

I went to the store to get tomato paste. I purchased everything on the list, plus a bunch of other stuff … and forgot the paste. So I simmered the sauce on low for 45 minutes, which worked out fine.

Lorraine doesn’t like spicy, so I use 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper. Those that like spicy might double that amount.

Lorraine wanted me to cook another brisket for our pre-Memorial Day dinner, but wanted me to do something different than the last 2 times.

I hunted through many recipes, but couldn’t find anything that was really different OR that I liked. So I started with the last last recipe and made more tweaks. The Hoisin and oyster sauces were intended to give it more of a Korean BBQ flavor.

This one is a winner!

Crockpot Brisket in BBQ Sauce, take #3

BRISKET:

• 4 lb brisket, fat removed

RUB:

• 2 tsp paprika powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 2 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp seasoned salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp Indian chili powder or cayenne

BBQ SAUCE:

• heaping spoonful of minced garlic
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup prepared mustard
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/2 cup oyster sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp onion powder
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

The brisket has a huge amount of fat. This time I removed all surface fat and cut out the pockets I could. This reduced a 5-1/2 lb brisket to 4 lbs! In addition to eliminating the large layer of liquid fat in the resulting BBQ sauce, it reduced the size of the brisket so it fit in the crockpot. And it made eating easier.

Mix Rub ingredients. Rub all over brisket. It can be refrigerated up to 24 hours — I left it on the counter for 30 minutes while preparing the BBQ Sauce.

I don’t stock onion powder, so I substituted dried minced onion — I put all rub ingredients in a coffee grinder to grind the onion and mix everything. I often do this even if there is nothing needed grinding, as it mixes the spices very well.

Combine BBQ Sauce ingredients in a slow cooker, stirring to mix well. Add the brisket — if it’s tight squish it down to make it fit.

Changes from Take #2:

• Rub? I adjusted some amounts and left out the brown sugar.
• Ketchup? I mixed equal parts ketchup, prepared mustard, and a mixture of Hoisin sauce and oyster sauce. This gives it more of a Korean BBQ taste.
• Mustard? This time I used Texas Pete mustard sauce. Any prepared mustard can be used.
• Brown Sugar? I eliminated sugar from the rub and (like last time) cut the sugar in half. Everyone liked it less sweet.

I put the cooker on High for 4 hours and then Low for 3 hours, then put it on Warm. An hour before we ate I turned it off and left it covered.

I lifted the brisket onto a cutting board with 2 large spoons and let it rest for 10 minutes. There wasn’t much fat to scrape, so the result was 98% meat.

While the brisket rested I strained the sauce and put into a large saucepan. Brought it to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduced to low for 15 minutes. This reduces and thickens the sauce, and it thickens more as it cools.

Notes:

Next time I’m thinking of eliminating the ketchup and going with 1/2 cup each prepared mustard, Hoisin sauce, and oyster sauce.

As with last time, I saved the sauce and will simmer chicken in it, to produce a BBQ chicken. Last 2 times I did this came out great!

The recipe for the first time I cooked brisket is here:

Crockpot Brisket in BBQ Sauce

Patrick is coming for dinner today so I convinced Lorraine that we should do brisket again (this took little effort!), this time with a regular brisket, not a corned beef one. 

Patrick cooked a brisket a few weeks ago and made some changes (both sons are chips off the block in that regard). I introduced the spirit of his changes and had to make a few alterations based upon ingredients at hand.

Crockpot Brisket in BBQ Sauce, take #2

BRISKET:

• 4 lb brisket

RUB:

• 1 Tbsp white sugar (calls for brown sugar, oddly enough we have none in stock)
• 2 tsp paprika powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp Indian chili powder (supposed to go in the BBQ sauce, I goofed)

BBQ SAUCE:

• heaping spoonful of minced garlic
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup commercial BBQ sauce
• 1/2 cup mixed mustards (see bel0w)
• 1/4 cup dark molasses
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp onion powder
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Mix Rub ingredients. Rub all over brisket. It can be refrigerated up to 24 hours — I left it on the counter for 30 minutes while preparing the BBQ Sauce.

I don’t stock onion powder, so I substituted dried minced onion — I put all rub ingredients in a coffee grinder to grind the onion and mix everything. I often do this even if there is nothing needed grinding, as it mixes the spices very well.

Combine BBQ Sauce ingredients in a slow cooker, stirring to mix well. Add the brisket — if it’s tight squish it down to make it fit.

I made a lot of substitutions here.

• Garlic? I used a large size table spoon (flatware, not a measuring spoon) and put in a heaping spoonful, probably 2 to 3 Tbsp.
• Ketchup? Lorraine buys smaller bottles as there are only 2 of us, so I used less ketchup, added BBQ sauce and mustards.
• Mustard? Recipe calls for ground mustard powder, and while I have it in stock, I decided to change things. We had a few Tbsp spicy mustard in a bottle so I added a bit of chicken stock and shook the heck out of it to dissolve the mustard, then added to the crock pot. I repeated this a couple of time until the jar was clean. Then I added 1/4 cup Texas Pete Mustard Sauce ‘cuz the whim struck me. Plain ‘ole yellow mustard would probably work fine.
• Brown Sugar? I didn’t have brown sugar so I used molasses. We had a bit in in a bottle so, again, I added a bit of chicken stock and shook the heck out of the jar, then poured it into the slow cooker. I did this twice more to clean the jar. Honey would have worked as well.
• Cayenne? Since I put Indian chili powder in the rub, I omitted it here.

I put the cooker on High for 4 hours and then Low for 3 hours, then put it on Warm. An hour before we ate I turned it off and left it covered. [The original recipe said to put the cooker on Low, and a 3 lb brisket takes 8 hours, a 4 lb brisket takes 10 hours.]

I lifted the brisket onto a cutting board with 2 large spoons and let it rest for 10 minutes. then I scraped off all exterior fat and started slicing, removing interior fat pockets as I went.

While the brisket rested I strained the sauce and put into a large saucepan. Brought it to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduced to low for 15 minutes. This reduces and thickens the sauce, and it thickens more as it cools.

Notes:

Warning: Indian and Mexican chili powders are NOT interchangeable. Mexican chili powder has other ingredients such as oregano and cumin. Indian chili powder is pure ground chilies and is often like cayenne on steroids.

Fat: The brisket has a large fat rind and large interior fat pockets. Next time I’m going to remove the large fat pockets before cooking.

Vinegar: last time I used a mixture of cider and rice wine vinegar; this time I used all cider. The vinegar flavor was not overpowering, as I originally considered.

I have never cooked a brisket before now. Nope, I have no idea why. It just was not on the agenda.

That deficiency has been fixed. I purchased a brisket and searched for a crockpot recipe, as I’m working from home this week and needed a recipe that required no attention.

This one caught my attention!

Crockpot Brisket in BBQ Sauce

BRISKET:

• 4 lb brisket

RUB:

• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp paprika powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

BBQ SAUCE:

• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1-1/2 cups ketchup
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp mustard powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Mix Rub ingredients. Rub all over brisket. At this point the brisket can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

Combine BBQ Sauce ingredients in a slow cooker, stirring to mix well. Add the brisket — if it’s tight squish it down.

I put the cooker on High for 4 hours and then Low for 3 hours. An hour before we ate I turned it off and left it covered. [The original recipe said to put the cooker on Low, and a 3 lb brisket takes 8 hours, a 4 lb brisket takes 10 hours.]

Pour the sauce into a saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium high heat and reduce until it thickens to a syrup consistency (it thickens more as it cools). This takes about 15 minutes.

Remove brisket to a cutting board and slice thinly across the grain. [I let it rest 10 minutes, then sliced it and covered until the sauce was ready.]

Notes:

Brisket: I goofed and purchased a cured brisket for corned beef. This came out fine anyway, although next time I’m buying uncured.

Vinegar: I only had 1/3 cup cider vinegar, so I added enough rice wine vinegar to make the 1/2 cup, and it came out just right. Eric & I like vinegar and it could have used a touch more, while Lorraine doesn’t care for vinegar but loved the dish. Using 1/4 cup cider vinegar and 1/4 cup rice wine or white vinegar might be a happy medium.

Cayenne: The recipe called for 1 tsp cayenne, but I toned it down as too spicy bother’s Lorraine’s stomach. I added 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, and may increase that to 1/2 tsp next time.

Onion Powder: I didn’t have onion powder, but had dehydrated onion flakes. I put the rub in a rotary coffee grinder and it mixed well.

The original recipe said:

Meanwhile, drizzle brisket with oil then roast in a 400 F oven for 15 minutes until brown spots appear. Remove then baste generously with Sauce, then return to oven for 5 minutes. Remove and baste again, then return to oven for 5 – 10 minutes until it caramelizes.

I didn’t bother, it was delicious as-is.