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Easy Slow Cooker Smoked Brisket

This Slow Cooker Smoked Brisket delivers a big smoky flavor, without using a smoker or wood chips. Simply set it, forget it, and enjoy.

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Make tender, smoked beef brisket in your slow cooker

Tender Smoked Beef Brisket without a Smoker

This is one of those super easy recipes that took zilch elbow grease yet tastes like you absolutely worked on it. People will ask you where you’re hiding your smoker once they taste this smoky beef brisket. Only you are privy to the fact that the brilliant brisket on the table required just a few basic ingredients and a slow cooker.

Before we take another step, this is important: be sure you’re using a fresh cut of beef brisket from your local butcher or fresh meat counter. This recipe is not for the packages of pre-brined roasts that have been resting in a salty solution. If you use a pre-seasoned brisket, it’ll result in the sodium party you never wanted to throw.

Other than that, all you need are a few basic ingredients and your trusty slow cooker to make this super tender, smoky beef brisket.

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What is liquid smoke?

Good quality liquid smoke is necessary for that wonderfully smoky flavor you’ll smell and taste in this delightful beef brisket. No fussing at the grill or smoker, which makes this a perfect dish for rainy spring shower days. Also, this means your hair and clothes won’t smell like charcoal or wood chips. A definite bonus.

Liquid smoke is a smoky-flavored extract that tastes like it sounds – a savory smoked wood in liquid form. Wood chips are burned and the smoke is captured and condensed. It’s then double filtered to remove soot and ash, leaving just the liquid steam.

A little goes long way, so one small bottle of good liquid smoke will last you a long time. A couple tablespoons of liquid smoke in this beef brisket recipe provides plenty of savory smoky flavor for the entire roast.

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Common Questions and ANswers

Q: Where can I buy fresh brisket?
A: Unless you’re in Texas, you may need to go to your local butcher shop for fresh beef brisket. Costco often carries prime briskets at a reasonable price. There are several online farms you can get it from as well.

Q: What should I look for in a brisket?
A: Look for a narrower, thicker slab of brisket. Try to avoid super thin flats of meat, and shoot for no less than 3/4″ thick. Prime cuts are best, as they will cook up more tenderly. If buying from Costco or a meat counter and you don’t see a cut you like, try asking the butcher to see if they have more in the back.

Q: How should I trim the brisket?
A: Feel free to trim excess fat from the brisket, but do leave some intact, as some fat is needed for tenderness of the finished brisket.

More to Cook and Eat:

ALso Try this Tender Beef Stew with potatoes:



 

Easy Slow Cooker Smoked Brisket

5 from 13 ratings
This Easy Slow Cooker Smoky Brisket is full of that smoked flavor you love, without hassling with a smoker. The beef comes out tender and juicy every time!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 hours
Total Time: 10 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 8
Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients  

Instructions

  • Pat dry
    beef with paper towels to completely remove any excess moisture. Trim excess fat, but leave some, as some fat is necessary for flavor. Place beef on a large sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil.
  • Evenly press on the garlic, black pepper, and onion powder all over the roast. Sprinkle light layer of kosher salt over roast (check the level of salt in your liquid smoke to determine whether to go light or heavier with the kosher salt.) Gently pour/pat on the liquid smoke. Tightly wrap beef with foil and seal closed.
  • Place foil-wrapped roast directly into the slow cooker and cook on low for 10 hours. Carefully unwrap foil (take care not to get burned by steam) and check for fork-tender doneness. Taste beef and sprinkle on more kosher salt to taste, if needed. Place beef onto serving plate. Taste the smoked juices and add salt as needed to the sauce.
  • Slice beef and pour juices over the top. Serve warm, garnished with parsley or with your preferred BBQ sauce. Great with potatoes or crusty bread!

Notes

Check your brisket to be sure it's not already pre-seasoned or packaged in a salty brine. If so, omit the salt, as liquid smoke is typically a bit salty already. You can always add salt to taste once the roast is done, if needed.
Corned beef is generally pre-soaked in a salty brine. If you bought corned beef, use this recipe instead.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating ♡

Nutrition

Calories: 314kcal | Carbohydrates: 1.3g | Protein: 41.4g | Fat: 14.7g | Saturated Fat: 5.2g | Cholesterol: 123.3mg | Sodium: 157.9mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.1g
Course: Dinner, Main
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free
Method: Slow Cooker

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Recipe Rating




31 comments

    • Alyce
    • 5 stars

    This was freaken delicious ‍♀️
    Hell yeah ild make it again

      • Amy Dong

      Yes! So happy you loved it 🙂

    • Ruth

    The recipe is very good; the brisket was delicious. The only question is – why does it need to be wrapped in foil? It was very messy getting the meat out of the crock pot.

    • Genevieve | Fitty Foodlicious
    • 5 stars

    This brisket looks delicious and perfect for Easter!

      • chewoutloud

      We love it for Easter 🙂

    • Chef Dennis
    • 5 stars

    That was one delicious brisket recipe and will definitely be making regular appearances at our house!

      • chewoutloud

      So glad you liked it!

    • Linda
    • 5 stars

    I’ve been wanting to cook with liquid smoke and this is the reason why

      • chewoutloud

      So easy and flavorful!

    • Jacqueline Debono
    • 5 stars

    I love how easy this brisket was to make! I cooked it overnight and we had it for lunch today. So tender and the flavour was outstanding!

      • chewoutloud

      So happy you guys liked this!

    • Julie
    • 5 stars

    This came out great! I was looking for a brisket made in the slow cooker and this one is it! I love all the flavors in this and everyone asked for the recipe.

      • chewoutloud

      Yay, Julie!

    • Jen Sim
    • 5 stars

    Yum! This brisket looks mouthwatering. I have some liquid smoke in my cupboard so I’ll definitely be saving this recipe for later!

      • chewoutloud

      Yay!

    • Marta
    • 5 stars

    I love the convenience of slow cookers. The magic in this recipe is that the liquid smoke separates it from other slow cooker recipes. I like that you clarified a “good quality liquid smoke”. The brisket was delicious.

      • chewoutloud

      So happy you enjoyed it!

    • Leslie
    • 5 stars

    You totally perfected this recipe! I’m even more impressed that it’s made in the slow cooker! It doesn’t get better (or easier) than this!

      • chewoutloud

      So glad you liked this!

    • Stine Mari
    • 5 stars

    This was just perfect. Exactly what I was looking for considering I don’t have a smoker and wood chips always intimidated me. So easy and delicious!

      • chewoutloud

      Happy you liked this! 🙂

    • Mike

    Could you cook this on high for shorter time?

      • chewoutloud

      You can, Mike, though sometimes I find that longer-slower yields a more tender result. However, all slow cookers are a bit different, so yours might turn out great 🙂

    • Zerrin

    Oh my! These photos are making me so hungry!

      • chewoutloud

      That means I did my job 🙂 LOL!

    • 2pots2cook

    Great idea! Great photos, too ! Thank you !

      • chewoutloud

      You’re so welcome, and glad you like ’em 🙂

        • Robin
        • 5 stars

        This perfect week night dinner entrée transforms into delightful sandwiches and soups days later.

          • chewoutloud

          So happy you liked this!

    • Helene

    Why can’t you add the salt before cooking?

      • chewoutloud

      Helene, I’m updating instructions to say that you can sprinkle a light layer of salt over the brisket; the reason it originally said to wait before adding salt is that some liquid smoke brands are already salty, so it’s to avoid over-salting. You can always add, but can’t take away from the salt once it’s cooked. Thanks for your comment and hope you love this 🙂

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