Slap it in the slo-cooker and relax!
This is one of the easiest meals you could ever make. After you set the brisket to slo-cook, you take a slo-soak in the tub. Imagine yourself in a candle lit tub in a dimly lit bathroom, cucumbers over your eyes, roses strewn around the tub, a pillow behind your neck, relaxing to music on the your. What a relaxing way to prepare a superb meal.
Okay, back to reality. Pick out a nice brisket from the meat case at your favorite grocery store. As for the brisket in a grocery store, many times they are loaded with spices (and salt) and liquid. If you prefer not to have it pre-spiced, ask your butcher for one that is not. Or, if you have the luxury to know a local farmer, who raises top quality beef, that's another option. The latter option gives you a quality brisket without all the sodium or extra preservatives you don't really need in your system. And, this recipe is mainly for that option - a clean brisket, as I call it.
Coat your brisket with your favorite dry rub or make your own. Place the brisket in the slo-cooker on high temperature and let it cook it for 6 hours. Open the lid to the slo-cooker to slather on your favorite barbecue sauce and leave it on high for another 2 hours.
Turn your slo-cooker on the HIGH temperature.
Prepare your pan:
There is no need to butter or grease the inside of the slo-cooker or put water in it. There will be plenty of fat and moisture in the brisket and the vegetables. If you find otherwise, as it cooks, add a little water to keep everything a little moist.
Ingredients:
3-4 # Brisket
4 T Dry rub
2 Celery stalks, chunked
1 Onion, medium, chunked
4 T Barbecue sauce
Combine Ingredients:
- First of all, you may have noticed that I don't have salt listed above. Many dry rubs have a large amount of sodium and it's not necessary to add any. Taste the dry rub ahead of time to see if you need to add any salt.
- I usually trim off any large chunks of fat, leaving some for flavoring.
- Rub the dry rub on all sides of the brisket. This is a chance for you to create a dry rub out you like. Experiment until you find something you like, trying different spices and herbs.
- Place the brisket in the slo-cooker.
- Clean, peel and cut your onion in large chunks and put on top of the brisket.
- Clean and cut the celery stalks and place on top of your brisket.
- Cook on high for 6 hours, checking it once in a while to make sure your brisket and veggies are creating plenty of liquid. If not add about a cup of water. This is not for making gravy, just to allow the brisket to cook in a moist environment.
- Move the veggies off the top of the brisket.
- Top the brisket with the barbecue sauce, slathering it all over the top and sides.
- Cook for another 2 hours on high.
- Check your brisket for doneness. If it does not come apart easily, cook it for another hour and check it again. Depending on the size, it could take longer. Just check it every hour or so.
- Lift the brisket out and place on a rack over a large plate to let the excess fat drip off.
- Cover loosely with foil for about 15 minutes to allow the juices to settle down.
- Cut the brisket on the cross grain so you have short strands of meat in each slice. Cutting it the other way leaves long strands of meat, making it hard to chew and especially harder to eat in sandwiches.
Serve it up!
- Serve your brisket with extra barbecue sauce if you like whether it's on a plate or in a sandwich.
- It makes great sandwiches with sliced onions and cheese on bread or in a bun.
- Sidle it up next to a big dollop of mashed potatoes and gravy served up with a dark beer.
Remember, this is not a spiced and marinated corned beef brisket like those advertised around St. Patrick's Day. It's a beef brisket that you can basically flavor any way you like and serve as a main course with delicious sides or in a hot barbecue sandwich. Or serve it cold with Miracle Whip (I'm not a mayonnaise enthusiast) and homemade dill pickles. Or, I suppose you could serve it up like a Reuben with sauerkraut, thousand island dressing and cheese on rye bread. Whatever way you serve it up, enjoy!
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