Barbecue Beef Brisket

This is Barbecue Beef Brisket at it's best. And for those of you who think all barbecue sauce comes in a bottle, get your measuring spoons out and buff up your spice rack.

This is honest, homemade barbecued beef brisket, perfect for sandwiches piled high with tender, moist beef brisket. It's good right out of the crockpot but it's even better the next day.

Shred it while it's still warm and let it refrigerate overnight, still in its cooking juices.

Whatever is left from the sandwiches can be used for burritos, wraps or salads. You might be tempted to eat a bowl of shredded brisket all by itself - it's that good!

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 hours
Ready In: 10 hours, 20 minutes

Barbecue Beef Brisket Sandwiches

3 pounds beef brisket, excess fat trimmed
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup beer or water
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 to 4 drops liquid smoke
2 tablespoons cornstarch
10 hamburger buns, toasted

Season the beef brisket with the kosher salt and ground black pepper.

Whisk together the brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, oregano, ketchup, cider vinegar, minced garlic, onion, beer, Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke.

Pour the sauce into the bottom of a slow cooker and place the meat on top. Turn it once to coat each side, then cover the pot and cook on low for 10 hours.

Remove the meat when it is fork tender. Let it sit, covered, while you make the sauce.

Turn the slow cooker up to high heat. When it is simmering, whisk in the cornstarch and continue to whisk until the sauce has thickened. If it becomes too thick, thin it out with a little beer or water.

Shred the cooked brisket with 2 forks and discard any pieces of fat. Put the shredded beef back into the slow cooker with the thickened sauce and let it heat through.

Pile the shredded meat and sauce onto the toasted hamburger buns and serve hot. You can also refrigerate the beef, covered, until the next day and serve the meat cold, room temperature or re-heated.

Good To Know - There is more than one type of liquid smoke on the market. Try out a variety until you find one that suits you best. Mesquite smoke or hickory smoke go particularly well with this recipe.

Food For Thought - Cut down some prep time without cutting back on flavor.

Use dried minced onion and granulated garlic in place of the fresh ingredients. Use 1 tablespoon of the dried onion and 1 teaspoon of the granulated garlic.

Yield: 10 Servings
Amount Per Serving: Calories 973, Fat 49g, Cholesterol 98mg