When you have a hankering for a brisket, first ask yourself, “How do I want to cook it?”
Oven-Roasted Brisket
If it’s winter, roasting a brisket in the oven is simply delightful. I did an earlier post on oven roasted brisket here. Just remember low and slow- 250 degrees for one hour per pound.
Smoked Brisket
If it’s summer, you should be outside grilling and smoking your meat! In the building that I currently live in, I am not permitted to grill or smoke outside. I know, CRAZY right?! So, I can’t really talk about smoking a brisket today but I can tell you that when you smoke a brisket all day outside over hickory chips, what you end up with is melt in your mouth beef that is simply heaven. If you want to read more about smoking a brisket click here. These guys are NO JOKE, serious Texas BBQ men.
Crockpot Brisket
The crockpot is a great way to cook a brisket any day of the year because it is really easy and you don’t have to heat up your kitchen all day. Cook it on low setting for eight hours to ten hours in a liquid (Dr. Pepper is always good), or until fork tender.
Next question, “Will I use a rub or will I marinate it overnight?” No matter the cooking method, you will want to rub your meat with some kind of spice, or blend of spices OR you will want to marinate the brisket in a liquid. This is where you can get creative. Try something new! I use a rub of salt, pepper, chili powder and fresh garlic or I marinate the meat in some kind of cooking sauce or Dr. Pepper. Brisket is a tough piece of meat so it needs a little finessing and a lot of time to cook.
That’s it. Rub the meat or marinate it overnight, stick it in your cooking apparatus, and let it go low and slow. Don’t think about taking it out until it is falling off a fork. My mouth is salivating just thinking about a perfectly cooked brisket.
“How do I serve a brisket?” Well, it’s awesome just sliced up by itself but I also love a chopped brisket. Below is a quick brisket recipe and instructions on how to fix a chopped brisket.
| Chopped Brisket |
- 1 3 lb. brisket
- 1 T. chili powder
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 16 oz. Dr. Pepper
- BBQ sauce of your choice
- Rub both sides of the brisket with salt, pepper, chili powder, and garlic.
- Place the brisket in a crockpot. Pour Dr. Pepper over the meat. Cover and cook on low 8-9 hours, until fork tender.
- Either serve sliced or save it for chopped brisket tomorrow.
- Chopped brisket is easier to do the day after you cook it and have refrigerated it overnight.
- Take the brisket out of the cold refrigerator and chop it up fine.
- Transfer the chopped beef to a saucepan and pour some BBQ sauce over the top. Stir to combine.
- Cook it on medium-low heat, covered, stirring occasionally until hot.
- Serve on open-faced sandwiches, baked potatoes (or sweet potatoes), use for enchiladas, tacos, quesadillas, pizza, nachos, etc.
