Anytime I hear that someone is bringing brisket to a potluck, party or barbecue… I am automatically excited. A well executed brisket is hard to beat, but the most popular way to prepare a brisket is by smoking it. Well, I don’t have a smoker, but we want brisket, so we are slow roasting one in a super flavorful barbecue sauce and it turned out absolutely perfect.
This brisket is melt in your mouth tender and the sauce in packed with caramelized onions, garlic, classic spices and your favorite beer. Whether you have this brisket with slaw and sweet corn or on a bun with extra sauce, you are going to love having the option to whip up a fabulous brisket with no smoker required.
Let’s get started…
Begin by gathering all of your ingredients. You can use either flat cut or point cut brisket here. The difference just comes down to fat content. A flat cut brisket is more traditionally used. It has less fat giving it more of a chewy brisket texture. The point cut brisket has more fat marbled throughout making it more tender in the end.
The dry rub we are using on the brisket and in the sauce is a simple combination of garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt, black pepper and brown sugar. Mix it all together and we are going to use about 3/4 of this mixture to dry rub the brisket and reserve the rest to go in the sauce later.
Dry your brisket with paper towels and rub the dry rub over the entire surface.
Place a large oven safe skillet over medium heat and add a few tablespoons of a neutral oil. Once the oil is warm, sear the brisket on both sides and then transfer it onto a plate and set it aside for now.
Add 2 large thinly sliced yellow onions into the skillet and cook them until they are tender and beginning to caramelized.
This is when I like to preheat my oven to 300 degrees, so it’s all ready when the brisket is.
Once the onions are caramelized, add 4 cloves of finely minced garlic, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 10 ounces of your favorite beer and 2 bay leaves.
Bring everything up to a simmer and nestle the seared brisket back into the skillet, cover the skillet tightly with foil and roast in a 300 degree oven for 2 hours.
After 2 hours, carefully flip the brisket, recover the skillet with foil and roast for another 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
When the brisket is super tender and reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees, bring it out of the oven and transfer it onto a cutting board.
Place the skillet back over medium heat, add a cup of your favorite barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s Hickory & Brown Sugar) and simmer the sauce until it thickens up a bit.
Let the brisket rest while you are bringing the sauce together.
All you need to do is thinly slice up the brisket, nestle it back down into the sauce and then start digging in…
This brisket is so ridiculously tender, it literally falls apart and melts down into this glorious sauce. You are going to love it so much.
I recommend pairing this brisket with some roasted potatoes, sweet corn and cole slaw, but whatever you end up serving it with, just know that you will want seconds.
Slow Roasted Barbecue Brisket
Ingredients
- 3 pounds of beef brisket (flat or point cut)
- a neutral oil
- 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
- 10 ounces of your favorite beer
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
Dry Rub
- 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 1 teaspoon of chili powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees
- Combine the dry rub ingredients in a small dish and set aside for now
- If your brisket has a fat cap, trim it and discard
- Dry the brisket with paper towels and use about 3/4 of the dry rub to generously season the brisket on all sides
- Add a few tablespoons of a neutral oil into a large cast iron skillet placed over medium heat
- Place the seasoned brisket into the skillet and sear on both sides
- Transfer the brisket onto a plate and set aside for now
- Add the thinly sliced onions into the skillet and sauté until softened (about 5 minutes)
- Add 4 cloves of minced garlic, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and the rest of the spice blend and mix to combine
- Bring the mixture to a simmer and nestle the seared brisket into the liquid
- Tightly cover the skillet with foil and and transfer into a 300° oven
- Roast for 2 hours
- Carefully flip the brisket, recover the skillet and roast for another 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the brisket is very tender and reaches an internal temperature of 200°
- Transfer the skillet out of the oven and let the brisket rest for 15 minutes
- Transfer the brisket onto a cutting board and place the skillet over medium heat
- Whisk in a cup of your favorite barbecue sauce and simmer until thickened to your desired consistency
- Thinly slice the brisket and nestle into the barbecue sauce
