Easy Slow-Cooked Pulled Brisket Recipe

• Beef brisket – one of the most exceptional cuts for low and slow cooking. It’s also one of the cheaper cuts.
• French mustard – adds a sharp, tangy note that cuts through the richness of the beef.
• Spice mix – smoked paprika, cumin, chipotle, garlic powder, and onion powder combine with the mustard to create a deliciously smokey spice mix that forms a paste with the mustard.
• Beef or chicken stock – forms part of the sauce and creates a deep, umami-rich flavor.
• Apple cider vinegar – introduces a bright acidity that balances the richness of the beef and mustard. It also helps to break down the meat’s connective tissues for a more tender result.
• Onion – provides a bed for the brisket to sit on as it cooks, but also helps thicken the sauce.
• Maple syrup and coconut sugar – help to combat the acidity in the tomatoes.
• Canned Tomatoes – form the base of the sauce and help tenderize the meat.
• Fresh garlic – adds more pungency to the sauce.
• Salt and black pepper – enhance all the other flavours, with salt bringing out the natural taste of the beef and pepper adding a subtle warmth and a gentle bite.

Serve with a side of greens, Maple Roasted Carrots, fresh crusty bread or in tacos with various toppings. This Mango Habanero Salsa or the guacamole from this Guacamole Toast recipe are an excellent match.

1. Preheat the oven to 325° F/160°C.
2. Mix the spices, mustard and water together in a small bowl until they form a paste. Set aside.
3. Add the sauce ingredients to a small blender and whizz briefly to combine then set this aside too.
4. Heat a dutch oven or large saucepan (that has a lid) over a medium-high heat then add in the olive oil.
5. Once warmed through add the brisket. Brown on all sides finishing with the fat side up.
6. Lift the brisket out and place it on a plate while you cook the onions.
7. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pot and once heated, add in the sliced onion, Cook until softened and slightly browned – about 5 minutes.

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1. Switch off the heat, and place the brisket on top of the cooked onions.
2. Spread the spice paste all over the top and a little down the sides of the brisket then pour the tomato around the sides of the meat.
3. Put the lid on the pot and place it into the oven to cook for 3 hours. Baste some of the cooking liquid over the brisket 3-4 times as it cooks and check there is still sufficient liquid in there. If not add half a cup of beef/chicken stock or water.
4. At the 3 hour mark remove the lid, baste one more time and cook for another 15 minutes to half an hour.
5. Remove from the oven, shred with two forks and toss through the juices left in the pan.

Trim any excess fat from the brisket before you start cooking. While some helps keep the brisket juicy, a thick layer of fat results in meat with a fatty mouthfeel.

Don’t have a pot with a lid? Simply cover the top of your pot tightly with two layers of aluminium foil.

Keep a close eye on the brisket while it cooks with the lid off. This helps the sauce thicken, but don’t let it evaporate entirely!

Cook times for brisket can vary depending on several factors including the thickness of the meat. If you find it’s not coming apart easily after 3 hours, pop it back for another half hour. Check again and repeat until the meat shreds easily.

The sauce is thick enough to cling to the brisket once cooked, however, for those that like it thicker:

• Before shredding the brisket, remove it from the pot, place it on a large plate and cover with foil.
• Move your pot from the oven to the stove top. Bring it to the boil and allow to reduce for 5 minutes or so, or until thickened.
• Put the brisket back in the pot and shred it into the sauce before serving.

1. Make the spice paste and tomato sauce as per steps 2 and 3 in the recipe.
2. Turn on the sauté setting of your instant pot and set the timer to 10-12 minutes.
3. Add in 1 tbsp of olive oil then add in the brisket and brown on all sides. Remove to a plate while you cook the onions.
4. Pour in another tbsp of olive oil followed by the onion. Sauté until browned (about 3-4 minutes)
5. Put the brisket on top of the onions and cover it in the spice paste. Pour the tomatoes sauce around the sides then put the lid on.
6. Select pressure cook and set the timer to 90 minutes. Once complete, release the pressure immediately.
7. Shred the brisket into the sauce and serve. Or, for a thicker sauce, remove the brisket and turn the pot onto sauté for 6-8 minutes before serving.

1. Follow steps 2-7 of the recipe.
2. Once the onions are cooked, move them to the slow cooker and place the brisket on top.
3. Spread the spice paste all over the brisket and pour the tomato sauce around the sides of it.
4. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours (5-6 hours on high) or until it’s easy to pull apart with two forks.
5. Shred the meat into the sauce then serve.