Slow cooker Southwestern beef brisket

If there had been any red wine in the house, a bottle of cheap wine or even fancy dinner party wine, I'd have made my grandmother's brisket, the tried-and-true recipe my mother and her mother used to make with the sweet Manischewitz wine that was, at the time, the only kosher wine you could buy. And that would have been a shame, because without wine, I turned to my pantry for inspiration, and what I found were all of the ingredients for this Southwestern beef brisket that's a little bit sweet, and a little bit smoky, and a little tiny bit hot and spicy. Slice it or shred it, as you can see in the photos. Make this on Friday, serve it on game day, or freeze for your next Tex-Mex party.

Slow cooker Southwestern beef brisket {gluten-free}

From the pantry, you'll need: garlic, onion, chili powder, ground coriander, ground cumin, cider vinegar, canned chopped tomato, chipotle peppers in adobo, bay leaves, molasses.

Adapted from this recipe on The Food Network. Serves 8-10 (more if served as shredded beef).

Ingredients

4-5 lbs beef brisket, trimmed of visible fat, in 1 or 2 pieces (I use 2)
Kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
5 large cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 red onions, peeled, halved, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1/2 cup cider vinegar
16 oz chopped tomatoes
2 cups water
2 whole chipotle peppers in adobo
2 bay leaves
4-5 Tbsp molasses

Directions

Season the beef generously with salt and pepper.

In a large nonstick frying pan (or in the stovetop-safe insert of your slow cooker) over medium heat, brown the meat on all sides.

Remove it from the pan and place in a 6- or 7-quart slow cooker (if you're using the stovetop-safe insert, remove the meat to a platter and set aside).

To the frying pan, add garlic, onion, chili powder, coriander, and cumin, and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add vinegar, and stir for 10 seconds. Then, stir in water and chopped tomatoes, and pour the mixture over the brisket. Add the chipotles, bay leaves, and molasses, and stir well, turning the meat over in the slow cooker to coat all sides with the liquid.

Cover and cook on LOW for 9 hours. If you want to have some brisket for slicing, remove one piece and some of the liquid to a container with a lid.

Continue cooking the second piece of brisket for 1 hour, for a total of 10 hours. Raise the heat to HIGH, and remove the meat from the cooker. Using two forks, shred the meat, and return it to the cooker for 1 more hour, uncovered.

Brisket tastes much better the second day, so if you have the time and willpower, pack both the whole piece and the shredded brisket, with enough liquid to keep them moist, and refrigerate overnight. Can be frozen.

A nice touch, though certainly not necessary: Remove the refrigerated brisket from the liquid and set aside. Pour the liquid into a small sauce pan, and bring to the boil over high heat. Let the liquid boil until it is reduced by two-thirds, to a thicker gravy. Pour over the meat before you serve.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More brisket:
Oven-barbecued brisket, from The Perfect Pantry
Slow cooker sweet and smoky beef, from The Perfect Pantry
Pakistani "old clothes" beef curry in the slow cooker, from The Perfect Pantry
Slow cooker java brisket, from Amanda's Cookin'

Slow cooker Southwestern beef brisket {gluten-free}

From the pantry, you'll need: garlic, onion, chili powder, ground coriander, ground cumin, cider vinegar, canned chopped tomato, chipotle peppers in adobo, bay leaves, molasses.

Adapted from this recipe on The Food Network. Serves 8-10 (more if served as shredded beef).

Ingredients

4-5 lbs beef brisket, trimmed of visible fat, in 1 or 2 pieces (I use 2)
Kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
5 large cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 red onions, peeled, halved, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1/2 cup cider vinegar
16 oz chopped tomatoes
2 cups water
2 whole chipotle peppers in adobo
2 bay leaves
4-5 Tbsp molasses

Directions

Season the beef generously with salt and pepper.

In a large nonstick frying pan (or in the stovetop-safe insert of your slow cooker) over medium heat, brown the meat on all sides.

Remove it from the pan and place in a 6- or 7-quart slow cooker (if you're using the stovetop-safe insert, remove the meat to a platter and set aside).

To the frying pan, add garlic, onion, chili powder, coriander, and cumin, and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add vinegar, and stir for 10 seconds. Then, stir in water and chopped tomatoes, and pour the mixture over the brisket. Add the chipotles, bay leaves, and molasses, and stir well, turning the meat over in the slow cooker to coat all sides with the liquid.

Cover and cook on LOW for 9 hours. If you want to have some brisket for slicing, remove one piece and some of the liquid to a container with a lid.

Continue cooking the second piece of brisket for 1 hour, for a total of 10 hours. Raise the heat to HIGH, and remove the meat from the cooker. Using two forks, shred the meat, and return it to the cooker for 1 more hour, uncovered.

Brisket tastes much better the second day, so if you have the time and willpower, pack both the whole piece and the shredded brisket, with enough liquid to keep them moist, and refrigerate overnight. Can be frozen.

A nice touch, though certainly not necessary: Remove the refrigerated brisket from the liquid and set aside. Pour the liquid into a small sauce pan, and bring to the boil over high heat. Let the liquid boil until it is reduced by two-thirds, to a thicker gravy. Pour over the meat before you serve.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More brisket:
Oven-barbecued brisket, from The Perfect Pantry
Slow cooker sweet and smoky beef, from The Perfect Pantry
Pakistani "old clothes" beef curry in the slow cooker, from The Perfect Pantry
Slow cooker java brisket, from Amanda's Cookin'

Comments

This sounds fabulous! I am a brisket fan big time, I will have to try this. And thank you for the link!

Sounds fabulous, and what a gorgeous photo!

Amanda, I've never met a brisket I didn't love! I hope you like this one.

Kalyn, thanks so much. This is a great make-ahead dish that I think you'd like (and it's not too spicy!).

For me, make the sauce first, then see what wants to live in it (to be eaten, no doubt).

Susan, that works, too. The sauce over rice would be pretty terrific.

Love all the deep flavors in this recipe Lydia - doing some cooking for a few friends - this would be perfect since it can just cook away and reheats well.

Jeanette, sounds perfect for your class. This is such a versatile recipe. Great for sandwiches, or for tortilla filling. Make ahead and freeze!

I am going to make this tomorrow; perfect "storm food".
I am wondering though, do I need to use the crock pot, or can I do this in the oven in a dutch oven, like I do pulled pork?
Electricity is so expensive where we are and I am afraid the power may go out.

Molly, absolutely! You can make this in the oven in a Dutch oven, or even on the stovetop. Stay safe in the storm.

ohhh I wish I wasn't behind in my blog reading because this would have been perfect for hurricane sandy - unfortunately it is too dangerous to go out now!

This turned out great with mushrooms and eggplant (no meat), with all those flavors blossoming.