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Slow-cooked pulled beef brisket

  • 5 to 6 hours in the oven, or 8 to 10 hours in a slow cooker
  • 8-10

Pulled beef brisket is one of the easiest ways to feed a crowd. You do ten minutes of work in the morning, leave it in a low oven or slow cooker all day, and by teatime it falls apart with a fork.

It’s perfect for bonfire night. Pile it into soft buns, hand them round at the fire, and nobody has to stand at a barbecue in the cold. It’s just as good for a weekend family meal, a birthday spread, or a freezer full of easy dinners.

Here’s our pulled beef recipe, with methods for both the oven and the slow cooker, plus how to choose the right brisket.

See the instructionsprint the recipe

Ingredients:

  • 2kg brisket, rolled or flat
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 2 onions, thickly sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, bashed
  • 300ml beef stock
  • 150ml of your favourite barbecue sauce, plus extra to serve
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tbsp cider vinegar

For the rub

  • 2 tbsp smoked paprika

  • 1 tbsp soft brown sugar

  • 2 tsp garlic powder

  • 2 tsp onion powder

  • 1 tsp ground cumin

  • 1 tsp chilli flakes (optional)

  • 2 tsp sea salt

  • 1 tsp black pepper

Cooking Instructions:

Oven method

  1. Take the brisket out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Heat the oven to 150°C (130°C fan, gas 2).

  2. Mix the rub ingredients and press them all over the brisket. If it’s rolled, you can leave the string on for now.

  3. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish. Brown the brisket well on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes in total. This adds a lot of flavour, so don’t rush it.

  4. Lift the brisket out. Add the onions and garlic to the pan and soften for 5 minutes.

  5. Stir in the stock, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce and vinegar. Bring to a simmer, then put the brisket back in, fat side up.

  6. Cover with a tight lid (or a double layer of foil) and cook for 5 to 6 hours. Check after 3 hours and add a splash of water if it’s looking dry.

  7. It’s ready when a fork slides in easily and the meat pulls apart with no resistance. If it still feels firm, give it another 30 to 60 minutes.

  8. Rest the brisket for 15 minutes, remove any string, then shred it with two forks. Skim the fat from the cooking juices and stir enough of them back through the meat to keep it moist.

Slow cooker pulled beef brisket

  1. Follow steps 2 to 5 above, browning the brisket and making the sauce in a frying pan. Put the onions in the bottom of the slow cooker, sit the brisket on top and pour over the sauce. Use 150ml of stock instead of 300ml when you make the sauce, as a slow cooker loses very little liquid.
  2. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or high for 5 to 6 hours, until it shreds easily. Then shred and finish as in step 8. Check your slow cooker is big enough first: a 2kg brisket needs one of at least 5 litres.
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