I finally cracked open the new crockpot box on Saturday. For its virgin flight, I decided to try a smoked brisket. On the crockpot blog listed in the Blogs I Read archives, I had recently noticed a brisket recipe. I'd never thought of fixing a brisket in a crockpot, but I thought it sounded like a great idea! I decided to try my mother's recipe to see what would happen. When I went to the grocery store for the meat, the package of brisket was selling for over $18.00. They had chuck roast on sale for $2.59 a pound, so it was a no-brainer to buy the package of meat that was $6.00 something. And we ended up liking the 'chuck' brisket much better!
Here's my mother's basic recipe:
3-4 pound brisket
1/2 bottle of liquid smoke (see below)
1/2 bottle of Worcestershire sauce (see below)
Garlic salt, celery salt, and pepper.
I seriously reduced the amount of liquid smoke and Worcestershire sauce -- by at least half! And next time I think I'll probably use less than that, especially in regards to liquid smoke. In my mother's original recipe, it calls for the meat to be marinated overnight in the liquid smoke and Worcestershire sauce. I skipped that step, but you can do that if you like.
Brown the chuck roast to eliminate some of the fat before placing it in the crockpot. (Some crockpotters skip the browning step.) Season all sides of the meat with celery salt, garlic salt, and pepper. Put the liquid smoke and Worcestershire sauce into the bottom of the crockpot. Then add the meat. I put a cover of aluminum foil over the top of the meat since my pot is a large 6 qt. one. This helps to ensure the meat stays moist since it doesn't fill the pot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. About one hour before it's ready, pour your choice of barbecue sauce over the top. I used Sweet Baby Ray's because that happens to be the last sauce I bought in bulk at Costco.
We all gave this five stars! Michael's back home again, and he rated it better than his last brisket order at a barbecue joint on the road. We ate it with coleslaw, but next time I'll dress it up with a side of smokey beans or potato salad to make it more of a barbecue joint experience!
P.S. The leftover sandwiches on Sunday were wonderful! :)
