Beef Brisket is so easy to make that it practically cooks itself. You simply throw all of the ingredients in a crockpot and a few hours later it’s done. This easy brisket recipe is a favorite paleo dinner in our family! Growing up I loved the brisket that my Bubby made. It was melt in your mouth amazing. My mother also made incredible beef brisket.
Since I started eating red meat religiously a couple of years ago (rather than every now and then) I have watched my iron levels climb to a healthy level. I was chronically anemic for years, and found from personal experience that eating red meat was the best way for me to solve this health issue.
While it is not often discussed, so many people with celiac disease and gluten intolerance suffer from anemia and low iron levels. One can supplement with iron as many doctors advised me to, however iron supplements are extremely challenging to assimilate and can cause problems of their own.
- 1½ pounds brisket, flank rib, shoulder roast or stew meat
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 8 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 8 carrots, sliced ½-inch thick
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- Place stock, onion, garlic, mushrooms, and carrots in crockpot
- Sprinkle with garlic powder, onion powder, and salt
- Place meat in center
- Turn crockpot on to low and cook for 6-8 hours
- Serve
We serve this easy Beef Brisket recipe with the following paleo side dishes:
pei says
hi elana
thanks for the recipe. I followed it to a t but it came out as a soup rather than a stew. not sure what I did wrongly.
Elana says
Pei, this typically happens when the recipe is made in an Instant Pot rather than the crockpot that is called for in the recipe :-)
Dalida says
Same thing happened to me! Very stew-like, but delicious.
Dalida says
And yes, I used a real Crockpot….
Elana says
Thanks Dalida! Glad it was delicious :-)
LizzieB says
Hi Elana, thanks for this mouth watering recipe. I am wondering if anything could be substituted for the mushrooms as I can’t eat them. Or maybe just leave them out?
Cheers
LizzieB
Elana says
Lizzie, I haven’t tried that so not sure. If you do experiment please let us know how it goes :-)
Gershon says
Elana,
I am just starting on the SCD diet (recently diagnosed with Crohn’s and so hungry) and was seeking a simple and hearty stew/cholent recipe that I could put up for shabbat in a slow cooker. I am eating only soft foods so I am essentially desiring something with soft meat and vegetables.
I would be grateful for a recommendation!
Best of health,
Gershon
Elana says
Hi Gershon, I’m not sure I have anything like that, but will add your request to my list :-)
Lynn says
Hi Gershson. I just made a beef stew with cranberries and veggies. Also a chicken stew w many veggies. Meats were soooo tender cause I cook them in a crock pot for 8 hours. Or you can take the meats and out in a blender then add back into crick pot. Enjoy !!
Elana says
Thanks Lynn!
Konstantin says
I decided to use this recipe last night, did exactly as instructed …. I would NOT…. strongly would NOT recommend to use the entire onion …. It was overbearing the entire taste of meat…. I had to use a variety of sauces and other spices after finishing everything just to make it semi edible. Would try this again minus the onion
Elana says
Thanks Konstantin, we love it with loads of onion :-)
Leesa m says
I add a few tablespoons of ketchup on top of the meat then cook and it gives added nice flavor
Crystal says
I love all your recipes!!! I recently had to start cooking low sodium for my husbands heart condition, I would love to see some low sodium recipes too!! Thanks for all your great ideas!!
Elana says
Crystal, thanks for your request.
Joni Renee Zalk says
I just threw all this in the pot with some fennel and ginger, as it was laying around… I wonder about the mushrooms, I would think they would overcook… I’ll try it, though!
Alexis says
Did you try this, and did the mushrooms overcook? I am concerned about that as well.
john says
Way too much garlic. I cut to 3 garlic cloves and the garlic powder and it still tastes like garlic. More salt and less garlic.
Elana says
John, we absolutely love garlic :-)
nicole says
How many servings in this recipe?
Elana Amsterdam says
Hi Nicole,
Depending on appetites, this will feed 4-5 people :-)
Elana
Catherine says
The brisket I purchased has a fat cap on it. Do I leave this on or take it off?
Thanks!
Elana says
Catherine, leave it on.
susanna faygenbaum says
ELana what crock pot do you recommend? i don’t own one and would love to buy
Elana says
Susanna, click on the green text in the recipe that says “crockpot” for that information.
Clever Girl Reviews says
Looks great! I wish I could get my husband to try more dishes like this. I may just have to sneak it in! I’ll have to adapt this to the oven and a dutch oven and try it!
Mark Thomas says
Does the meat need to be submerged and touching the base of the crockpot or on top of the vegetables and stock?
Nancy says
I have made brisket with NO added liquid. There is so much that comes out of the brisket itself, that you don’t really need extra liquid. If you are adding veggies at the start of cooking, they will also contribute liquid, and be total mush by the time the meat is done cooking. Sometimes I will add a small amount of broth, like 1/2 cup for a much larger roast, like 3 to 5 pound size. I usually wait until the last 3 to 4 hours of cook time to add the veggies, so that they are soft, but not total mush. Same thing with seasonings other than salt and pepper. I have found that if the brisket is grass fed, it needs around 14 to 16 hours of cook time. Less than that, and it’s still got a lot of gristle.
Adam Bryan says
I am a sucker for beef brisket. This looks and sounds amazing :)
Samantha says
Thanks for posting this recipe Elana. I will try this out soon. My first and only attempt at cooking brisket in the oven didn’t turn out so well. I burned it pretty badly, and I haven’t been brave enough to try it again. I am excited about using my crock pot to give brisket another try, and this time I know I won’t burn it.
Aidel.K says
This looks great for Pesach! Thanks, Elana.
Aldina says
Elana,
Thank you for posting this easy recipe! I threw it together this morning and it was so delicious! I used the flank steak and it turned out amazing on low for 8-10 hours. Keep your great recipes coming!
Aldina
Elana says
So glad you liked it Aldina!
Heather@CookItUpPaleo says
Yum this looks so easy and delish!
Debbie says
Elana,
Flank steak and brisket are two very different meats requiring different cooking techniques. I sure hope the flank steak was an error. Flank steak is awesome grilled or broiled with cooked onions and mushrooms. As a matter of fact, that was my favorite childhood dish. Tomato based briskets are yummy. Mom made a great brisket as well!
Nancy says
You can definitely slow cook flank steak. Although I prefer it grilled or broiled! :)
Gail Marcus says
I’d like to double the size of the brisket, cook it in the oven and of course adjust the cooking time. Will that work??
jupo says
Is that mashed cauliflower served with it in the picture? Looks great!
And to Gloria: a crockpot uses low cooking temperatures so no the meat will not turn to dust, even after 24 hours :)
The span in cooking hours is “vague” to show that you can suit your schedule: make it in the morning and it will be ready for supper, or just throw it in the day before a party and forget about it if you want. What is quick is the active time, cooking time you get to do other things with so it doesn’t count! If you’ve never tried a crockpot I highly recommend you try it!
Nancy says
I have found that grass fed brisket takes at least 14 to 16 hours to be any good. So for us, can’t start it in the morning and have it ready for dinner. I always start mine going the night before. If I start it cooking around 5 to 6pm, it is ready in time for lunch the next day. I throw the veggies and seasonings (other than salt and pepper) into the slow cooker 3 to 4 hours before planning on stopping cooking. Otherwise, they are complete mush.
LoisMyers says
Nancy, I appreciate you sharing your experience with grass fed briskets.
Trisha says
How many does this serve?
lauren says
Ooh I LOVE Brisket! I actually one had it for the first time a few years ago. So. Good. What a great simple recipe, thanks Elana!
QueenJellyBean says
Thank you Elana for addressing the occurrence of anemia and low iron in celiacs. While I was vegan, then pescatarian, I didn’t know why I was ranging between anemic and low iron for years, despite the black iron pills. Thanks for sharing your own celiac related iron-assimilating challenges (oh that flat vili!). Yes, eating red meat regularly became my way to avoid passing out regularly. I’ve gotten used to eating it, and slow cookers recipes are wonderful – thanks!
Dayle says
Thank you for posting this! I just took the beef brisket out of the freezer yesterday…I wasn’t sure what I was going to make with it – now I know! You are amazing!
Gloria says
Wow, 8-24 hours, that is a little vague. Wouldn’t one and a half pounds of beef be dust after cooking for 24 hours? And you call this a quick recipe?
Dan says
If it is in stock and on low it should be just right. I believe 8 to 24 hrs just means that you can eat it anywhere in that timeframe. It’s on low remember.
Dan says
Oh, and it’s quick because the prep is quick. Throw everything in the crockpot. Then don’t worry about it until dinner time. 8-24 hrs. Either throw everything in crockpot and turn it on low that morning and leave it until dinner time or the night before when going to bed.
Nancy says
It’s quick because you don’t have to mess with anything. Just stick it in the slow cooker and be done with it. Although I would suggest that if you want vegetables that are not tasteless mush, to add them in the last 3 to 4 hours of cook time. Same advice for seasoning other than salt and pepper. I find that with grass fed brisket, I need 14 to 16 hours of cook time. I will put the meat in the slow cooker before I go to bed. And then some time later the next day, I will put the rest of the items into the slow cooker (veggies and additional seasoning). Another way to do it is to take out the meat, shred it, put it back into the slow cooker (with all the juices), and continue to let it cook for a few more hours, with the juice then penetrating into the smaller pieces. That is also a good time to add veggies (if you are doing that method). I have also shredded the meat, poured the juices into a pot on the stove, and put the meat back into that for another hour while the sauce reduces. That also makes for very juicy slow cooked meat.
Brian says
Brisket???
Brisket is a cut of beef from the chest of the steer. Flank steak is a cut from just beneath the sirloin. Why not call it what it is?
mary says
Do you have to sear steak before putting in crockpot?
Helen says
Hi Elana,
I was pretty surprised to see your recipe for “traditional” Jewish Bubbie brisket was made with flank steak -was that a typo? After looking at the recipe, and considering it’s being made in a crockpot, why not use stew meat instead? A good brisket, by the way is made with a “point” brisket; otherwise you can end up with too much gristle if the cut is just labelled “brisket”.
B’shalom, Helen
Nancy says
If you slow cook a brisket, the gristle will break down and the brisket will be fall apart tender. The key is SLOW cook. And by slow, I mean 14+ hours. When I first started making grass fed meats, I didn’t trust that super long cook time. I would check on the slow cooker brisket after 8 hours (which a lot of recipes say just 8 hours, but that can not possibly be for a grass fed brisket). With using a variety of different slow cookers and brisket from different farms, that it is at least 14 hours to get a decent brisket. And 16 hours is even better. I will admit, I have never been able to wait longer than that without diving in. I set up the slow cooker overnight and let it go. I add any seasonings other than salt and pepper, in the last 3 to 4 hours of cook time. If adding in at the beginning, otherwise the flavor gets lost (somehow). And if I want edible vegetables, they also get added in 3 to 4 hours of cook time. Otherwise, they are complete mush and tasteless. Some people toss the way overcooked vegetables and other people blend them into the sauce to make a thicker “gravy”.
Jessica says
I have a question , I’m 6 hours into the 10 hour setting on low in the crock pot. It’s so soupy !! I followed the ingredients exactly. Should I femove some of the liquid?
Chris says
No, don’t remove any liquid. You can use it to make a gravy at serving time. It is cooking for the long, slow time in that liquid that is going to make that brisket so tender.
QueenJellyBean says
It’s healthier not to sear it before putting it in the crockpot/slow cooker. Higher cooking temperatures (such as used when searing) are linked to more inflammation in the body. So there are health benefits when we don’t sear, but it’s not necessary for the recipe. Slow cooking breaks down muscle fibers and makes it easy to eat and assimilate, but browning the meat makes tougher muscle fibers on the edges, which is not the texture a slow cooker recipe is going for. That’s just one point of view, for what it’s worth.