Ingredients Meat & Poultry Beef Recipes Brisket Recipes Slow-Cooker Brisket and Onions 3.5 (1,502) Lean on your slow cooker for savory, seriously tender brisket. Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 6 hrs Total Time: 6 hrs 10 mins Servings: 6 Jump to recipe Our recipe for slow-cooker brisket and onions leans on the convenient, hands-off cooking method to produce moist, impossibly tender results with only 10 minutes of prep time. The best part? There’s no searing required, saving you from the often-messy splattering that browning the meat on the stovetop can create. The brisket gets a savory boost from sliced onions, garlic, and chicken broth, which meld during the gentle cooking process to create a flavorful sauce for serving with the sliced meat. And while this recipe needs nothing more than a sprinkling of fresh parsley, we highly recommend serving it alongside a pot of mashed potatoes or rice to soak up all those delicious juices. How to Convert Your Favorite Recipes for the Slow Cooker Key Ingredients for Slow-Cooker Brisket The meat: A whole brisket is made up of a first cut and a second cut. For this recipe, look for the leaner first cut, or "flat cut" as opposed to the second or "point cut." Ask your butcher to trim the layer of fat on the brisket down to one-quarter inch, which is enough to keep the meat moist and tender as it cooks. The alliums: A combination of yellow onion and garlic lends tons of flavor to this simple recipe. To slice the onion, cut it in half from pole to pole, then place each half flat side down on your cutting board and slice crosswise into thin pieces (about one-eighth to one-quarter inch). Don't worry about slicing or mincing the garlic—it only needs a quick smash with the side of your knife. The broth: If you have homemade chicken broth or stock on hand, this is an excellent way place to use it. Otherwise, choose a good quality, low-sodium option at the store to keep the sauce from becoming overly salty. How to Make This Recipe Ahead Cooking brisket ahead of time cuts down on day-of work while also giving the meat a chance to firm up, which makes slicing far easier. You can make this recipe up to two days before you plan to serve it. Store it in the cooking liquid, covered tightly. Slice against the grain before reheating, covered, in a 300-degrees Fahrenheit oven. Directions Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker: In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine onion and garlic. Season brisket with salt and pepper and place, fat side up, in slow cooker. Add broth. Cover and cook: Cover and cook on high until brisket is fork-tender, about 6 hours. Slice, then serve with onion, cooking liquid, and parsley: Remove brisket and thinly slice against the grain. Serve with onion and some cooking liquid; sprinkle with parsley. Ways to Use Up Leftover Brisket Serve leftover brisket on crusty rolls with either gravy, horseradish sauce, or barbecue sauce. You can also pair it with Worcestershire-spiked beef broth for a play on a French dipUse it as a filling for tacos or quesadillasStir it into beef stew or chiliShred and simmer it homemade or store-bought spaghetti sauce for a short-cut ragu More Slow-Cooked Beef Recipes to Try: Slow-Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage Slow-Cooker Sicilian-Style Beef Stew Slow-Cooker Beef Ragu Slow-Cooker Ropa Vieja Slow-Cooker Beef and Tomato Stew Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.