After this recipe, you won't want any other kind of beef brisket again

Authentic Southern BBQ Brisket can be almost impossible to find when you’re a.) not in the South and b.) don’t own a barbecue. Luckily, if you’ve got a slow cooker you’re halfway to a BBQ Beef Brisket Bounty!

The hardest part of this recipe is the patience it requires. In particular, letting the meat rest in the fridge after slow-cooking is a herculean task of self-restraint, but your reward is a mountain of tender, tangy meat that is never, ever tough.

This is the perfect Sunday meal to set and forget while you’re doing laundry, cleaning up, or even while you sleep (with visions of beef brisket dancing in your head!). Whether this is meal prep for a week of delicious lunches, or incredibly easy dinners, one thing’s for sure: you’ll never let your slow cooker be idle again!

Southern BBQ Beef Brisket

30 minutes

10 1/2 hours

11 hours

1 large yellow onion

3 cloves garlic

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon chili powder

¼ teaspoon cayenne (optional, for extra spice)

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon dried thyme

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 cup beef stock

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 tablespoons barbecue sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

4-pound brisket

First: peel the onion, chop off the tip and, holding the root with your non-dominant hand, slice it into 1/4-inch rounds, then separate those rounds into rings. Slice off the root edge off of the garlic cloves and smash them with the flat side of your knife to make peeling them easier. Chop the garlic into a rough dice.

In a medium saucepan, sauté the onion in the olive oil with a pinch of salt, stirring consistently until caramelized (about 15 minutes over a medium high heat).

Add the garlic and spices (salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, cayenne, oregano, thyme, dry mustard) and sauté an additional 3-5 minutes, until everything is homogenous and the garlic is starting to soften. Remove the mixture from the heat and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the beef stock, ketchup, barbecue sauce, and brown sugar.

Place the brisket into your slow cooker. Spoon the caramelized onion and spice mixture evenly over the entire brisket, then pour in the stock mixture. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 10 hours.

Using a spoon, scrape off any large pockets of fat that have collected. Transfer everything to an oven dish and cover (either with a fitted lid, or with aluminum foil). Place the dish in the fridge for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

One hour before serving, preheat your oven to 350 F.

Once the oven has reached 350, remove the brisket from the refrigerator and slice it (being sure your slices go across the grain of the meat), then return to the pot and spoon a layer of the sauce over it.

Re-cover the dish with aluminum foil (or fitted lid) and roast for about 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the meat is hot all the way through.