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Slow-Cooker Pulled BBQ Brisket

If serving this for dinner the same day, get the brisket in the slow cooker no later than 8 am (or start it the night before...before you go to bed).
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 hours
Total Time10 hours 20 minutes
Course: dinner, lunch
Cuisine: American, Southern
Keyword: brisket, gluten free, honey, molasses, pulled brisket
Servings: 15 people
Author: GFchow @ gfchow.com

Ingredients

Brisket Dry Rub

  • 1 medium-large beef brisket* - about 5 pounds
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Honey BBQ Sauce

  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup molasses
  • 4 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons COLD water + 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

  • Lightly grease your slow cooker.
  • Mix together dry rub seasonings and rub all over both sides of the brisket. Then place brisket in the slow-cooker. The brisket may need to be cut in half or into thirds to fit inside the slow cooker.
  • Whisk together ketchup, molasses, honey, dark brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic powder and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl. Pour sauce over brisket, cover and cook on low for 10 hours.
  • Once the brisket is fully cooked, carefully pour sauce from the slow cooker into a medium or large sauce pan. Bring sauce to a boil over medium-high heat. Combine cornstarch and COLD water and stir until cornstarch is dissolved. Then pour cornstarch mixture into sauce pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir until sauce is thickened which can take up to 20 minutes.
  • While sauce is thickening, shred beef with two forks.
  • Pour thickened sauce back into the slow cooker and give it a good stir making sure all of the brisket is covered in sauce.
  • Serve in a large bowl with fixins' such as gluten free toasted buns, cole slaw, pickles, chips, lettuce to make lettuce wraps, etc. Or prepare individual sandwiches.

Notes

*Brisket can often times have a thick layer of fat on the underside.  If this is the case, trim some of the excess fat off but make sure to leave some of the fat on for a more tender pulled brisket.
Sauce can be made in advance and stored in fridge until ready to use.
For saucier pulled brisket, make 1 1/2x the sauce recipe.
Brisket can be made one to two days in advance. 
Can also be served over rice or mashed potatoes.