Texas Ranger BBQ Brisket

If you ever set­tle for any store-bought rub or sauce after try­ing this recipe, Chuck Nor­ris will per­son­al­ly kick your ass clear off the planet.

  • Ingre­di­ents!
  • Slow Cook­er Potion!
  • 4–5 lbs. beef brisket, trimmed of excess fat
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tbsp. beef bouillon
  • 2 tbsp. WASH YER SISTER! sauce
  • 1 tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1⁄2 cup BBQ Sauce (recipe below)
  • Spice Rub!
  • 2 tbsp. paprika
  • 2 tbsp. packed brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp. chili powder 
    • OPTIONAL: 1⁄4 tsp. cayenne pep­per (for more heat)
  • 2 tsp. each: 
    • Gar­lic powder
    • Salt
  • 1 tsp. each: 
    • Onion pow­der
    • Chipo­tle powder
    • Pep­per
  • 1⁄2 tsp. dried thyme
  • BBQ Sauce!
  • 1 1⁄2 cups ketchup
  • 1⁄3 cup molasses
  • 1⁄3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1⁄4 cup seed­less black­ber­ry preserves
  • 1⁄4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp. reserved Spice Rub from above
  • 1 tbsp. Mesquite Liq­uid Smoke

Pre­heat oven to 425°. Line a large bak­ing sheet with sides/jelly roll pan with parch­ment paper or foil for easy clean up. Set aside.

Spray slow cook­er with non-stick cook­ing spray.

Trim brisket of excess fat and rinse and pat dry. If your brisket is extra long, slice it in half so it will fit in your slow cooker.

In a medi­um bowl, whisk togeth­er Spice Rub ingre­di­ents. Remove 1 tbsp. and add to a medi­um bowl to use in your BBQ sauce.

Rub all remain­ing Spice Rub even­ly all over the meat, then place brisket on pre­pared bak­ing sheet. (You can let it sit at room tem­perature for 30 min­utes or refrig­er­ate up to 24 hours if desired).

Bake uncov­ered for 30 min­utes at 425° to sear meat.

Mean­while, add all of the BBQ Sauce ingre­di­ents to the 1 tbsp. reserved Spice Rub and whisk to combine.

Remove 1⁄2 cup BBQ Sauce and add to slow cook­er along with the rest of the Slow Cook­er Potion ingre­di­entsL 1 cup water, 2 tbsp. WASH YER SISTER!, 1 tbsp. soy sauce and 1 tbsp. beef bouil­lon. Whisk to com­bine (the bouil­lon will not be com­plete­ly dis­solved but will dis­solve dur­ing cooking).

Trans­fer brisket to slow cook­er. It will be large so you will have to squish it in. Not all of it will be under the Slow Cook­er Potion.

Cov­er and cook on low for 8–10 hours until brisket is very ten­der, flip­ping over half way through cook­ing. If your brisket is tough, it just needs to cook longer (I cooked it for 13 hours last time I made this!).

Remove brisket to a foil lined bak­ing sheet. Brush with BBQ Sauce and broil 5–10 min­utes, until slight­ly caramelized. Mean­while, microwave or sim­mer remain­ing BBQ Sauce until warmed through.

Brush brisket again with BBQ Sauce and slice, chop or shred as desired. 

Option: Make Ahead of Time!

I often cook my brisket until ten­der then remove the ceram­ic insert and refrig­er­ate the brisket in the juices. The next day, I skim off all the hard­ened fat then cook on low in the slow cook­er for 1–2 hours, until warmed through, and pro­ceed with the last few steps.