Lean Honey BBQ Pulled Brisket in the Slow Cooker

Pulled brisket – also called shredded brisket – is a classic here in Texas and all around the South. Not only is that melt-in-your mouth meatiness pure comfort and joy, but it’s a versatile meal option that can be used is so many ways – stuffed into potatoes, and a salad, sandwich, you name it!

Slow-cooked to perfection and pulling into shreds, this brisket is sauces up with a sweet and mellow barbecue sauce the whole family will love. Not many realize the flat cut of brisket is lean – a great way to add quality protein to your diet. This easy crockpot recipe is great on potatoes, sandwiches, salads and more and is made with Paleo-free ingredients.

My Lean Honey BBQ Pulled Brisket in the Slow Cooker is a beefy family favorite. I like it because it’s simple to prepare with just a few quick steps in the morning: Rubbing with spices, throwing down in a slow cooker, covering with the homemade sauce ingredients and letting cook low and slow until dinner time. It’s also Paleo diet friendly and everyone loves it, mainly, because it tastes so dang AMAZING.

Slow-cooked to perfection and pulling into shreds, this brisket is sauces up with a sweet and mellow barbecue sauce the whole family will love. Not many realize the flat cut of brisket is lean – a great way to add quality protein to your diet. This easy crockpot recipe is great on potatoes, sandwiches, salads and more and is made with Paleo-free ingredients.

And – HELLO — finished recipes less that 250 calories per serving, with 24g protein and 9g fat. A 2.5lb brisket makes about 10 servings, so this pulled honey brisket is perfect for a crowd, second-day meals, or to freeze for make-ahead meal prep.

Slow-cooked to perfection and pulling into shreds, this brisket is sauces up with a sweet and mellow barbecue sauce the whole family will love. Not many realize the flat cut of brisket is lean – a great way to add quality protein to your diet. This easy crockpot recipe is great on potatoes, sandwiches, salads and more and is made with Paleo-free ingredients.

TIPS ON MAKING HONEY BBQ SHREDDED BRISKET

BRISKET CUT: I’ve used a flat-half brisket to keep the recipe lean. Flat-half is also sometimes called “center cut” or “first cut”.  The “flat” (as opposed to the fattier “point” cut) is typically used for braised brisket that you want to hold up in slices, but it will also shred if cooked low and slow. It’s considered a lean cut by the USDA with 170 cal, 6g total fat, and 28g protein per 3-oz cooked serving (where all visible fat has been trimmed). I’ve been getting my brisket from Butcher Box, a premium meat and seafood delivery service, and been very happy with their grass-fed, grass-finished beef selections.

CAN I SUBSTITUTE THE CUT AND/OR SIZE?  Yes, you can use the “point cut” of brisket, if preferred. Also, a Chuck Roast works well. Just note that switching the cut does alter the nutritional details. Also, if you’d like to make a bigger batch, just scale up the ingredients (doesn’t have to be precision, this isn’t baking) and also ensure the cooker is big enough.  Also, you may want to add another hour or two of cooking on low – check center, thickest part with meat thermometer and pull at 190F-200F.

SLOW COOKER SPECS: You want to make sure that the slow cooker you are using approximately matches the piece of meat. For example, for a smaller brisket (like this 2.5 one), I used a 4-quart slow cooker instead of my 6-quart one to ensure that the sauce depth would adequate. If I poured the sauce into the big slow cooker, it would spread out too much, not covering the meat as well, and possible burn to the bottom and/or create a dry meat outcome. 

HONEY BBQ SAUCE: I’ve used ingredients to make this a Paleo pulled beef recipes – for example, coconut sugar instead of brown sugar, coconut aminos instead of soy sauce, and arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch. However, you can use what fits your dietary preferences.

LEFTOVERS: Store leftover cooked beef in the fridge, in an air-tight container, for up to 4 days. OR freeze for up to 6 months. ALSO, this recipe turns out more sauce than needed for coating the pulled beef. Pour the remaining Honey BBQ Sauce in a jar store in the fridge for up to 4 days – or freeze in a freezer-friendly container.  

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Lean Honey BBQ Brisket in the Slow Cooker
Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients
  • 2.5 lb. approx. flat cut or center cut brisket (can substitute “point cut” brisket or a chuck roast for a similar, but higher fat result.)
Spice Rub:
  • 1 ½ tbs chili powder
  • 1 ½ tbs garlic powder
  • 2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
Sauce
  • ½ cup tomato sauce 4 oz can
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 1/3 cup molasses
  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbs coconut aminos
  • 1 tbsp stone ground mustard
  • 1 tbsp coconut sugar
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 3 tbs water
  • 1.5 tsp arrowroot powder
Instructions
  1. Mix together spices and rub into brisket generously.
  2. Transfer brisket to slow cooker, fat side up.
  3. In glass mixing cut, stir together all sauce ingredients (except for water and arrowroot powder) and pour over top of brisket.
  4. Place lid on slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours, or until internal temperature about 190F -200F.
  5. Remove brisket from slow cooker to rest.
  6. Skim any fat off the top of liquid in pot, the best you can, and discard. Carefully pour remaining liquid into a sauce pot.
  7. Mix the water (cool) and arrowroot powder together until dissolved. Stir into sauce pot and simmer on medium for 5 to 10 minutes until thickened.
  8. Now that brisket is cook enough to handle, trim off fat side with serrated knife, and discard.
  9. Shred the brisket using two forks and bring it back to the slow cooker. If it is being stubborn, pull with fingers and/or use a knife to cut into large chunks to help shred.
  10. Dress beef with about a cup of the sauce, more or less to taste. Serve as desired.
  11. Keep leftover beef and remaining sauce in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in freezer for up to 6 months.

Ancho Apple Cider Brisket for Instant Pot

As we finish up fall and move into winter, I feel like the “turbo charge” button has been pushed on my family’s busy schedule . . . along with an insatiable hunger to fuel it. I need hearty yet healthy meals that don’t required me to devote and entire day in the kitchen whip up “good muscle-making grub,” as my teen boys would but it. Beef is always at the top of their request list and my recipe for Ancho Apple Cider Brisket for Instant Potor  is a simple, speedy and satisfying solution to their “what’s for dinner” demands.

Ancho Apple Cider Brisket in Instant Pot - make a hearty, healthy beef dinner for your family in just 1 1/2 hours (45 minutes cooking time, 45 minutes instant pot pressure and release time). Spices are seared on before cooking for maximum flavor and a sweet-savory finishing sauce is made with cooking liquids. So yummy and a great solution for busy day meals.

I’ve used an Instant Pot to reduce the cooking time on this braised-style brisket and upped the flavor with southwestern and seasonal ingredients. Read on for a fast, flavorful beef recipe and learn how to cook a brisket in the Instant Pot. Continue reading

Brisket, Corn & Kale Salad with Low-fat Creamy Texas Dressing (+ Other Leftover Beef Recipes)

Mmmmm, so I made a beef brisket this weekend. I used to be afraid of cooking large hunks of meat, but now I say “bring it on” – plus, the center cut of brisket is a lean cut, so no worries there! One of the biggest perks, aside from gobbling up slices of meaty heaven straight off the grill, is having leftovers! I’ve shared recipes I’ve prepared with leftover brisket in the past (hit the bottom of this post for links), and today I have a brand new salad to add to the collection! Brisket Corn and Kale Salad

You will love the smoky sweet satisfaction that my Brisket Kale and Corn Salad with Low-Fat Creamy Texas Dressing offers. Also, since kale is really only one of the salad greens holds up (if not gets better) to prepping ahead, this beef salad is also perfect for packing in a jar for lunch as school, work or the gym. Continue reading

BBQ Brisket and Bean Skillet Nachos – Yee Haw, Y’all!

Barbeque Brisket Skillet Nachos will satisfy a crowd!Today is National Tortilla Chip Day! My appetite just couldn’t wait for National Nacho Day to roll around on November 6th before sharing my recipe for hot, hearty and “yippee-yee-haw” yummy Cowboy BBQ Brisket & Bean Skillet Nachos.  Thousands have actually devoured this recipe, I developed it on behalf of Litehouse Foods to feed thousands of hungry expo carousers at the Produce Marketing Association’s “Fresh Summit” in Atlanta back in October. The line to get my grub was huge!

Cowboy Brisket Nachos with Tortilla Chips

Most “skillet” nachos I’ve tasted have been limp, lame and ready to be put out to pasture, the result of wet and dry ingredients loitering too long. However, this isn’t my first nacho rodeo and I revealed a nacho hack I’d been hiding – to keep the saddle off the horse until it’s time to ride! What I mean by this is to cook up toppings in cast-iron cookware and then slop atop tortilla chips right before serving, the result passes muster with this Sheriff of Sogginess.  Just imagine a platter with crisp, crunchy chips on the bottom and a hella ooey, gooey heaven on top! Don’t just imagine, try it!

Ingredients for BBQ Beef Brisket Skillet NAchosGrab you some barbeque brisket, roasted corn, pinto beans and seasonings – you’ll be wrangled those ingredients up stove top in a skillet at then smothering with a heaping helping of cheddar cheese and jalapenos. I love using the center cut portion of brisket for this recipe because it is actually considered a lean cut of beef (that surprises a lot of folks) and just tastes so down home delicious. When ready to feed your hungry hombres, pile chips on a plate, cover with a generous pile of brisket and bean topping, and dollop with sour cream, guacamole, salsa or whatever scoots your boot!

Cowboy BBQ Brisket Nachos

Cowboy Beef Brisket, Bean and Corn "Slop"  on Sweet Potato makes a quick and healthy meal solution!These skillet nachos are perfect for a party, patio snack or last-minute meal solution with leftovers Any remaining topping from my Cowboy BBQ Brisket & Bean Skillet Nacho can be served over baked potatoes, wrapped taco style in tortillas or scrambled with eggs. And, feel free to swap out the chopped up brisket for equal proportions of lightly seasoned ground beef or shredded chuck roast — you can’t go wrong!

Skinny Garden Guacamole makes a light and nourishing lunch served on whole grain toast.If this inspired by Texas recipe isn’t your style, how about some English pea and asparagus packed Skinny Garden Guacamole?

So, how are your dipping, dunking or topping your tortilla chips today? Please share in the comments below – XOXO, Jennifer 

 

BBQ Brisket and Bean Skillet Nachos
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
20 mins
 
Believe in the legend of leftovers! My BBQ Brisket & Bean nachos are a right easy way to feed a hungry crowd and use up extra beef from last night's dinner!
Course: Appetizer, Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican, Southern, Southwestern
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 cup diced onion
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 cup frozen corn kerals, thawed
  • 1 1 pound precooked, pre-sliced brisket
  • 1 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 15-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoe, with juice
  • 1/2 cup spicy BBQ sauce
  • 12 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 medium jalapenos, cut into rings
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 16-ounce bag tortilla chips
  • garnishes: avacado, salsa, sour cream, etc
Instructions
  1. Add olive oil to 12-inch cast iron skillet and bring to medium high heat. Add onion, garlic and thawed corn and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until kernels start lightly browning.
  2. Coarsely chop brisket add to hot skillet along with beans, tomatoes and barbeque sauce. Stir until combined and heated through.
  3. Top mixture with cheddar cheese and jalapeno rings. Place lid on skillet and simmer a few minutes until cheese melts.
  4. To serve, pile tortilla chips on a plate (individual or family-style), spoon on brisket and bean topping, sprinkle with cilantro and add additional garnishes of your choice.

Brisket Tacos with Spicy Watermelon BBQ Sauce and Pickled Rind Relish #TacoTakedown

Brisket Tacos with Spicy Watermelon BBQ Sauce and Watermelon Rind Relish - TheFitFork.comI enjoyed a one-of-a-kind, sorta-strange experience as only Austin can host at the Taco Takedown that was held this past weekend near the be-hip-or-go-home scene at SXSW (South by Southwest).  I’ve been in quite a few cook-offs including the iconic Pillsbury Bake Off in Vegas with $1 Million prize (obviously I didn’t win), the Crisco Cook Off in Nashville as part of the Country Music Festival, and even many times in my home-town Hatch Green Chile Cook Off where I hold bragging rights as the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winner.

Taco Takedown Contenders - TheFitFork.com

The right to battle it off as a finalist in most of these showdowns required each recipe to make it through some sort of qualifying round, being made and examined in a test kitchen by professional chefs and pre-judged on factors like presentation, fit within a certain category, creativity, convenience, taste and so on. Typically, pages of rules, do’s and don’ts, and lists of disqualifications were also involved.  However, not at the Taco Takedown – basically all the info I was given was just show up with your best taco. So, of course I started over analyzing and guessing at the non-existent details. And, in the end I decided to fly by the seat of my pants. I wondered what kind of taco would win – surely in Austin, a freaky taco would beat a traditional taco any day.

My Beefy Man Hunk Taco Model

My Beefy Man Hunk Taco Model

That’s why I wrapped all my loves, as strange as the combo might sound, in one tortilla – viola, a Beef Brisket Taco with Spicy Watermelon BBQ Sauce (and Pickled Rind Relish) recipe was born. Well, I guessed wrong because a Crispy Chicken with Avocado Taco dished up by Evin at Food Good, Laundry Bad took top honors.  As partial as I was to my wacky yet wonderful watermelon beef taco, I have to admit, the winner was really, super-ultra-deluxe good – and it was fried, how could I compete with that?!  But, I got to go home with the beefy man-hunk taco model — so, really, I was the WINNER!

 

Brisket Taco with Watermelon BBQ Sauce - TheFitFork.com

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of meaty beef, and summer-sweet watermelon and a surprise of spiciness, these are a few of my favorite things (is there a song here . . )?  I knew these flavors would mingle together for a memorable taco –as they did. I didn’t want to smoke the brisket, so I had four massive slow-cookers breaking down the beef into the perfect tenderness for fork shredding.  But, holy-moly, it took a long time to shred 27 pounds of brisket!    The BBQ sauce was a not-too-vinegary, not-to-tomatoey sauce sweetened with watermelon just and spiced up with Sriracha. Probably the most unique thing going on was the pickled watermelon rind that was diced up in the salsa. A true southerner uses ALL parts of the watermelon. And, of course, I topped it all off with some salty, crumbly queso fresco cheese.  Pickled Watermelon Rind Relish - TheFitFork.com

Use this Spicy Watermelon Barbecue Sauce on beef — but also on chicken, baked beans, fish, sausage, pork and more. I’ve also used it as a salad dressing!

Spicy Watermelon BBQ Sauce - TheFitFork.com

Because you’re probably not cooking for a 250 person crowd, I’ve scaled down the recipe for you to feed about 8 and maybe some leftovers!

What’s the craziest thing you’ve wrapped in a tortilla and called a taco? Please share in the comments!

 

Beef Brisket Taco with Spicy Watermelon BBQ Sauce and Pickled Rind Relish
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
10 hrs
Total Time
10 hrs 20 mins
 
Beef Brisket Taco with Spicy Watermelon BBQ Sauce and Pickled Rind Relish -- a strange but good recipe that will rock your next backyard party.
Course: Condiment, Main Dish
Cuisine: American, Southern
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
For Brisket:
  • 2 lbs. Beef Brisket preferably center cut
  • 4 cups water can substitute beef broth or beer!
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 2 medium sweet yellow onion sliced thinly
  • 3 jalapenos seeded and quartered
For Spicy Watermelon BBQ Sauce:
  • 3/4 cup watermelon juice
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 4 ounces tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp Sriracha pepper sauce more or less, to taste
Pickled Watermelon Rind Relish:
  • 1 cup diced watermelon drained of excess juice
  • 1/2 cup diced pickled watermelon rind homemade or oldsouth.com
  • 2 tbsp liquid from picked watermelon rind
  • 2 plum tomatoes seeded and diced
  • 1 jalapeno seeded and minced
  • 2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
Other:
  • 16 tortillas
  • 1/2 cup queso fresco cheese, crumbled
Instructions
For Brisket:
  1. Add ingredients for brisket into 6 - 8 quart capacity slow cooker. Cook on low setting for 10 hours. Remove brisket from cooking juices and strain out onions and peppers. Chop of onions and peppers, set aside. Cut excess fat of brisket and use fork or fingers to shred beef. Stir back in onions and peppers.
For Spicy Watermelon BBQ Sauce:
  1. Prepare BBQ sauce by adding all ingredients together in medium sauce pan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat and reduce to low. Simmer for 20 minutes. Pour desired amount over beef, remainder may be stored in the refrigerator for a week. Makes about 2 cups.
For Picked Rind Relish:
  1. To make relish, toss together all ingredients in medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.
To Serve:
  1. To serve, place sauced, shredded brisket in tortilla. Top with relish and queso fresco.
Recipe Notes