Slow Cooker Chopped Brisket Sandwiches

If you're in the mood for authentic BBQ flavor, you've come to the right place.

Just because you don't have a smoker, that doesn't mean you can't still make a chopped BBQ beef sandwich that will honestly rival any BBQ joint, just about anywhere! The BBQ Beef Rub and Homemade BBQ Sauce are key to delivering the classic taste. And your slow cooker does most of the work for you!

How To Make Slow Cooker Chopped Brisket Sandwiches

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The Equipment and Ingredients You Will Need

Once you've put together the BBQ rub and the BBQ sauce, it's smooth sailing! Make the rub and sauce up to several days in advance. Better yet, make a double batch, so you won't have to make it again when you are ready for another round of sandwiches! Here's what you'll need to have on hand

Slow-Cooker - You'll need a large 6 or 7-quart capacity, which are the most common sizes.
BBQ rub - You can go with store-bought, but homemade is easy and is perfect for that classic BBQ flavor.
Brisket - You'll want the flat portion of a beef brisket. Trimmed of excess fat. It's okay to cut the brisket in half and place the two pieces on top of each other in the slow cooker.
BBQ Sauce - Like the rub, homemade makes all the difference.
Beef stock - Or broth.
Buns - If you're feeling adventurous, you could make hamburger buns from scratch, or, just pick up a quality brand from the supermarket. Lightly toasted adds amazing taste and texture.
Toppings - Hamburger pickles and thinly sliced onion are traditional and so good!

EXPERT TIP: Use your fingers to press the rub into the meat. You may not use all of the rub. The meat should be nicely coated with the rub before placing it in the slow cooker.

Tips for Making Perfect Slow Cooker Chopped Brisket Sandwiches

Well-Marbled Brisket Is Best - The marbling is streaks of fat and adds amazing flavor to the brisket. No need to get an expensive cut (get "Choice" not "Prime") because it will cook down and become melt-in-your-mouth tender.

"Low And Slow" Delivers Amazing Results - Cook on LOW for 10 to 11 hours. After about 8 hours, check the pot, you may need to add some more beef broth to keep the bottom from burning. You should be able to easily shred the meat with two forks.

Prepare Homemade BBQ Sauce - Homemade is the way to go for this brisket. You'll probably want to double the recipe so you'll have plenty on hand to allow guests to add as much sauce as they want to their sandwiches.

Shred, Toss, and Cook Some More - After you've shredded and chopped the cooked brisket, you'll want to add it back into the slow cooker with more BBQ sauce. Cook on HIGH for 30 minutes to infuse the BBQ flavor into the brisket.

How To Serve

After the brisket has been shredded and placed back in the slow cooker with the BBQ sauce, it's getting close to serving time.

After 30 minutes of cooking on HIGH, turn the setting WARM.

It's not necessary, but we find toasting the buns adds a wonderful texture and complements the meat wonderfully. Be sure to have plenty of BBQ sauce for guests to add even more to their sandwiches if they desire. Warming the sauce is a nice touch, and is how most beloved BBQ joints do it.

Other Amazing Slow Cooker Recipes To Try

If you love cooking in your slow cooker as much as we do, then we feel certain you and your family will absolutely adore this collection of recipes:

Classic Beef Stew
Italian Beef Braciole
Mississippi Pot Roast
Baby Back Ribs
Pulled Pork
Dublin Coddler (with Sausage, Potatoes, and Bacon)
Provencal Chicken Stew
Coconut Chicken Curry
Chicken Chow Mein
Baked Beans
Corn on the Cob

These are all slow cooker gems, for sure. But, in the meantime, isn't this catching your eye?

As Texans who have consumed a lot of top-notch BBQ over the years, we can honestly say this slow cooker chopped brisket comes about as close to the flavor you'll get from a slow-cooked smoked piece of top-notch brisket every single time.

It's perfect for tailgating, a game day gathering of friends, or a scrumptious Sunday dinner.

These truly are about as delicious of a sandwich as you will ever find. Try adding the chopped brisket to the middle of a grilled cheese sandwich.

But, in the meantime, just look at these sandwiches! Epic!

Ready to make the best BBQ sandwich this side of the Alamo? Go for it!

And when you do, be sure to take a photo of it, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!

Slow Cooker Chopped Brisket Sandwiches

These BBQ sandwiches are truly the real deal. Make the beef rub and the BBQ sauce in advance and then the rest is so easy. You simply won't believe the authentic BBQ flavor of these amazing sandwiches.

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: lunch, Sandwich

Cuisine: BBQ, Southern

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 hours hours

Make ahead - BBQ Sauce: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 hours hours 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 people

Calories: 463kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

Video

Equipment

• ▢
  6 to 7 quart slow cooker

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 ½ cups BBQ sauce make ahead of time
• ▢ ½ cup perfect BBQ rub
• ▢ 4 lb brisket trimmed of excess of fat
• ▢ 1 cup beef stock
• ▢ 8 hamburger buns toasted
• ▢ 1 medium onion sliced (optional, for garnish)
• ▢ pickles sliced (optional, for garnish)

Instructions

• Prepare the easy BBQ sauce as directed and set aside.
  2 ½ cups BBQ sauce
• Mix together the perfect BBQ rub and set aside.
  ½ cup perfect BBQ rub
• Use your fingers to rub the perfect BBQ rub all over the brisket.
  4 lb brisket
• Place the brisket into the slow cooker. You may need to cut the roast into 2 pieces. It's okay if they overlap.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup of the prepared BBQ sauce and the beef stock (1 cup). Pour over the meat.
  1 cup beef stock
• Cover and cook on LOW for 10 to 11 hours.
• Carefully remove the meat from the slow cooker and place it on a large cutting board. Use two forks to shred the meat. Save 1 to 2 cups of the cooking liquid from the slow cooker and discard the rest. Set aside.
• Use a large knife to roughly chop the shredded brisket.
• Add the meat back into the slow cooker and add another cup of the BBQ sauce along with the reserved cooking liquid. Mix until combined.
• Cook on HIGH for 30 minutes.
• Serve warm with toasted buns, additional BBQ sauce, sliced onions, and sliced pickles.
  8 hamburger buns, 1 medium onion, pickles

Notes

See the video near the top of the blog post for visual guidance. If you liked the video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel. 

This chopped brisket can easily be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 2 to 3 months.  Reheat in the slow cooker (or on the stove or in the oven) until heated through.  Keep on the WARM setting when serving. 

We often double the batch of the homemade BBQ sauce, because it's just so good, and folks usually like to add more to their sandwiches when they assemble them. 

Nutrition

Calories: 463kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 986mg | Potassium: 742mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 133IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 105mg | Iron: 5mg

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