It’s the star of the Hanukkah meal, and the beauty of making it in the slow cooker is that you can set it and forget it while you prepare latkes and the rest of the feast. Browning the brisket in a pan before placing it in the slow cooker and creating a sauce out of the drippings adds to the complexity of the flavor profile, so definitely make time for those steps if you can.
This recipe was inspired by Tori Avey’s Savory Slow Cooker Brisket Recipe.
Please note: This post may include affiliate links to featured products for your convenience. If you make a purchase using one of the links, I may receive a small commission, at zero extra cost to you. Win-win!
Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Beef Brisket
Print Pin RatePrep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes minutes
Total Time: 6 hours hours 20 minutes minutes
Servings: 6
Equipment
- Large saute pan
Ingredients
- 5 pound beef brisket
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- 2 yellow onions, sliced thinly
- 8 whole garlic cloves, peeled
- 4 bay leaves
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat.
- Brown brisket on both sides (no need to cook all the way through, just until a golden brown crust is achieved on both sides).
- While brisket is browning, whisk the broth, salt, pepper, paprika, turmeric and chili powder in a glass measuring cup or small mixing bowl.
- Place half of the sliced onions and half of the garlic cloves in the bottom of your slow cooker's ceramic insert.
- Place browned brisket on top of the bed of onions and garlic in the slow cooker.
- Deglaze drippings in pan with the stock mixture: use a whisk or wooden spatula to scrape up beef drippings from the pan as you add the stock mixture.
- Let the broth come to a boil and simmer until it's reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
- Pour reduced broth mixture over the brisket in the slow cooker, then place the remaining onions, garlic and bay leaves on top of the brisket.
- Secure lid on slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until cooked through.
- Remove brisket to a cutting board and allow to rest for about 10 minutes, then slice and serve.