Slow-cooker beef brisket with rich onion gravy
Beef brisket cooked to tender perfection in a rich onion gravy in the slow-cooker
10 mins
10 hours
322 kcals
serves 6
SLOW-COOKER BEEF BRISKET WITH RICH ONION GRAVY
I love beef, and particularly when it is slow-cooked- that tender, fall apart texture can’t be beaten! Beef brisket is one of the cheaper cuts to buy because it does require a long, slow cook, but you really can’t beat it, and it makes a fantastic Sunday roast centrepiece that actually requires very little effort!
I picked up a piece of beef brisket in Tesco’s a little while ago as it was on special offer, and I really wanted to try something different to anything I had cooked before (this Slow-cooker bbq beef brisket is one of my favourites). My instinct with cooking beef in the slow-cooker is to add either ale or wine, as it makes such a delicious gravy. This time I wanted to avoid that though, and stick to some simpler flavours to make something really family friendly.
I seared my beef in a frying pan first- more for vanity than anything else as I think it looks much nicer when it’s browned on the outside. I also fried my onion in advance, as although you could add it in raw, I think that browning them off first gives them a lovely sweetness before they start to cook with the beef.
I’ve had my slow cooker for so long that you can’t even buy it any more (it was a present from my Grandma in my 2nd year of university in 2001), but for me a slow-cooker is definitely an essential piece of kitchen equipment, and happily is usually pretty good value to buy! The first meal I ever made in mine was this Tender beef and ale stew which I still make regularly, and it a brilliant, simple recipe for anyone who is using a slow-cooker for the first time- I don’t think it can really go wrong!
This slow-cooker comes up with the highest reviews on Amazon, although there really are a whole host of them out there!
I served this up with roast potatoes (see my Perfect roast potatoes, or these Oxo roast potatoes) roast parsnips, swede and carrot mash, leeks and peas, broccoli and cauliflower! If you have leftovers of this, it is great for making a tasty steak pie.
Slow-cooker beef brisket with rich onion gravy
Ingredients
- 1 beef brisket joint approx. 900g, all visible fat removed
- 2 large onions or 4 small onions, peeled and sliced into half-moons
- 6 cloves garlic diced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 800 ml beef stock
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 4 carrots cut into batons
- salt and pepper
- low calorie cooking spray
Instructions
- Spray a frying pan with low calorie cooking spray, or spray oil and bring up to a high heat. Place the beef brisket in and cook for a minute on either side just to brown it, then transfer it to the slow-cooker
- Add a little more cooking spray/oil and add in the onion- start on a high heat, and then bring the heat down to medium. Stir-fry the onions untile slightly browned, and soft (approximately 6 minutes), and then add in the chopped garlic. Stir fry for another minute, and then transfer it all into the slow-cooker.
- Make up the beef stock, and stir in the paprika, thyme, oregano, ketchup, sugar and tomato puree. Pour over the beef and onions.
- Season with salt and pepper, and add in the carrots.
- Cook on high for 6 hours, or low for 10 hours.
- When the beef is ready, it will shred/slice easily. I like to lift the beef out of the gravy, slice it thinly, and serve up with some of the sauce over it, and the rest in a gravy boat so that everyone can help themselves!
Hello there 👋🏻 Would rosemary work in this instead of thyme ( the hubby doesn’t like it ) ? Thanks.
yes rosemary would be great with this too
Could this be made without the smoke paprika?