15 Hearty Brisket Recipes for an Easy Weeknight Dinner

Carving Dry Rubbed Smoked Beef Brisket

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Sliced Brisket
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The Best of Brisket

Brisket in and of itself is a hearty cut of meat. While it is often associated with barbecue recipes, there are tons of unique ways to prepare it, making use of a variety of flavors, sauces, and cooking methods. The best part? Brisket can often be prepared ahead of time or cooked in a slow cooker or instant pot, making for a set-it-and-forget-it style dinner. Check out some of our favorite brisket recipes.


Related: 100 Cheap & Easy Dinner Recipes for When Life Gets Hectic

Cooking Chili Con Carne in Dutch Oven over Logfire
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Trisha Yearwood’s Beef Brisket

One of the best ways to cook brisket is in a Dutch oven, simmering the meat slowly. Trisha Yearwood’s dutch oven brisket recipe makes use of robust herbs and onions, bringing in plenty of bold flavor. The recipe also calls for a surprising ingredient that makes all the difference: cola.


Recipe: Food Network


Related: 20 Essential Barbecue Dishes Every Meat Eater Should Devour


Beef Brisket on the BBQ
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Beer Brisket

If you’re looking for a brisket recipe that’s topped off with a rich sauce, look no further. The decadent gravy that takes this brisket to the next level includes beer, brown sugar, beef bouillon, and a slew of seasonings.


Recipe: Allrecipes


Related: Cheap and Easy Beef Recipes You Can Make for Dinner


Barbecue pitmaster cuts through beef brisket
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Beef Brisket with Burgundy Orange Sauce

This unique spin on a classic cut of meat is packed full of flavor. While the tender brisket is the star of the show, the bath of Burgundy wine, orange marmalade, sugar, and grated orange rind coating the meat is what makes this recipe so spectacular. The sweetness of the sauce provides the perfect balance to the savory beef.


Recipe: Food.com


Beef Brisket Hoagie Sandwich
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Smoked Brisket with Chorizo Cheese Fondue

Brisket is a hearty cut of meat all on its own, but it’s also versatile and lends itself to some more creative recipes. This recipe for brisket potato boats with a chorizo cheese fondue sauce is straight from Disney parks. The tender meat is packed full of bold seasonings and is layered inside a potato skin, topped off with an out-of-this-world cheese sauce complete with two different cheeses, hot sauce, barbecue sauce, pickle juice, chorizo, and salsa verde. If you want a one-of-a-kind way to use brisket, this recipe is the way to go.


Recipe: Delish


Related: Official Disney Recipes for When You Crave Park Classics


Traditional corned beef and cabbage in a slow cooker
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Slow Cooker Beer Onion Brisket

Brisket can be smoked, cooked in the oven, prepared in a dutch oven on your stove top, and thrown together in a pinch using an Instant Pot, but one of the best ways to cook it to get a tender, juicy result is in the slow cooker. This particular slow cooker recipe unites two ingredients that elevate the flavor and texture of brisket: beer and onions.  


Recipe: Dinner Then Dessert


slicing a beef brisket fresh off of the smoker
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Cajun Brisket

Are you someone who likes spice? If so, this Cajun brisket recipe is sure to satisfy your taste buds. The recipe includes a rub made up of bold spices applied to the meat liberally and left to rest in the refrigerator overnight. The meat is then topped with a flavor-packed sauce of celery, onion, garlic, green pepper, coffee, and tomatoes, and slow-cooked in the oven on low heat. To make for a truly hearty meal, you can prepare creamy cheese grits to serve with the meat.


Recipe: Food Network


Related: Recipes You Can Make From Frozen Meat When You Forget to Thaw It Out

Sliced slowly cooked brisket
VeselovaElena/istockphoto

Rock & Roll BBQ Brisket

Brisket is a staple in BBQ restaurants everywhere. This recipe is meant for a smoker or a grill that allows for indirect heat. The key to this recipe’s deliciousness is both the rub and the way it’s prepared on the smoker (the type of wood chips used, the temperature of the smoker, and the temperature of the meat).


Recipe: Food.com


Related: Best Hole-in-the-Wall BBQ Joints Across America


Barbecued beef brisket
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Instant Pot Sweet & Spicy Brisket

The perfect balance of spicy and sweet, this recipe for instant pot brisket makes use of bold Korean flavors including gochujang, red chili peppers, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and ginger.


Recipe: Delish


Raw Beef Steak, salt, pepper, garlic on a kitchen Board.
Дина Орлова/istockphoto
BBQ Ribs In Slow Cooker
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Multi Cooker On Kitchen Counter With Onions, Garlic, Cooking Oil And Cutting Board
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Instant Pot Mongolian Braised Brisket with Coconut Milk

You’ve probably never seen a brisket recipe that calls for a cinnamon stick, a jalapeño, ginger, and coconut milk. You have now. This unique take on brisket has a Mongolian flare and is conveniently prepared in an Instant Pot.


Recipe: Food.com

Cooking beet soup, borscht with organic vegetables
arinahabich/istockphoto

Red-Eye Brisket Stew

It doesn’t get much heartier than a brisket stew. Not only is the meat filling, but the addition of the parsnips, carrots, and potatoes makes this recipe the perfect meal to provide sustenance. 


Recipe: Delish

Closed up of sliced brisket on wooden cutting board
Lara Hata/istockphoto

Jewish Style Sweet and Sour Brisket

Brisket is notoriously prepared with a balance of sweet and savory in mind, but this recipe takes on a sweet and sour approach instead. Prepared in a Dutch oven or large skillet, the meat is kicked up a notch thanks to the gravy — a mixture of white vinegar, ketchup, garlic, and brown sugar.


Recipe: Allrecipes


Related: 50 Simple, Cheap, and Delicious Instant Pot Recipes

Smoked Barbecue Brisket Sandwich with Coleslaw
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Brisket Melt

While brisket works great as a cut of meat placed right on your plate with a couple of side dishes, it also makes for an incredible sandwich. The brisket in this recipe is flavorful and tender and when combined with Texas toast, homemade barbecue sauce, sliced cheddar cheese, and garlic Parmesan butter, one of the best sandwiches you’ll ever taste is born.


Recipe: Food Network


Carving Dry Rubbed Smoked Beef Brisket
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