Slow Cooked BBQ Brisket Sandwich
This post may contain affiliate links.
The combination of sweet apples and smoky chipotle peppers makes this the most flavorful BBQ Brisket Sandwich recipe ever! It’s so easy to make in a Crock Pot or slow cooker and the taste is out of this world! I recommend serving the shredded brisket on toasted buns with coleslaw for an incredible meal.
Table of contents
It’s hard for me to put into words how much I love this brisket sandwich recipe! I want to describe it, but when I try, the word yum just keeps coming out very loudly with a bunch of m’s on the end! This recipe is sweet, smoky, so flavorful and the meat is so tender, it literally melts in your mouth.
Born and raised in Oklahoma, I grew up eating bbq brisket sandwiches on a weekly basis. My Grandpa and Dad would smoke brisket on the weekends, and we would eat the leftovers throughout the week on sandwiches. My Dad’s Smoked Brisket Recipe was one of the first recipes I posted on the blog back in 2012 and it’s still one of my most popular recipes.
For this slow cooked brisket recipe, I wanted to incorporate the smoky flavor I love from smoking a brisket, so I added chipotle peppers. To balance the flavor of the spicy, smoky peppers, I added sweet apples and made a sweet and salty homemade barbecue sauce to pour over the brisket.
I slow cooked the meat until it literally fell apart with a fork, then shredded it and put it on toasted hamburger buns with crunchy Kale Apple Slaw. And just like that, the most delicious sandwich in all of the land was made!
Ingredients
- Apples – you want a firm apple that will hold it’s shape as it cooks. I would recommend honey gold, gala, granny smith, or pink lady apples.
- Onions – for this recipe you’ll want one cup of diced red onions or yellow onions, which is equal to one small onion or half of a large onion.
- Garlic powder
- Ground chipotle chili powder – this is the main spice used to season the brisket in this recipe. You can find it at most major grocery stores in the spice section. If you can’t find it at your local store, you can always grab a jar on Amazon at the link above. In a pinch, you can also substitute traditional chili powder, but it won’t have the smoky flavor of the chipotle.
- Ground black pepper + salt – to season the brisket.
- Beef brisket – you’ll want a brisket that’s trimmed of fat and approximately 2 pounds in size. I recommend a flat cut brisket. This cut comes from under the breast and contains a lot of connective tissue, which is why it’s an ideal cut for low, slow cooking. The other half of a brisket is called the point cut and it’s a fattier cut than the flat cut.
- Ketchup – to make the base of the bbq sauce.
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce – you’ll find these canned in the hispanic section of the grocery store. For this recipe, you’ll use one of the peppers from the can and a teaspoon of the sauce. If you want to add extra spice to this recipe, add 2-3 chipotle peppers.
- Brown sugar – to sweeten the bbq sauce and balance out the smoky and spicy flavors in this recipe.
- Apple juice – to add more apple flavor to the brisket and another element of sweetness in the sauce.
- Rice vinegar and apple cider vinegar – I like to use a combination of vinegars to make the bbq sauce. They both add different flavors to the recipe and balance well in the dish. If you prefer a sweeter sauce, you can omit the rice vinegar and just use one cup of apple cider vinegar.
- Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce – both add wonderful salty and umami flavors to the recipe.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Dice up the apples and onions. Add them to the bottom of a large slow cooker.
- Rub the brisket. Combine garlic powder, chipotle powder, black pepper and kosher salt in a small bowl. Rub this mixture on the brisket, then place it in the slow cooker on top of the apples and onions.
- Make the bbq sauce. In a medium bowl, combine ketchup, minced chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, brown sugar, apple juice, rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce. Pour the barbecue sauce over the brisket.
- Slow cook the brisket. Cook the brisket in a slow cooker on high for 6 hours or on low for 10-12 hours. Remove the beef brisket from the slow cooker, place it on a cutting board and rest for 10 minutes. Shred with two forks or Meat Claws. (← One of my favorite kitchen gadgets ever!) Add the shredded brisket back to the slow cooker and toss it with the sauce.
Ways to serve it
My favorite way to serve this slow cooked bbq brisket is on toasted buns with kale apple slaw (pictured in this post), coleslaw, or pickles.
This makes the most incredible brisket sandwich, that I love to eat year-round! I like to pair the sandwiches with bbq baked beans and potato salad for a tasty comfort food meal.
I’ve also served this slow cooked bbq brisket at parties with Hawaiian rolls. This makes the perfect little sliders, great for a game day party!
And I’ve used the leftover bbq brisket to make tacos and scrambled eggs, and I have to say that both are just as delicious as the sandwich! If serving the brisket in tacos, I recommend toping them with corn salsa and chipotle sauce.
Recipe notes
- You can make this recipe with other cuts of beef. If you can’t find brisket, I recommend using tri tip or chuck roast in it’s place.
- You can shred the brisket and add it back to a slow cooker set to warm for up to 4 hours. This is perfect if you’re serving the sandwiches at a party.
- If you prefer a chopped brisket sandwich, you can remove the brisket from the slow cooker after it’s cooked and chop it instead of shredding it.
- If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can cook the brisket in the oven. Add the apples and onions to a large pot, or dutch oven. Season the brisket, then add it to the dutch oven. Prepare the bbq sauce, then pour it over the brisket. Cover the dutch oven with a lid, or tightly with a piece of foil, and cook at 325°F for 3 hours.
- Newer slow cookers may cook faster than older slow cookers. I checked my brisket at 4, 5 and 6 hours on high. After 6 hours it fell apart perfectly with the touch of a fork. I know that some newer slow cookers cook a little quicker on high, so adjust the times as necessary for your slow cooker.
Storage and reheating
Store leftover brisket in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 6 days.
To reheat the brisket, add it to a skillet on the stovetop over medium heat with some of the sauce from the Crock Pot. This will help keep the brisket moist as you reheat it. Stir and reheat on the stove for 5 minutes, or until heated up.
You can also reheat the brisket in the microwave. Add it to a microwave-safe container with some of the sauce. Reheat for 2-3 minutes, or until heated up.
More slow cooker recipes
If you love this slow cooker bbq brisket, I know you’ll love these other easy slow cooker recipes!
Slow Cooked BBQ Brisket Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 cup apples, diced
- 1 cup onions, diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chipotle pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 pound beef brisket
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
- 1 teaspoon adobo sauce from the can of chipotle peppers
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup apple juice
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 8 hamburger buns
Instructions
- Dice the apples and onions, then add them to the bottom of a large slow cooker.
- Combine the garlic powder, chipotle powder, black pepper and kosher salt in a small bowl. Rub this mixture on the brisket, then place it in the slow cooker on top of the apples and onions.
- In a medium bowl, combine the ketchup, minced chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, brown sugar, apple juice, rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce. Pour this mixture over the brisket.
- Slow cook the brisket on high for 6 hours or on low for 10-12 hours.
- Remove the beef brisket from the slow cooker, place it on a cutting board and rest for 10 minutes. Shred with two forks or Meat Claws. Add the shredded brisket back to the slow cooker and toss it with the sauce.
- Toast the buns in a skillet on the stove. Add shredded brisket to the bottom bun, then add the top bun.
Notes
- These sandwiches are delicious topped with kale apple slaw, coleslaw, or pickles.
- You can make this recipe with other cuts of beef. If you can’t find brisket, I recommend using tri tip or chuck roast in it’s place.
- You can shred the brisket and add it back to a slow cooker set to warm for up to 4 hours. This is perfect if you’re serving the sandwiches at a party.
- If you prefer a chopped brisket sandwich, you can remove the brisket from the slow cooker after it’s cooked and chop it instead of shredding it.
- If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can cook the brisket in the oven. Add the apples and onions to a large pot, or dutch oven. Season the brisket, then add it to the dutch oven. Prepare the bbq sauce, then pour it over the brisket. Cover the dutch oven with a lid, or tightly with a piece of foil, and cook at 325°F for 3 hours.
- Newer slow cookers may cook faster than older slow cookers. I checked my brisket at 4, 5 and 6 hours on high. After 6 hours it fell apart perfectly with the touch of a fork. I know that some newer slow cookers cook a little quicker on high, so adjust the times as necessary for your slow cooker.
- Store leftover brisket in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 6 days.
Nutrition Facts
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
4 Comments on “Slow Cooked BBQ Brisket Sandwich”
This looks AMAZING. All the filling has me drooling over here!