Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

shredded beef brisket in a homemade barbecue sauce

(1 rating)
Recipe by
Andy Anderson !
Wichita, KS

I love a good beef brisket that’s been simmering for hours in a great BBQ sauce. It’s easy to put together, and your oven or slow cooker accomplishes most of the work. This recipe incorporates a good homemade tangy sauce (vinegar) that balances well with the other ingredients (orange juice, honey, sugar) to produce a lip-smacking sauce. So, you ready… Let’s get into the kitchen.

(1 rating)
yield 4 -6
prep time 30 Min
cook time 3 Hr
method Stove Top

Ingredients For shredded beef brisket in a homemade barbecue sauce

  • THE BRISKET
  • 3 Tbsp
    grapeseed oil
  • 2-3 lb
    beef brisket
  • THE BBQ SAUCE
  • 1 md
    yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 3-4 clove
    garlic, minced
  • 2 md
    jalapeño, seeded (or hotter variety, if desired), finely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp
    tomato paste
  • 1/2 c
    white wine, or sushi vinegar
  • 1 md
    orange, juice and zest
  • 1 pinch
    ground cloves (optional)
  • 1 Tbsp
    brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp
    fresh honey
  • 8 oz
    tomato purèe
  • 1 c
    beef stock
  • salt, kosher variety, to taste
  • black pepper, freshly ground, to taste

How To Make shredded beef brisket in a homemade barbecue sauce

  • 1
    Gather your ingredients.
  • 2
    Preheat the oven to 325f (160c).
  • 3
    Finely chop the onion and jalapeno, and then mince the garlic.
  • 4
    Chef’s Tip: To save a bit of time, you can add the onion, jalapeno, and the garlic to a food processor, fitted with an S-blade, and pulse several times until all the ingredients are finely chopped.
  • 5
    Take a large bowl, and add all the ingredients for the BBQ sauce.
  • 6
    Mix thoroughly, and allow the ingredients to sit for about thirty minutes, at room temperature.
  • 7
    Chef’s Note: While the ingredients are sitting, season with salt and pepper, until you achieve the correct taste.
  • 8
    Chef’s Tip: Salt and pepper (especially the salt) will, over time, gradually change the taste of the sauce. By letting it sit for thirty minutes, while you add the salt and pepper will give you a better idea of what it will taste like when it goes into the pot. Salt and taste, salt and taste, then let it sit for a bit and repeat.
  • 9
    Take the brisket, and trim off any large amounts of fat but leave some for the cooking process.
  • 10
    Chef's Note: A good brisket will have what is called a "fat cap." That's a layer of nice fat on one side of the brisket. You can leave that part intact, but just trim off any additional fat around the sides and top.
  • 11
    Season the brisket on both sides with salt and pepper.
  • 12
    Add the grapeseed oil to a large oven-ready pot (like a Dutch oven), over medium-high heat.
  • 13
    Chef's Note: This pot needs to be big enough to hold the brisket and the sauce. In addition, it should also have a good fitting lid.
  • 14
    Chef’s Tip: The oil is ready when it begins to shimmer in the pot.
  • 15
    Add the brisket to the pot, and allow to cook for about 4 or 5 minutes per side, or until nice and brown.
  • 16
    Chef’s Note: Don’t forget to cook the edges of the roast.
  • 17
    Add the BBQ sauce, and bring the pot up to a light boil.
  • 18
    Remove from heat, tightly cover the pot, and place in the oven, for approximately three hours.
  • 19
    Chef's Tip: If you pot doesn't really have a good tight-fitting lid, place a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the pot, and then place the lid on top.
  • 20
    Chef’s Note: About every 30 minutes, check to see that the roast is not drying out. If it is, add a bit of hot water, but not too much… You don’t want to dilute the sauce.
  • 21
    Chef’s Tip: If the roast does seem to be drying out, instead of adding a bunch of water, try lowering the heat of the oven. All ovens do vary a bit, and your oven may be running too hot.
  • 22
    When the roast is tender, remove from oven and shred, using a couple of forks, and then thoroughly mix with the sauce.
  • 23
    Chef's Note: There are a lot of variables here... the "true" temperature of your oven... the type of brisket you purchased... the number of times you open the oven. Three hours is a good average; however, I've had one go a full four hours before it was fork-tender. Be patient, be flexible... go with the flow.
  • YUMMY
    24
    Serve with a nice side salad, and some fresh out-of-the-oven baked bread. Or some coleslaw, rice, beans... you choose... Enjoy
  • 25
    Chef’s Note: If you want to cook this in the slow cooker, reduce the beef stock by half, and cook on low for eight hours.
  • 26
    Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
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