This is a super easy crock pot brisket recipe that uses coca cola to flavor and tenderize the meat. The end result is a ridiculously easy brisket recipe that’s not only delicious, but will feed a hungry crowd. Perfect for your next family gathering. Serve this coca cola brisket over mashed potatoes or on buns to make sandwiches.
For such an ordinary cut of meat, once brisket is cooked it turns into an extraordinary meal.
And it’s perfect for feeding a crowd on about any occasion. Sunday football parties, dinner for friends, or as an easy meal to transport to a neighborhood pot luck.
In addition to mashed potatoes, serve brisket with a side of Cole Slaw or Macaroni Salad. If you want to keep things more low-cal and low carb serve that brisket and mashed potatoes with a perfect tossed green salad.
Why You’re Going To Love Coca Cola Brisket
- Prep is super easy, just sear the meat and set the time on your crock pot.
- You only need one pot.
- It’s a very easy brisket recipe to feed a crowd.
- Great leftovers. Brisket is always better the next day.
- It’s crazy delicious. Everyone will rave.
- And the meat shreds into a delicious tender melt in your mouth experience.
What Pan Is Best To Cook A Brisket?
For this recipe, we’re cooking a brisket in a slow cooker. But keep in mind you have other options.
- A large brisket will cook low and slow in the oven in a roasting pan.
- A smaller brisket fits nicely in a Dutch oven.
- And a crockpot will produce a beautifully tender cooked brisket.
Make sure you choose a pot that has a good fitting lid. Or use heavy duty foil that will seal nicely around the pan. I use foil when I’m cooking a larger brisket in a roasting pan.
Check out my recipe for Oven Roasted Brisket with BBQ Sauce. Another easy brisket recipe.
Your house will smell wonderful with the long slow cook, no matter which method you choose.
Cooking A Brisket: Flat Cut vs. Point
When you buy a brisket you are faced with a choice of cuts. The flatter cut is referred to as first cut, and the second cut is is thicker and sometimes labeled “point.”
I have purchased both they each cook beautifully and are loaded with beefy flavor.
You can cover the brisket about half way with liquid. This is called braising. More liquid than that and you’re officially stewing instead of braising. For this crock pot brisket recipe, we’ll be braising the meat with liquid for low and slow tender results.
I’ve never smoked a brisket so I can’t address this method with confidence, but my friend Larry gives some great tips in his post about Poor Man’s Surf and Turf with Hot Smoked Brisket.
Brisket Marinade
To marinate is to soak food in a seasoned and sometimes acidic liquid before cooking. The desired results are to tenderize and flavor…especially when working with tougher cuts of meat.
For this beef brisket recipe cola is used to accomplish both tenderizing and flavoring.
Coke is often used in steak and chicken recipes to infuse a sweet and acidic flavor. Even though this recipe does not call for a long marinade before cooking, the acid in the cola will help to tenderize the beef brisket as it cooks long and slow in the crock pot.
Enough technical talk, let’s take a look at this crock pot brisket recipe.
How To Cook A Brisket In A Crock Pot
It’s super easy! The trick is to simply sear the meat before it hits the slow cooker. Searing the meat creates Malliard Reaction, which is a thin layer of crust. There’s a lot of flavor in that crust. When thinking about Malliard reaction, think about toast. That’s a great example of how a crust adds an amazing layer of flavor.
Pro Tip: Leaving the layer of fat on the brisket helps keep the meat moist and tender. You can easily scrape it off after the meat is cooked. If you’re looking for a leaner and less greasy sauce, trim all but about 1/4 inch of the fat off the meat before you cook it. You need a little fat to keep the meat flavorful and tender.
- Step 1: Sear the brisket. If you have a removable stove-top friendly slow cooker insert, this meal is truly a breeze and becomes a one pot meal. Simply add a glug of oil to the slow cooker insert. Heat the pot over medium high heat until the oil is hot. Carefully lower the brisket, fat side down into the hot oil and season the top side salt and pepper. Sear until browned on each side. This should take about 5 minutes per side. Using a meat fork, remove the meat to a plate. If you don’t have a stove top insert for your slow cooker, sear the brisket in a large fry pan and then transfer to the slow cooker.
- Step 2: Add the sweet onion rings to the hot pan and cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions are starting to soften and brown.
- Step 3: Nestle the seared beef brisket, fat side up, on top of the onions.
- Step 4: Pour cola into the pan so it reaches half-way up the brisket. Pour in your favorite BBQ Sauce. Place the insert into the crock pot and cook on low 8 hours.
- Step 5: Once the brisket is cooked, remove the meat to a cutting board and remove the layer of fat on the top. Using two forks, shred the meat.
Variations
- Instead of serving this crock pot brisket over mashed potatoes, purchase little slider buns and make sliders with the shredded brisket meat. Make sure to let the liquid from the meat drain a little before adding to slider buns.
- Make larger sandwiches using Kaiser buns. Kaiser buns are a crustier bun and will hold up better if you want some of that flavorful cola broth.
FAQ’s
Brisket is a cut of beef that comes from the breast of the cow. It needs to be cooked low and slow to break down the connective tissues. It’s a cut of beef that is loaded with beefy flavor. Compared to other cuts of beef, when cooked for a long time, brisket will hold its shape. You can either slice the brisket meat, or shred it.
The only time you’ll see brisket labeled as something other than “brisket” is when it’s been prepared, brined or smoked and sold as corned beef or pastrami.
8 – 10 hours in the crock pot on low, or 5 hours in the oven at 275 degrees F. If cooking a brisket in the oven, make sure it’s covered tightly in foil.
Cooking brisket in the crock pot will most likely result in a fall apart piece of meat. It will shred easily. You can also slice the brisket with the the grain for a more pulled brisket (shredded) experience. Cut against the grain for a sliced brisket.
Storage
- Store any left over brisket in an air tight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for 4 days. Brisket meat will also freeze well. Just wrap well in aluminum foil and freeze up to 3 months. Let the brisket thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- To reheat, simply place the brisket along in a sauce pan and reheat on low stove-top, stirring frequently. Brisket will also re-heat well in the microwave. For heating leftovers, I like to use 50% power. It’s simply not as harsh as reheating at full power.
Coca Cola Brisket, A Slow Cooker Brisket Recipe
I hope you give this recipe for crock pot brisket with Coca Cola a try. It’s such an easy way to cook brisket.
And if you’d rather use your oven to cook a brisket, don’t miss this recipe  Oven Brisket with BBQ Sauce
More Crock Pot Recipes to Feed A Crowd
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Crock Pot Brisket With Cola
Ingredients
- 3 – 4 pounds Beef brisket
- 1 – 2 large yellow or sweet onion sliced
- 18 ounces BBQ sauce your favorite, any kind. 1 small bottle
- 1 liter cola No diet.
Instructions
- If you have a removable stove top slow cooker insert, heat the insert over medium high heat. Add 3 tablespoons vegetable oil. When oil is hot, sear brisket on both sides until browned.
- Remove to a plate and add sliced onions. Cook onions for about 3 minutes, stirring often. Add brisket back into the pot and nestle on top of onions.
- Pour the bbq sauce over the brisket. Pour in cola. Use just enough to come up halfway on the brisket.
- Slow cook 8 hours or until brisket is fork tender.
- When the meat is done, remove to a large cutting board and slice against the grain, then shred.
- Keep the shredded meat moist and flavorful by adding about a cup of the cooking liquid. This will also serve as some gravy for the mashed potatoes.
- Serve over mashed potatoes or as a sandwich on a Kaiser bun or as sliders on slider buns.
Notes
Nutrition
Coca Cola Crock Pot Brisket Recipe … It’s What’s For Dinner
Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
The flavor is soooo good, and the meat was very tender. We didn’t have time to the crock pot or oven method, so we followed all the above instructions, but used the Instant Pot with the saute setting at first, and then high pressure for 75 minutes with natural release.
Wow! This is a ridiculously easy brisket and it looks so good. I’ve heard of braising in cola, but have never tried it. Maybe it’s time to change that.
I used to love brisket! I still make a Jewish brisket when the kids come home. It’s always a hit. I have no doubt they’d love this one too!
Looks fabulous! Brisket and short ribs have gotten so popular in past few years. I’ve never tried cooking one with cola yet so will bookmark this recipe to try.
Lea Ann, we are big brisket fans so I was happy to see this simple recipe. Let me say that I learned from my Mom to slow roast brisket (covered) in the oven, which I did for years. But then a couple years ago I saw a recipe for crock pot brisket and tried it. Wow, I was so happy with the result. It was more moist and tender than the oven method. But I’ve never tried Coke over it so this will be my next recipe! I always marinate my brisket overnight, we like a smoky BBQ flavor and I highly recommend Claude’s or Gold Buckle smoke marinades, they come in a 16-oz. bottle. And, as you mentioned, do not cut off the fat layer until after cooking or it will be dry. Thank you for sharing your many awesome recipes!
I’ve never made a brisket in the slow cooker. I do pulled pork in it all the time, though, and this reminds me of that. Great dish — and wonderful pictures. Thanks!
Your brisket looks delicious Chef, especially sitting atop that pile of mashed potatoes. Thanks for the shout out,
Oh, this looks fantastic!! Seriously, I had just put brisket and coke on my shopping list for another recipe! YUM!