I am not a vegetarian. I do not think that I can ever become one. However, I mostly eat a vegetarian diet. Many years ago, when most of my friends were going vegetarian, I decided that instead of never eating meat again, I would just cut down on my meat consumption.

I also promised myself that I will only eat meat if it is out-of-this-world delicious or I have never had that particular cut before. This slow-cooked beef brisket falls into the first category.
I usually make this brisket taco recipe when I have guests for dinner, especially because it is a great crowd-pleaser. Not to mention, the slow cooker does most of the work.

With that being said, it requires a little bit of planning in advance, but I promise it is worth every minute of the effort, especially because if you time it right, your main course will be ready when you are ready to serve.


How To Cook Brisket in Slow Cooker
This crockpot brisket tacos recipe has 3 parts.
First part is the overnight prep. To do so, you start with sautéing some onions with a little bit of salt and sugar and then stir in some tomato paste and flour to thicken. You let the mixture cool for 10 minutes, pour it in an airtight container, and place it in the fridge.
While the onion mixture is cooking you prick the brisket in several places with a fork and rub it with a spice mixture made up of chili, onion, garlic, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Then cover it tightly with stretch film and place it in the fridge to cure with all those delicious spices overnight.
Like I said, it is just a little bit of a prep, but the rest of the recipe is pretty straight forward.


Second part of the recipe is the part where everything conveniently happens in your slow cooker. In the morning, all you have to do is to place the brisket and the onion mixture in your slow cooker and cook for 9 to 10 hours in low-heat setting.
Here, there are 2 things I want to mention:
First, it is okay if the edges of the brisket sit above the liquid in your slow cooker, because as it cooks it will shrink and will become submerged.
Second, after you take out the meat you will end up with a lot of liquid, which I think is the best part. After I take the meat out and let it rest, I pour the mixture into a saucepan and cook it to reduce it to later use a sauce to drizzle my tacos.

The last part of the recipe is the assembly of the tacos. With that being said, even though I served this brisket slow roast to use in tacos, it can also be served with rice, pasta or vegetables.
Since we decided to have a picnic by the ocean, I decided to make tacos out of them. I had already had some freshly cooked homemade corn tortillas so it was inevitable. To serve with tacos I made some guacamole, pickled red onions, and fresh salsa (pico de gallo). To assemble, I shredded some of the briskets, laid it on top of a corn tortilla and garnished it with black beans, guacamole, onions, and salsa and finished it with a squeeze of lime.
All in all it was a treat. If you have tried slow cooker brisket of beef, I just can’t recommend giving it a try.
On a final note, below are some recipe links that you can use if you want to make your own condiments for these brisket tacos:
Homemade Guacamole (for guacamole and pico de gallo recipe) II Homemade Corn Tortillas II Pickled Red Onions
Other beef recipes you might like:
- Thai Beef Salad Recipe
- Potato and Meatballs
- Recipe for Turkish Meatballs
- Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup
- Flank Steak Tacos
- Pasta Bolognese
- Instant Pot Chuck Roast
- Check out all our beef recipes
Other Mexican inspired recipes you might like:
- Mexican Corn
- Mexican Quinoa
- Stuffed Peppers – Mexican Style
- Mexican Corn Salad
- Mexican Party Food
- Love Mexican food? Check out all our Mexican-inspired recipes
Slow Cooked Beef Brisket Tacos
Ingredients
For the meat:
- 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 onions halved and sliced 1/2 inch thick
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon + 1 teaspoon salt divided
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 3 cloves of garlic pressed through a garlic press (or minced)
- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth low-sodium or homemade
- 1 +1 tablespoons red wine vinegar divided
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch cayenne pepper
- One 5 lbs. flat-cut beef brisket trimmed of excess fat
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 bay leaves
For the tacos:
- 12 6-inch corn tortillas homemade corn tortillas or supermarket-bought
- 1 1/2 cups guacamole
- 1 cup cooked black beans or a can of cooked black beans
- 4 fresh tomatoes cut into small pieces
- 1 cup red pickled onions
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or any other cheese you like
- 2 fresh limes sliced into wedges
- Handful of fresh cilantro leaves washed and dried
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan in medium-heat until it is shimmering. Add in the sliced onions, brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring regularly, until the onions are wilted, 10-12 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste and flour. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the chicken broth and cook until it thickens, 4-5 minutes. Take it off the heat and add a tablespoon red wine vinegar. Let it cool for 10 minutes and place it in an airtight container. Keep it in the fridge overnight.
- Mix 1 teaspoon of the salt, paprika, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Prick the both sides of the beef brisket in several places (40-50 hits) using a fork. Rub the spice mixture all over the brisket. Cover it tightly with stretch film (or plastic wrap) and let it sit in the fridge overnight.
- In the morning, take them out of the fridge. Spread half of the onion mixture in the bowl of your slow cooker. Add in the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Place the brisket (fat side up) on top. Spread the rest of the onion mixture on top of the brisket.
- Cover it with the lid. Set the slow cooker in low heat setting for 10-11 hours. You can also set it to high heat setting for 6-7 hours.
- Transfer the brisket on to a cutting board. At this point, you can either slice it or shred it using two forks (this is what I did). Place the meat onto a serving platter and cover it with aluminum foil to keep warm.
- Meanwhile, discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Transfer the leftover juices into a large skillet and stir in a tablespoon red wine vinegar. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer for 15 - 20 minutes or until it is thickened to your liking.
To assemble the tacos:
- * Do this only if you are using supermarket-bought corn tortillas. If you are making your own fresh ones, you can skip this step* Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees. Spread 5-6 corn tortillas on to a large baking sheet. Lightly spray them with oil. Heat 2 minutes on each side. Repeat the same process for more tortillas, depending on how many tacos you want to make.
- Make the tacos one at a time. Spread 2 tablespoons of the reduced sauce on top of a warm corn tortilla. Top it off with some of the shredded (or sliced) brisket. Garnish it with guacamole, black beans, chopped tomatoes, pickled red onions, shredded cheese, and sprinkle it with fresh cilantro leaves. If you prefer, you can drizzle more of the reduced-sauce on top. Continue with assembling rest of the tacos.
- Serve it immediately with fresh limes.
Nutrition
Recipe adapted (with changes) from Cook’s Country.
Jo
This looks delicious. Could I make this and freeze it?
I’m trying to prepare a lot in advance for a group so that I’m not in the kitchen too long.
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Jo,
I totally understand. You can freeze it. I would recommend bringing it to the room temperature first. Then you can place it in an airtight container and freeze until you are ready to serve.
Thaw it in the fridge overnight. Hope this helps.
Cheers!
Paige
Did you use a trimmed brisket?
Aysegul Sanford
Hello Paige,
You can use trimmed brisket in this recipe. It would be less fatty but still delicious.
Hope this helps.
Janice Vranicar
Sorry….I think I figured it out. 5 lbs.
Aysegul Sanford
Glad you figured it out. I am here if I can answer any other questions. Cheers!
Janice Vranicar
Is that 5lbs of meat, or 1.5 lbs of meat?
Dixie
If I make it a day ahead of time, how do you recommend reheating for the next day?
Thank you.
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Dixie,
That should not be a problem. You can certainly reheat it on the next day.
I hope this helps.
Temak
Hi Aysegul,
Great article!
As a londonist, Tacos are pretty much my favorite thing.
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Temak,
So happy to hear that you liked it. Thanks for stopping by.
Toni
I loved this! A huge hit in my house!
Lindsay Cotter
So easy in the slow cooker! Perfect for a busy weeknight dinner!
Aysegul Sanford
Can’t agree more. Thanks Lindsay.
Suzy
Can’t go wrong making these!
Aysegul Sanford
Agreed! 🙂
Sommer
Made these tonight for Taco Tuesday! Loved them.
Aysegul Sanford
YAY! So happy to hear that. Thanks for letting me know Sommer.
Julie
Slow cooker meals are my favorite! My family will love this for taco night.
Aysegul Sanford
Mine too. Thanks Julie.
Becky Hardin
Love a good beef brisket! Thanks for adding tips on how to cook.
Aysegul Sanford
Sure. Thanks Becky.
Liz
These are fabulous tacos! I made them for the family and now I know they’re perfect for company!!
Aysegul Sanford
YAY! So happy to hear that Liz. Thanks for letting me know.
Abby M
We made this over the weekend and it was incredible. I make brisket all the time in the oven, but never made it in a slow cooker before. It was soooo good. My 2 sons and husband ate the whole thing and asked for more.
I know I will be putting this on rotation more often. Thanks for such a GREAT recipe.
Aysegul Sanford
Ohh this is music to my ears Abby. So happy that you and your family liked this recipe. It is one of my husbands favorite dishes as well and I make it often, especially during the cold winter months. Thanks for coming by and leaving a comment and a rating as well. It means so much to me.
Cheers!
Amy
Made this tacos for dinner and they were better than amazing! Thank you for another delightful recipe!!
Aysegul Sanford
Oh Amy.. Thank you so much for this note. It made my day. I am so glad you enjoyed it.
<3
Traci | Vanilla And Bean
I know the struggle, Aysegul. Having been raised as a meat eater, going veg was a slow process for me and although though I’ve not eaten meat in 14 years, that doesn’t mean I don’t crave it occasionally. Especially BBQ, burgers and tacos! These look quite delicious, my dear and I absolutely love the pickled onions! Hooray for Dwight! Loove the shot of the lime drip! Beautifully stunning capture! 😀
Aysegul Sanford
Ha ha.. Thank you Traci. Like you said, it is a struggle but we are all doing our best.
Thank you for your kind words about photos as well. I really appreciate it. The onions gave the tacos pop of color that it needed.
Cheers my friend.
Sending Hugs to your way!
mary dwan
I am half way through a novel which knowledgeable food and literature lovers will enjoy and want to re-read to figure out the recipes and savor the writing.The book takes place in China a few years ago .its main characters are an American woman food writer and an American half Chinese, half Jewish chef from a family of famous Chinese chefs: The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones who wrote Lost in Translation ( an excellent movie;I never read the book)
Beeta @ Mon Petit Four
Oh my Lordy!!! Aysegul, these look AMAZING!! I am in loveee. As a Californian, tacos are pretty much my favorite thing, and I love when they’re made with beef brisket. I don’t mind the little bit of advance planning at all…it’s actually better because you don’t have to do anything the night you want to actually eat them. Plus throwing them in a slow cooker is my definition of easy peasy. I can’t wait to try this recipe…they just look SO incredible. I don’t know how anyone could go vegetarian with these in front of them! :p