Slow Cooker Beef Brisket Sliders

 

It's almost Super Bowl Sunday, so if you're having a crowd for the big game, it's time to start planning. If you're going to smoke a brisket to make sliders, you've got to allow about 16 hours to make that happen. But if you switch from your smoker to your slow cooker, you can shave a good 10 hours off of your prep time...and make the whole process a lot less labor intensive.

When the word "sliders" gets mentioned, it conjures up White Castle burgers...a little wisp of beef on a tiny bun. While this recipe still uses a somewhat tiny bun, I like to stack each bun with about 5-ounces of sliced brisket. If you follow my lead, this recipe will make roughly 12 well-furnished sliders. But if you would like, you could easily cut the meat to just 2-1/2 ounces per bun and get 24 sliders for a bigger crowd.

For the buns, I will leave you with 2 options. The best slider bun award goes to King's Hawaiian. I recommend either their original sweet rolls or their original sweet slider buns. For second place, I tip my hat to Costco's ciabatta-like Artisan Rolls (made fresh each day back in the Costco bakery and pictured above). The King's Hawaiian rolls are sweet, soft and melt in your mouth. The Artisan Rolls are hard and crusty on the outside and stand up well to a piled-high slider.

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

One, 4-pound beef brisket

One, 28-ounce can fire roasted crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon liquid smoke

12 King's Hawaiian Original Sweet Hawaiian Slider Buns

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Season the brisket with salt and pepper. Sear the brisket for 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a slow cooker.
2. Add the remaining ingredients to the skillet and stir, scraping off any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Then pour the mixture over the brisket. Cook on high for 6 hours. Then slice the brisket and serve on the slider buns.

Pairing: An ice cold Pilsner