GH Best Slow Cooker Brisket

 Back during the holiday season, Hana and Josh were committed to seeing family for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  So they admirably quarantined in Josh's parents' basement for two weeks so they could join them for a Thanksgiving dinner.  Then, after staying there for a few weeks, they headed up to CT and stayed with the Haile-Mariam crew for Christmas through New Year's Day.  It took a lot of dedication, but they did it and it was awesome to be able to have family time during the pandemic.  (Especially since now that they're back in BK, we probably won't see them until it's warm enough for socially-distanced outdoor gatherings.)  

During that quarantined window, they stopped at our house for a break on the long drive from DC to CT.  As luck would have it, the stop was on the second day of Hanukkah so we decided to make a traditional holiday meal to celebrate.  Mel knew the main meat should be brisket, but that cut of beef can be notoriously tough.  After a bit of research for the best brisket slow cooker recipes, she came upon this one from Good Housekeeping. 

She was a bit skeptical because the recipe is so simple.  Would it really be tasty and tender?  The answer:  YES!  This was the best brisket she's ever made.  And the best part: we froze some of the leftovers, and it tastes just as delicious (dare we say, better?!) reheated weeks later.  This recipe is for sure a keeper.  (Hence, the very delayed but effusive blog post.)

Here are the GH recipe details copied and pasted in case the link above ever breaks:

Ingredients

• 1 beef brisket (about 4 lbs.), trimmed
• 1 can (14 oz.) crushed tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 medium red onion, sliced
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• Finely chopped parsley, for garnish

Directions

1. Season brisket with 3/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper; add to large slow-cooker bowl along with crushed tomatoes and garlic. Cover and cook on low 10 hours in slow cooker or Instant Pot, or until very tender.
2. About 25 minutes before meat is ready, on large rimmed baking sheet, toss red onion and yellow onion with olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Roast at 425°F 20 minutes or until browned. Top brisket with roasted onions and finely chopped parsley. 

Our Alterations 

Mel accidentally put both the red and yellow onion in the slow cooker with the tomatoes and garlic at the beginning of cooking time.  So we wound up skipping the second step altogether and it still turned out great!  Score for a 1-pot dish.