CrockPot Hickory Smoked Brisket

Day 346.

This makes your house smell like you're in the middle of a National Forest----one that allows campfires.

I finally got a bottle of liquid smoke. Way back in August, I used some mesquite chips to turn the crockpot into a smoker, and while that worked, this was much easier. I was a little freaked out that liquid smoke contained a bunch of cancer-causing chemicals, and the bottle did not list the ingredients. But it did say "All Natural" on it, and we all know that means that it must be good for you, right?

After some research, I found that Jared wrote a fantastic post on how liquid smoke is made, and it really calmed my nerves enough to go for it. Liquid smoke is gluten-free.

The Ingredients.

3-4 pounds beef brisket, or chuck roast
1/2 cup hickory liquid smoke (or not this much. Maybe 1T or 2T? read comments...)
1/4 cup A-1 steak sauce
1 T celery salt (see note below, I'd stick with a 1/2T)
1/2 T garlic powder
1/2 t pepper

The Directions.

Use a 4 quart crockpot. I used a 6---if you only have a big guy, put a layer of foil down on top of the meat to create a smaller steaming space so your meat doesn't dry out.

Put the meat in your crockpot, add spices to all sides of it. Add A-1 and liquid smoke.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-6. Slow and low is better, the meat will shred nicely when cooked for a long period of time. I cooked ours on low for 10 hours, then it was on warm for another 3. I got up WAY too early yesterday...

Seve over mashed potatoes or polenta.

The Verdict.

This tastes like wet beef jerky. It's very smoky, and next time I'll cut the celery salt in half. The smell was amazing in the house after only about 30 minutes, and I found it actually kind of hard to get my work done. The kids ate a ton, and Adam liked it a lot. This is very good, and I am happy that I did finally use liquid smoke. Thanks, Jared!