Fork tender hibiscus infused brisket made in the slow cooker packs a punch. Flavorful, tender, and perfect when wrapped in a warm tortilla. My hibiscus brisket is hands down my new favorite slow cooker recipe.
Y’all
Y’all
Hibiscus and brisket are a match made in heaven, who knew? Me muero with excitement to share this new recipe with you in collaboration with my amigos over at Beef Loving Texans.
Hibiscus infused brisket made in the slow cooker with onions, garlic, cumin, oregano, piloncillo, tomato paste, and beef broth is one the easiest recipes I have ever developed, but guys this recipe is a keeper.
Combining hibiscus, onion with brisket in a slow cooker is one of the best ideas this gal has had in a long time, and I can’t wait to share how easy this recipe is to make, but I can’t take full credit.
I began tweaking, playing with this recipe when we lived in San Antonio, but it was always missing something, just a little bit more of something, that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
Then we moved, and this recipe was placed in my tweak/retest file.
Remind me never to move again – exhausting.
Recently chatting with my oldest daughter, she suggested adding tomato paste. I had added diced canned tomatoes to the original recipe. Tomato pastes add a punch of savoriness to a dish, she said.
And oh, baby was she right – the tomato paste paired with the hibiscus, onions and piloncillo take this recipe to the next level.
Let me walk you through how easy it is to make this flavorful hibiscus brisket in the slow cooker.
WHY SLOW COOKING BRISKET IS A GREAT IDEA
The brisket comes from the belly of the cow which contains a large amount of connective tissue making it an excellent cut of beef to cook low and slow. Nothing beats a brisket cooked low and slow in the smoker, pero on busy days all I want at the end of the day is a warm tortilla filled with brisket I turn to my slow cooker.
Slow cookers work beautifully at tenderizing tough or large cuts of beef. Cooking a brisket in a slow cooker maximizes its flavor and allows plenty of time for your seasoning to tenderize your brisket, resulting in fork tender brisket that can be used for various meals.
WHY I USE MY SLOW COOKING TO PREPARE MEALS
A slow cooker is a great way to prepare meals during a busy week or a great way to prep meals in advance. Preparing meals in a slow cooker does not require much attention, place all ingredients in the slow cooker, cover and set to cook.
The beauty of a slow cooker is you can prepare a wonderful meal, while walking away from the kitchen allowing you to move on with your day. It is a huge time saver for me in the kitchen.
Slow cookers cook ingredients on low temperature, which allow for plenty of time for the flavors to meld together, resulting in a simply tasty meal.
Slow cooker is great for new home cooks, little prep time, no fancy ingredients, or tools needed to whip up a great meal.
Plan like a pro with a slow cooker. Large batch of stock, salsa, oatmeal, soup, or this brisket recipe. You can easily cook a large batch to eat throughout the week or to stock your freezer for future meals. I always freeze half of my brisket to make brunch on the weekends or nachos for movie night.
And let’s not forget about the most important part – cleanup is a breeze with the slow cooker. Yay!
WHAT IS HIBISCUS AND WHERE CAN YOU BUY IT
Hibiscus flowers or Jamaica flowers are also called flor de jamaica (pronounced ha-MY-kuh) in Spanish are petals from the roselle plant that are dried.
Hibiscus is used to make Agua de Jamaica – “hibiscus water” is an agua fresca made by steeping the dried hibiscus leaves in water which is then sweetened with sugar.
Hibiscus can be found at almost any Mexican market in the produce section. Find it labeled – “flor de Jamaica.” You can also buy online, but I prefer to buy them at my local Mexican Market where I am able to buy at a better price and better quality.
When you’re buying dried hibiscus look for whole bright petals, not cut or broken flowers, free of mildew or moisture.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
1 (4 to 5 pound) brisket
Coarse salt
ground pepper
oil
onion
dried hibiscus flowers
garlic
cumin
oregano
piloncillo or light brown sugar
tomato paste
beef broth
Warm tortillas
TIPS ON MAKING THIS RECIPE
A 4-to-5-pound brisket fits perfectly in a 6-quart slow cooker. You can easily use this recipe to slow cook a smaller brisket or use a roaster for a larger brisket.
Brisket should not be placed in a slow cooker frozen, allow to thaw on a baking sheet in the fridge until ready to place in the slow cooker.
Patting the brisket dry allows the salt and pepper to adhere to the brisket. Really season the brisket with salt and pepper as brisket is a larger tougher cut of meat you really want to make sure you season well.
You can make the onion-hibiscus sauce in advance. Prepare, allow to cool, and place in a sealable container until ready to add to the slow cooker.
The hibiscus is edible and will become soft from sauteing and slow cooking. Hibiscus tacos are very popular in Mexico, so be sure to add a little of the hibiscus flowers to your taco – yum.
You can swap out brown sugar for piloncillo in this recipe. To prepare the piloncillo grate with a box cutter or hand grater.
Don’t skip on the tomato paste; it adds amazing flavor to your brisket and helps to enhance the sauce. Freeze leftover tomato paste or place in a sealable jar in the fridge.
Cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours, or overnight. Brisket is done when it is fork tender and easily shreds when pulled.
Carefully remove brisket from slow cooker, place on cutting board.
Slice brisket in half then shred with two forks. Return to the slow cooker, stir into sauce.
Freeze leftover shredded brisket with sauce – you don’t want to waste anything of this goodness.
- 1 4 to 5 pound brisket
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 4 tablespoons oil
- 1 large onion thinly sliced
- 1 cup dried hibiscus flowers
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ cup packed grated piloncillo or light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cups beef broth
- To serve:
- Warm tortillas
- Diced tomato optional
- Diced onion optional
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Over medium high heat heat oil in a large skillet. Add the onions, garlic, and hibiscus. Sauté, stirring often until onions softened, about 5 minutes. Add cumin and oregano, brown sugar, and tomato paste, stir and continue to sauté another 2 minutes. Add beef broth, stir, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to cool for 10 minutes.
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Pat brisket dry with paper towels. Liberally season with salt and pepper. Place in a slow cooker fat cap/side up. Carefully pour or ladle onion, hibiscus mixture over brisket.
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Cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours, or overnight. Brisket is done when it is fork tender and easily shreds when pulled. Carefully remove brisket from slow cooker, place on cutting board. Slice brisket in half then shred with two forks. Return to the slow cooker, stir into sauce. The cooked onion-hibiscus is edible. Serve in warm tortillas with diced tomato, onion, and salsa.
Serves 10-15
Can this recipe be made with just hibiscus flower not the real brisket? What would you suggest?