A plate of shredded Coca-Cola brisket with a fork resting in the meat.

4.81 / 82 votes

Coca Cola Brisket

This knee-wobbling tender Coca cola brisket is as easy as tossing brisket and Coca cola, onion soup mix, and chili sauce into the oven or slow cooker and walking away.

Prep Time15

Cook Time3

Resting Time10

Total Time3 25

Course: Mains

Cuisine: Southern

Servings: to 12 servings

Calories: 398

Equipment

Faith and a slow cooker

Ingredients

▢ 4 to 6 pounds beef brisket, visible fat untrimmed
▢ one (12-ounce) can Coca-Cola*
▢ 1 cup bottled chili sauce, such as Heinz, (may substitute ketchup or as as reader Ryan suggests: ketchup mixed with hot sauce)
▢ 1 envelope dried onion soup mix, (yes, seriously)

US - Metric

Instructions

To make the Coca Cola Brisket in your slow cooker, see the Slow Cooker Variation below.
To make the Coca Cola Brisket on the stovetop, preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).
Pat the 4 to 6 pounds beef brisket dry with paper towels. Place the brisket in a nonreactive roasting pan or a glass baking dish just large enough to snugly fit the brisket.
Mix the one (12-ounce) can Coca-Cola*, 1 cup bottled chili sauce, such as Heinz, and 1 envelope dried onion soup mix in a bowl and pour it over the brisket. Cover the baking dish or roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil. Roast the brisket until tender, about 30 minutes per pound (so figure 2 to 3 hours total, depending on the size of your brisket).
Transfer the brisket to a cutting board and let it rest for at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile, skim the fat from the surface of the pan juices and discard. Pour the defatted pan juices into a gravy boat or, if a thicker consistency is desired, pour the juices into a saucepan and simmer until reduced slightly.
Trim any visible fat from the brisket, then thinly slice it against the grain. Pile the slices of brisket on a platter and pass the warm pan juices on the side.

Notes

Slow Cooker Variation

This four-ingredient braised brisket recipe just got even simpler. Place the brisket in the slow cooker. Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over the brisket. Cook on low for 9 hours. Transfer the meat to a cutting board to rest. Skim any fat from the surface of the sauce. If a thicker sauce is desired, pour the sauce into a saucepan and simmer until reduced to the desired consistency. Slice or shred the brisket and serve with the sauce.

[Editor’s Note: Bear in mind, no two slow cookers are exactly alike, just as no two cooks are exactly alike. This slow-cooker approach worked really, really well for us, although if you have a different slow-cooker cooking technique you want to try by all means, do so. And, natch, we’d love if you’d share it with us in a comment below.] Curious to hear more about working magic with your slow cooker? Peruse our entire selection of slow cooker recipes.

Nutrition