Crockpot Brisket

(from the Once-a-Month Cooking cookbook)

1 4-6 pound brisket
2 Tablespoons prepared mustard
1 package onion soup mix

Place brisket fat side up in crockpot. Do not add any water or liquid. Cover with mustard and dry onion soup mix. Cook on low overnight or for 8 hours.

Skim mustard and onion from brisket; mix with liquid. Remove brisket from crockpot; allow to cool. Peel off fat and discard. Slice or shred meat.

Save juices and seasonings, thicken with flour to make gravy if desired. (This is where I deviate from the original recipe - I put the juices in the fridge to let the fat firm up on top, and skim it off. If you have one of those fat separators, you could use it, too. I then divide the juice into three equal portions, since the recipe will make three meals.)

Serving suggestions:
1. add BBQ sauce for sandwiches;
2. serve plain with the juice (or gravy), on sandwich rolls or with mashed potatoes;
3. add meat and juice/gravy to partially cooked frozen or fresh hash brown potatoes (O'Brien style works best) for a quick hash;
4. stir in juice/gravy + 1/2 cup sour cream, and serve over noodles like stroganoff.

Divide cooled leftover meat and juices into ziploc bags or small plastic freezer containers. Can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Altogether, this recipe yields three meals, feeding 3-4 people each.

A few other notes: You can adjust the size of your brisket and the amount of seasonings based on the size of your crockpot. You can also use this recipe with pork, and shred for BBQ sandwiches.

(When I cook a pork roast with this method, I discard the juice, return the shredded meat to the crockpot and add homemade or bottled BBQ sauce and let warm through.