My friend gave me the idea recently of a brisket breakfast taco… and what a fantastic idea that was! She lives in San Antonio and apparently there’s a killer Mexican restaurant with something similar to this on their menu. So I got to thinking how I could take this Texas taco and bring it home to Atlanta. What’s better than slow cooked meat? Nothing. I swear cooking something low and slow always brings out the best flavors. So I put the brisket in a crock pot and added tons of spices, tomato paste and a can of rotel. Pretty simple combo… but it created the most flavorful meat. Brisket already has so much flavor as is, you really don’t need to overdue it on the spice.
Can I cook this in the oven instead of a slow cooker?
Yes!
Although I cooked mine in a crock pot, you can also cook this in your oven as well. If you prefer to use an oven, start by piling all your ingredients into an oven safe pot with the lid. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F. Place the pot into the oven with a lid on and cook for about 7 hours until the brisket is fall apart tender.
The flat cut brisket (which is what most grocery stores have on the shelf) is the leaner side of the brisket and will have a thick fat cap on one side. I prefer to leave the fat cap on while cooking. All that fat will melt into the meat and make it more tender. Once it’s done cooking, simply remove to brisket to a cutting board or baking sheet and remove the fat cap before shredding. If you don’t remove it before shredding, you’ll get chunks of fat in all your meat (which I don’t love). So I recommend to just follow these instructions and you’ll be good!
I might be wrong… but I assume everyone knows how to scramble eggs, right? I won’t be including that in the recipe down below because I feel like that’s one of the first things we learn how to make in the kitchen. Although you can read a few tips below on how I like to make my scrambled eggs!
How do I make my scrambled eggs?
I like to start with a tab of salted butter in a nonstick pan. Bring the heat to low and allow that to melt. I whisk my eggs in a bowl and add it to my buttered hot pan. Then I add about 2 tsp sour cream (per 5 eggs) and fold that into the eggs as they cook. (You can also use plain Greek yogurt). I season the eggs with a dash of salt and use a nonstick spatula to gently move the eggs around as they cook. I think what makes the most fluffy scrambled eggs is keeping the heat low and moving the eggs around constantly while they cook. It’ll take about 5 minutes but it’s definitely worth it for that luscious texture. Pretty simple but thought I’d share in case there were some new egg cookers around here!
Pair with:
TIP: I’m fully aware that eating all this brisket in one sitting is impossible unless you have a big family or friends helping you out. Good news is, you can freeze the brisket for up to 3 months if stored properly. I like to fill air-tight plastic containers with the brisket meat and juices. You can also store in freezer safe plastic bags as well. Then when you want to eat it, simply thaw it out in the fridge overnight or place in room temp on the counter during the day. Heat it up using the microwave or in a pot on the stove.
SLOW COOKER BRISKET AND EGG TACOS
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 8 hours
Total time: 8 hours 15 minutes
Serves: 4 lbs brisket
INGREDIENTS:
- Scrambled eggs (tips listed above for how I make mine)
- TRADITIONAL FLOUR TORTILLAS (you can use store bought but I recommend homemade)
- 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
- 1 white onion, finely diced
- 1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
For brisket:
- 4 lb brisket flat cut
- 10 oz can original rotel (can also use mild for less spice)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3/4 cup beef broth, low sodium
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 4 dashes Worcestershire
- 3 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
DIRECTIONS:
- Place the brisket (fat side up) in your crock pot and pour over the remaining ingredients listed. Mix around so the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Cook on low for about 7 hours or until brisket is tender and falling apart. Remove bay leaves from juices. Before shredding the beef, remove it from the crock pot and place on a cutting board or baking sheet. Gently scrap off the fat cap and discard. Shred the beef and place back into the slow cooker for 30 minutes on simmer. (This is so that the brisket has time to soak up all the flavors in the juices.
- Serve with a flour tortilla, scrambled eggs, shredded cheese, onion, cilantro, and your favorite hot sauce (I’m loving the habanero and jalapeño Sieté brand right now).