Slow-cooker spiced beef brisket with cranberries
Serves: 10-10
Prep time: 30 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Martin Poole
Slow-cooker spiced beef brisket with cranberries
Recipe by Lucy Jessop
Cooking for the festive period can be stressful – but you’ve got a secret weapon in your kitchen (and no, it’s not wine...) Dig out that slow cooker, and easily create this delicious beef brisket with a fruity twist
Serves: 10-10
Prep time: 30 minsTotal time: 
See more recipes
Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
396Kcal
Fat
16gr
Saturates
6gr
Carbs
16gr
Sugars
14gr
Fibre
2gr
Protein
46gr
Salt
0.6gr
Lucy Jessop
Lucy, our former Food Editor creates lots of delicious meals each month. Her recipes are always packed with flavour and they're super easy too!
See more of Lucy Jessop’s recipes
Lucy Jessop
Lucy, our former Food Editor creates lots of delicious meals each month. Her recipes are always packed with flavour and they're super easy too!
See more of Lucy Jessop’s recipes
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses (or 1 tbsp each honey and balsamic vinegar)
- zest of 2 clementines
- 1 tbsp chopped thyme leaves
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1.7kg beef brisket
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 red onions, finely sliced
- 3 celery sticks, finely diced
- 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 300ml hot beef stock - use gluten-free stock if required
- 1 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 300g fresh or frozen cranberries
- 75g dark brown muscovado sugar
- ½ x 30g pack flat-leaf parsley
Step by step
Get ahead
Cook the beef up to the end of step 5, cool; cover and chill or freeze. Remove from the fridge for an hour (or defrost overnight in the fridge). Then reheat in the slow cooker on low for 1-2 hours, or in a covered pan, until piping hot.
- In a large bowl, mix together the pomegranate molasses, clementine zest, thyme, and ground spices. Season with black pepper only, no salt. Unwrap the beef, keeping it rolled, and pat dry with kitchen paper. Transfer to the bowl and turn in the marinade to coat. Cover and set aside in the fridge for at least an hour or up to a day ahead, to marinate. Remove from the fridge an hour before cooking.
- When ready to cook, heat half the oil in a large frying pan. Add the red onions, celery and garlic and cook gently over a low heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the red wine vinegar, then transfer to the slow cooker, cover with the lid and put on the low setting. Return the pan to a high heat with the remaining tablespoon of oil, and when hot add the beef, leaving any residual marinade behind. Sear on all sides to brown, then transfer to the slow cooker along with the hot stock, remaining marinade, star anise and cinnamon stick. Replace the lid and continue to cook on the low setting for 6 hours.
- After 6 hours, turn over the beef; add the cranberries and sugar. Replace the lid; cook for 2 hours until the beef is fall-apart tender.
- After the full 8 hours, lift out the beef, transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Strain the stock and cranberry mixture (reserving the fruits), and bring to the boil. Bubble for about 15 minutes or until reduced to about 350ml. Season to taste, or sweeten slightly, if needed.
- Cut away any string from the beef and discard, then shred the meat with two forks. Toss with the reduced sauce and the reserved fruit mixture, discarding the whole spices.
-
Pile on to a platter; chop the parsley and scatter over the beef.TipNo slow cooker? Use an ovenproof casserole of about 6-litre capacity, and increase the beef stock to 500ml. Cook in the oven at 160°C, fan 140°C, gas 3 for 3 1⁄2 hrs in step 2. Add the cranberries and cook for 30-45 minutes more.
