This easy BBQ beef brisket is so simple thanks to help from the instant pot, and it’s perfect for an easy weeknight dinner. With the BBQ sauce and only a handful of other ingredients, the Whole30 and Paleo brisket has a classic smoky flavor that the whole family will love.
This post is in partnership with Primal Kitchen. They’re giving you 10% off any of their products using the code “PALEOBAILEY” at checkout! I’m happy to work with a company I love, use and believe in so much. Thanks for your support here on the blog and your support for Primal Kitchen!
A good beef brisket is one of the classic, comforting foods I will always love. Making it in my beloved instant pot gives me even more of a reason to make it more frequently being it cuts the cooking time to about half of that of an oven. Briskets are already a pretty flavorful cut of meat, so it really only takes a few simple spices to season it perfectly.
Here we’re only adding pepper, salt, celery seed, coconut aminos (a soy sauce replacement) and some liquid smoke. Once you’ve rubbed it into the meat, letting it sit overnight to 24 hours in the fridge is going to be ideal to let it marinate. Adding the BBQ sauce right before we turn the instant pot on is going to cook the meat in all of that BBQ-goodness and tenderize it perfectly under the pressure.
The BBQ sauce I’m loving is the newest from Primal Kitchen. It’s Paleo, Whole30, organic and sugar-free. The ingredients are all-natural ones you can pronounce and is absolutely a much healthier option than any conventional additive-and-sugar laden one.
Their Classic BBQ is hard to beat, but this brisket is also incredible with their new Golden BBQ (also Whole30 Approved!) as well. You can grab yours from their website (use the code PALEOBAILEY for 10% off, too!).
Most briskets you pick up will have a fat cap on one of the sides. If you’re new to cooking brisket, this is totally normal! I suggest leaving it on while cooking for two reasons. First being that it will help keep the meat together and is easily removed once it’s cooked. Secondly, the fat helps keep the brisket moist and tender.
A common problem people have when cooking brisket is that the meat can dry out if overcooked. But, more often than not, it’s because they’ve removed the fat cap before they cooked it. That fat just helps as a sort of protective seal and the juices keep it perfectly juicy! Simply place the brisket into the instant pot fat side facing up, and then peel it off once the time is up!
Now, when it comes to cutting brisket, you have two options. The first is that you can slice it against the grain if you want to serve it in slices. Or you can shred it with the grain for shredded beef. The brisket should shred easily with two forks once it’s finished cooking.
The sauce left in the instant pot can be discarded, or you can remove the brisket, set the instant pot to sauté mode and then add a slurry (2 tablespoons of arrowroot flour dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water). Use a whisk to mix it in and thicken the liquid for a delicious sauce to pour over the brisket or mix into the shredded brisket. If you forgo this option, keep some extra Primal Kitchen BBQ on hand for dipping, mixing or drizzling afterwards!
PrintInstant Pot BBQ Beef Brisket (Whole30, Paleo, Gluten Free)
This easy BBQ beef brisket is so simple thanks to help from the instant pot, and it’s perfect for an easy weeknight dinner. With the BBQ sauce and only a handful of other ingredients, the Whole30 and Paleo brisket has a classic smoky flavor that the whole family will love.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: Serves 4-6 1x
- Category: Beef
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2.5 lb beef brisket
- 2 tbsp liquid smoke
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1–2 tsp coarse ground pepper, or to taste
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp celery seed
- 1 cup Primal Kitchen Classic BBQ sauce
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Combine pepper, salt and celery seed into a gallon Ziploc bag. Add the brisket, shake and rub the spices into the meat. Add the liquid smoke and aminos and shake again. Seal and refrigerate for at least overnight, or up to 24 hours.
- Add the BBQ sauce and water into the instant pot. Add the brisket, fat cap side facing up.
- Spoon some of the BBQ sauce over the top, cover and set to manual high pressure for 50 minutes.
- Once finished, move the toggle to venting for a quick release. Open the lid, remove the brisket and either slice against the grain or shred with the grain.Serve with additional BBQ sauce, or thicken the liquid left in the instant pot by setting to saute and adding a slurry (2 tbsp arrowroot flour dissolved in 2 tbsp water). Whisk until the sauce is thickened and pour over the beef.
Notes
- Cook for 60 minutes for a 3 lb. brisket
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LC says
DELISH!!! Shredded and served over instant pot baked potatoes. Soooo good!!