[Slowcooker] Bacon & Onion Brisket

My love affair with the slowcooker is official. It's been three weeks since I got mine and I'm still hopelessly in love with it. Every few days I toss some ingredients into the pot and hours later, something delicious miraculously emerges without my having to do much at all. It's my magic wand in the kitchen. I'm not even sure I can take credit for these dishes, since slowcooker did all the work!

All the things I've made in my Crockpot have been super easy to make (including pork loin with apple gravy, barbecued beef, garlic mashed potatoes and a chicken with stuffing dinner). I'll probably go through and share each of my favorite recipes, but I'll start with the brisket I made last night.

Slowcooker Bacon & Onion Brisket

3 lbs beef brisket
Salt and pepper to taste
6 slices bacon, sliced into 1/2-inch strips
2 medium onions, sliced
2 (14 oz) cans of beef broth
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 bay leaf

Rub brisket with salt and pepper (I used about 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper) and set aside. In large skillet, cook bacon slices until slightly brown (3-4 minutes). Remove bacon with slotted spoon and place into slowcooker**, reserving bacon grease in pan. In the hot skillet, place beef brisket and allow it to brown on all sides in the bacon grease. Remove and place into slowcooker on top of bacon. Cook onions in the skillet until softened (if there isn't enough bacon grease and beef fat in the pan, you can add some vegetable oil). Remove onions with slotted spoon and place over brisket in slowcooker. Mix balsamic vinegar into a can of beef broth and pour both cans of broth into the slowcooker. Add bay leaf. Make sure the bay leaf is in the broth and not perched on top of the onions. Cook on high for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender. One it's done, remove the brisket and let it sit for 10 minutes. Slice against the grain or shred with fork. Top with bacon, onions and au jus. Serve with starch of choice (we had it with Hawaiian sweet rolls).

TIP: You can reserve any extra au jus and make an easy French Dip using deli roast beef. I like mine with a little Swiss cheese.

ALSO: I promise I'll start remembering to take pictures. It's just that my camera is so crappy!

** I use a round 5-qt slowcooker