Instant Pot Beef Brisket recipe makes a tender, saucy, delicious beef brisket in under 2 hours. It has a tangy sauce that is a cross between barbecue and sweet & sour.
Beef Brisket in the Instant Pot
We love a good brisket around here. We like to use the meat for sandwiches, and often serve it over mashed potatoes or rice.
On the list of foods I did not grow up eating is beef brisket. Yes, we ate corned beef, and plenty of it, being the Irish is strong in my family, lol! But not regular brisket. It wasn't until I got married that I started to cook them.
Brisket is a cut of beef from the breast area. It really does well as smoked and barbecued, and is also perfect for braising. That's why Instant Pot Saucy Beef Brisket does well in the Instant Pot pressure cooker; the brisket is braised in the sauce and it comes out as tender as you'd like. And delicious!
Instant Pot Beef Brisket is nice to serve for a party, Game Day, or for a Holiday. It is versatile, and taste wonderful!
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This Instant Pot Beef Brisket recipe makes a tender, delicious beef brisket in under 2 hours. It has a tangy sauce that is a cross between barbecue and sweet & sour. Serve it over potatoes, rice, or make into sandwiches!
- 3 lb Beef Brisket, (flat cut) cut in 2 equal pieces* against the grain
- 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- 2 teaspoons Olive Oil
- 1 ½ cups Apple Cider or Juice (2 cups for 8 qt pot)
- 1 small Onion, sliced
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Liquid Smoke (optional)
- 12-oz bottle Chili Sauce (such as Heinz)
- 3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 3-4 Tablespoons Cornstarch
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Trim excess fat from the brisket and cut in half, across the grain. Salt and pepper both sides, reserving 1 teaspoon of the salt.
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Turn on the pressure cooker's sauté setting. When hot, add the oil, then the brisket halves. Brown a few minutes on each side to get a bit of a crust. Remove to a plate and set aside.
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Pour the apple cider/juice into the pot and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pot (deglaze). Turn off the sauté function.
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Add the onion, garlic powder, and liquid smoke. Stir.
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Place the brisket halves in the liquid and pour the chili sauce over the meat. Do not stir.
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Place the lid on the pot and lock in place. Set the steam release knob to Sealing.
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Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button (or dial), and then the + /- button (or dial) to choose 60 minutes (thicker than 2 inches, use 90). High pressure.
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When the cooking cycle ends, let the pot sit undisturbed for 15 minutes (15 minute Natural Release). Then turn the steam release knob to Venting and release any remaining steam/pressure.
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When the pin in the lid drops down, Open the lid facing away from you.
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Test the tenderness of the brisket using tongs or a long handled utensil. If the meat isn't as tender as you'd like, immediately put the lid back on and cook for another 10 minute cycle with a 10 minute natural release.
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Use tongs to remove the brisket to a plate and cover with foil.
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Turn the sauté function back on.
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Stir in the brown sugar. Taste and add as much of the reserved teaspoon of salt as desired.
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Mix the cornstarch with 2-3 Tbsps of cold water and stir, to make a slurry. Whisk into the simmering sauce. If it doesn't get thick enough after a couple of minutes, make some more slurry and add a little at a time until sauce has desired thickness.
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Turn off the pot and use oven mitts to remove inner pot to a cooling rack.
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Slice the brisket across the grain and add the slices into the sauce. Let them stay in the sauce for a few minutes while you get the rest of your meal prepared.
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Serve with mashed potatoes or rice, or on buns.
Jim S
This recipe has some kind of mistake. In the Ingredients list, it calls for "3 lb Beef Brisket, (flat cut) cut in 3 equal pieces against the grain". Step 1 of the Instructions states "1. Trim excess fat from the brisket and cut in half, across the grain. Salt and pepper both sides, reserving 1 tsp of the salt.". Step 2 states "Turn on the pressure cooker's sauté setting. When hot, add the oil, then the brisket halves. Brown a few minutes on each side to get a bit of a crust. Remove to a plate.". So the Ingredients say to cut it into 3 equal pieces. The Instructions say cut in half in Step 1, and in Step 2 it refers to adding the brisket halves. I'm planning on making this today 6/16/2025 and I am going to assume that the Instructions are correct and it should be cut in half, and that the Ingredients list is wrong and it should NOT be cut in 3 equal pieces. Please clairfy. Thank you in advance.
Sandy
Yes, you are correct. I updated the recipe and added the reason for this. Also, clarified cook time. I have cooked other briskets in 3 1-pound pieces when they are thicker. Briskets can be tricky as you never know how much connective tissue will be in them!
Jim S.
Awsome...thanks for confirming that. I did make it yesterday. Taste was fantastic. It's funny that you modified the time. I cooked it 90 mins yesterday and it was definitely overdone. I was thinking when I make this again, I was going to cut down the time. 60 mins makes more sense based on my cooking yesterday. I REALLY enjoy your recipes! Thanks for posting!!
OH, and FYI, I had to stack mine as when cut in half, the only way they would fit in my 6-Qt. IP was to stack them up. They wouldn't fit side-by-side, which is what I would have preferred to be able to do but that was because of the size of my brisket.
Karen
I have an 8 qt IP & would like to mak a 4-5 lb brisket how do I adjust the recipe
Sandy
For that size brisket I would cut the meat into 3 equal pieces and cook for 75 minutes (If thicker than 2 inches, 90 minutes), with a 15 minute natural release.