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Instant Pot Crispy Brisket Bites

A bowl full of cooked brisket cubes, glazed with barbecue sauce, with an Instant Pot and a bowl of barbecue sauce in the background
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5 from 4 reviews

Instant Pot Crispy Brisket Bites. Tender beef with a crisp crust, tossed in barbecue sauce. An easy appetizer or main dish, done in about an hour thanks to pressure cooking.

Ingredients

Scale

Texas Barbecue Rub (Or 3 tablespoons of store-bought rub)

  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon Ancho chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder

Texas Barbecue Sauce (Or ½ cup of store-bought sauce)

  • ¾ cup ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • ½ teaspoon Texas Barbecue Rub (from above)

Brisket Bites

  • 3 pounds beef brisket, fat cap trimmed to ¼ inch, cut into 1½-inch cubes
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Instructions

  1. Make the rub and sauce: In a small bowl, stir the barbecue rub ingredients until completely mixed, then set them aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the barbecue sauce ingredients (including ½ teaspoon of the rub) until smooth. Set aside.
  2. Seasoned beef into the pot: Sprinkle the brisket cubes with the rub, then put the beef into the Instant Pot (or pressure cooker pot). Stir the cup of water and the liquid smoke together, then pour it into the pot.
  3. Pressure cook for 25 minutes with a natural pressure release: Lock the lid on the Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes in an electric pressure cooker (“Manual” or “Pressure Cook” mode in an Instant Pot), or for 20 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 15 minutes.
  4. Pan-fry the brisket bites, toss with barbecue sauce, and serve: Unlock the Instant Pot lid and open it away from you – the steam is hot. Scoop the beef cubes into a bowl with a slotted spoon. In a 12-inch fry pan over medium-high heat, heat the vegetable oil until shimmering. Spread the brisket cubes in the frypan in a single layer and cook until the bottom is browned and crispy, about 3 minutes. Flip the brisket cubes and brown the other side, about 2 more minutes. Drizzle the barbecue sauce over the brisket and toss to coat. (We made ½ cup - just enough to glaze the beef, not so much that it’s swimming in barbecue sauce.) Serve the brisket bites and pass the rest of the sauce at the table for dipping.

Equipment

Notes

  • Can’t find brisket, or it’s too pricey? (I can’t believe how expensive brisket is nowadays.) Beef chuck and Bottom Round are also good substitutes.
  • To double this recipe, double all the ingredients, pressure cook, and pan-fry in two batches. You don't want to crowd the frypan, or the brisket will steam, not brown. To halve the recipe, halve all the ingredients except for the water. Cooking time is the same either way.
  • Want dry rub brisket bites? Skip the sauce. Make double the rub, save half of it, and sprinkle it on the beef when the recipe calls for the sauce.

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Nutrition

Find it online: https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/instant-pot-crispy-brisket-bites/