Beef · Slow cooker adaptation

Slow Cooker Chinese Braised Beef Brisket (Cantonese Style)

Beef brisket goes into the wok sizzling and emerges hours later fall-apart tender, glossy with star anise and chu hou paste. This Cantonese braise is the sort of dish that'll rescue a bowl of two-minute noodles or feed a table on its own.

R By Richard · Adapted from YouTube · Published 28 May 2026
⏱Prep 30 min
🍲Slow cook 8 hr (Low) / 4 hr (High)
🍽Serves 6
The BEST Chinese Beef Brisket (卜牛腩 ) you can make yourself! | Braised Dishes

Source video by YouTube on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

This Cantonese braised beef brisket is built on an overnight soy and wine marinade, then slowly braised with chu hou paste, rock sugar, ginger, garlic, and aromatic spices. The original recipe uses a casserole on the hob for around an hour, plus an overnight steep to deepen flavour. Adapted here for the slow cooker, the long low heat does the tenderising work while the deep, savoury sauce concentrates around the beef. Serve over rice, with noodles, or as a generous bowl on its own.

Slow cooker notes: Original recipe braises in a casserole on the hob for 40-60 minutes then steeps overnight. Adapted for slow cooker: still marinate overnight and sear the brisket with aromatics on the hob (this step builds the depth of flavour and cannot be skipped), then transfer everything to the slow cooker for 8 hours on Low or 4 hours on High. Boiling water reduced to 500 ml because slow cookers retain liquid. If the sauce is too thin at the end, reduce it in a pan on the hob as the chef does in the video.

Editor's note: Cooking oil quantity for searing not stated in transcript (described as 'a good layer'). Spring onion garnish quantity not stated. Slow cooker timings are adapted from a hob recipe. | Second-pass critique flagged 6 fabricated and 6 quantified issues. See critique.issues for detail.

Ingredients

Marinade
  • 1.1 kgbeef brisket, cut into bite-sized pieces, slightly larger than usual
  • 1 tbsplight soy sauce
  • 1 tbspChinese cooking wine
  • 1.5 tspsugar
  • 0.5 tspsalt
Braise
  • 25 glight soy sauce
  • 35 gChinese cooking wine
  • 0.5 tbspoyster sauce
  • dark soy sauce
  • 500 mlboiling water
  • 2 wholestar anise
  • 30 gchu hou paste
  • 35 grock sugar
  • 10 wholecloves
  • 0.25 tspground cinnamon
  • 0.25 tspground cumin
  • 20 gginger, sliced
  • 20 ggarlic, topped, tailed, crushed, skin removed
  • cooking oil
To serve
  • spring onions, sliced (add late)

Method

  1. Wash the beef brisket twice, pat dry thoroughly with paper towels, then cut into long strips about two fingers wide. Cut these strips into pieces a bit larger than bite-sized.

    ~10 min

  2. In a large bowl, combine the brisket with the marinade light soy sauce, cooking wine, sugar, and salt. Mix well until the sugar and salt dissolve, press the meat down gently, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

    ~5 min

  3. The next day, take the brisket out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the ginger and prepare the garlic. Put the cloves and star anise into a spice filter or tie in cheesecloth for easy removal later.

    ~30 min

  4. Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat with a good layer of oil. When the oil is steaming hot, add the ginger and garlic, turn the heat down low, and cook until golden so the oil takes on their aroma. Remove the ginger and garlic and set aside.

    ~5 min

  5. Turn the heat back up high. Sear the brisket pieces in the wok, making sure each piece is in contact with the surface. Work in batches if using a frying pan. Add a little extra oil down the sides of the wok to help browning. Toss occasionally to prevent sticking.

    ~8 min

  6. Add the chu hou paste and mix evenly through the brisket. Pour the cooking wine down the side of the wok and toss, then add the light soy sauce the same way and toss again. Return the cooked ginger and garlic to the pan.

    ~3 min

  7. Tip the contents of the wok into the slow cooker. Add 500 ml boiling water, the oyster sauce, optional few drops of dark soy sauce for colour, rock sugar, ground cinnamon, ground cumin, and the spice bag with cloves and star anise. Stir gently and press the brisket down so it is mostly submerged.

    ~3 min

  8. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours or on High for 4 hours, until the brisket is tender. Give it a gentle stir once or twice during cooking if convenient.

    ~480 min

  9. Remove the spice bag (or fish out the cloves and star anise). If the sauce is thinner than you would like, ladle it into a pan and reduce on the hob to your preferred thickness, then return to the brisket.

    ~10 min

  10. Transfer the brisket and sauce to a serving bowl and scatter over sliced spring onions. Serve with rice or noodles.

    ~2 min

Frequently asked

Do I really need to sear the brisket before slow cooking?
Yes. Slow cookers steam rather than brown, so the depth of colour and flavour in this dish comes from searing the marinated brisket and infusing the oil with ginger and garlic first. Skipping it gives a much paler, flatter sauce.
What is chu hou paste and can I substitute it?
Chu hou paste is a Cantonese savoury sauce made from soybeans, garlic, ginger, and spices, traditionally used for braising beef. It is the backbone of this dish. If you cannot find it, a mix of hoisin sauce with a little fermented bean paste is the closest substitute, but the flavour will not be identical.
Can I skip the overnight marinade?
The overnight marinade is part of the original recipe and helps the brisket take on flavour before it ever hits the heat. If you are short on time, marinate for at least 2 hours at room temperature in a cool kitchen, or longer in the fridge, but expect a slightly less seasoned result.
What should I serve this with?
Steamed jasmine rice is the classic pairing. It is also brilliant spooned over fresh egg noodles, or used to elevate a packet of instant noodles, as the chef suggests in the video.
Can I freeze the leftovers?
Yes. Cool fully, then freeze in portions with plenty of the sauce for up to 3 months. Reheat gently from frozen or defrosted, on the hob or in the microwave, until piping hot throughout.
Extraction notes (transparency): Cooking oil quantity for searing not stated in transcript (described as 'a good layer'). Spring onion garnish quantity not stated. Slow cooker timings are adapted from a hob recipe. | Second-pass critique flagged 6 fabricated and 6 quantified issues. See critique.issues for detail.