Slow Cooker Brisket

At some point if you watch enough BBQ shows on TV, you're going to want to cook a brisket. This is the problem that presents itself to me. Though it's considered the holy grail of barbecuing, brisket can be cooked many ways. By far the most popular way is by cooking it slowly over indirect heat from a wood fire. By smoking the meat, the smoke from the wood and the burnt dripping juices further enhance the brisket's flavor, along with marinating the meat, or rubbing it with a spice rub. Brisket done this way is popular in Texas; once finished, pieces of brisket can be returned to the smoker to make burnt ends, which are popular with fans of Kansas City-style barbecue. It can even be featured as a main course option in a traditional New England boiled dinner. But as a New York Jets fan, I don't care much for anything that comes out of New England. Because I also don't own a smoker, I'm going to use my slow cooker to break down the connective tissue in the meat to make it taste good. Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue fame may consider what I'm doing sacrilegious, but the grilling the brisket will get on my gas grill while I'm grilling up some vegetables to go with this meal will have to do. I'll make it up to him the next time I'm in Austin, TX.

Ingredients  

beef brisket (I used about 750 g from a beef brisket pot roast cut in strips)
1 284 mL can beef broth
1 284 mL can beef consommé
1 packet of onion soup mix

1. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat with some olive oil. While the pan is heating up, take the brisket out of its packaging and pat it dry. Season the meat generously with salt and pepper. 
2. Sear the brisket until a golden brown crust appears on both sides of the meat. Remove and place the meat in the slow-cooker, fatty side up.
3. Pour in the beef broth, the beef consommé, the contents of the soup packet, and 284 mL of water. Cover and cook in the slow cooker on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or until the brisket is very tender. 
4. Let the brisket rest for at least 20 minutes before serving in the slow cooker set on the "warm" setting, or transferred to a baking dish and covered tightly with aluminum foil while resting. The meat can be served with its juices.