Heat oil in a large pan over medium/high heat.

Add onions to pan and brown for approximately 3 minutes

Add garlic and cook until just fragrant.

In a medium bowl, whisk the tomato sauce, honey, liquid smoke, chili powder, and vinegar. Then add mixture to pan, and stir it all together until melted.

Add in the water.

Wash, pat dry, and place your brisket in the crockpot. Cover in the black pepper and salt.

Pour the sauce over the brisket and cook on high for about 2 hours.

Reduce the heat to low for the next 6 hours.

Pull out the brisket and set it aside on a cutting board.

Using two forks, start pulling the tender brisket apart. If some of the brisket towards the middle isn’t as easy to shred, don’t be discouraged, just whip out a knife and chop it up.

Meanwhile, pour the remaining sauce from the crockpot back into the pot you were using earlier. Using an immersion blender {or an actual blender}, blend the sauce until it’s smooth.

Simmer the sauce on medium/low to help some of the extra moisture evaporate off. Note that this is not a thick BBQ sauce because of the extra water added to help cook the brisket. If you want it thicker, simmer it longer or add some arrowroot.

Put your shredded brisket into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and ladle about 1/3 of the BBQ sauce over the brisket.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes.

Top with your favorite fresh herbs/veggies {I used cilantro} and enjoy!