General Information

Since the brisket comes from the chest of the steer and is used by the steer a great deal, it is a strong muscle. It contains collagen and connective tissue. To make the brisket tender, you will have to break down this collagen and tissue down thru the cooking process.

There are basically brisket cuts available at stores. Some stores will only have one cut. There is the whole untrimmed brisket; referred to as a packer. There is also the trimmed brisket; referred to as a flat.

Whole Untrimmed (Packer Cut) Brisket

You The whole untrimmed brisket (Packer Cut) is made up of two distinct sections of the brisket. The thickest end of the packer cut is called the point. It is usually covered by large amounts of fat. The other end of the brisket is called the brisket flat. The flat is the thinner section of meat that runs the length of the brisket. It is covered with a separate piece of meat which sits on top of it to form the point.

So, the thick end is the brisket point, and the brisket will

Trimmed Brisket (Brisket Flat) Cut

As we described the whole untrimmed brisket (see above), this is just the brisket flat trimmed and removed from the entire brisket. You can actually do this yourself with a whole brisket. This piece of meat is s maller in size than the whole brisket. Usually, it weighs in the 5 to 8 pound range. It is covered on the bottom by a solid fat cap. The top will consist of exposed meat with very little fat. The sides have usually been trimmed of fat, and the bottom fat cap sometimes has been trimmed down about 1/2 inch or less.

This cut seems to be easier to find on the East and West Coats of the United States. It is more expensive per pound than a whole untrimmed brisket. There is naturally less waste on this pieces of meat. All of the grain will run in one direction with this cut.

The two things you will need to get the brisket tender are a constant heat source to cook the brisket, and the patience to cook the brisket for a long time. You see, the long cooking time is what helps break down all of the connective tissues and collagen in the brisket.

Tenderness alone is not all there is to it. If it was, you could just throw that brisket in the oven, cook it for a few hours, and you would have a good brisket. Right?

It is not that easy. If it were that easy, you would not be looking for brisket cooking information on the internet! Let's face it. You've probably searched many places, and they have probably all told you the same things.

 

Here is what you really need to know about brisket:

1. You need to know how to choose a good brisket from the store
2. You need to prepare it correctly
3. You need to cook it at the right temperature
4. You need to cook it for the right length of time
5. You need to know when it is perfectly done
6. You need to know how to cut it for serving