IN THE HANDS of a savvy cook, brisket is tender, drippingly moist, and loaded with a fantastic real beef flavor.
Beef brisket is probably the most difficult cut of meat most folks will ever attempt at home either in an oven or in a barbecue. It can be time consuming for sure and some claim that cooking a brisket is like cooking a snow tire, but this foody disagrees.
Snow tires taste like rubber; perfectly-cooked briskets taste like heaven. In the hands of a savvy cook, brisket is tender, drippingly moist, and loaded with a fantastic real beef flavor.
Brisket is the flat cut of meat that runs down the chest of the steer below the short ribs, usually weighing 10-12 pounds, and is sold in three cuts. The most common cut is the “first half,” or “flat.” The flat, which is the leanest portion of meat that is at the bottom of a full brisket, is usually sliced and served on a plate or in a sandwich.
The triangular “point half,” also called the “point,” sits atop the flat. It is separated by a thick layer of fat, and is “fattier” than the flat. Its loose texture makes it better for chopping. The “beef brisket, deckle-off, boneless,” or “whole brisket,” has both the flat and point halves together.
A properly cooked brisket comes out looking like a meteor — dark black and shriveled. But, when you stick a fork in it the juices run out like a waterfall. There is also a pronounced smoke ring under the surface, and the meat is very tender and loaded with real beef flavor.
There are recipes for 3-4 hour cooking times and suggested cooking times of 18-plus hours. This chef cooks brisket for one and one half hours per pound of trimmed meat, to an internal temperature of 185-190 degrees, measured in the “flat.” The “point” contains too much fat and connective tissue to give an accurate reading.
If cooking in an oven, place the meat on the top rack and underneath it put a large flat pan (a 9-inch by 13-inch Pyrex is perfect) and pour in enough water to come up to about one half inch in the pan. This not only helps moisturize the meat but keeps drips of fat from flaring up on the bottom of your oven.
If using a barbecue grill, place the meat on an unheated side of the grill. If you are using charcoal, have the charcoal on one side of the grill only. If using gas, light one burner and leave the other one(s) unlit. Cook over indirect heat only, no direct flame. This chef likes to cook between 225-250 degrees to reach an internal temperature of between 185-190 degrees. As with the oven, put a water pan under the grill.
Perfect Texas-style Oven
or BBQ Beef Brisket
If you want a faster oven roast, you can cook the meat in the oven as described for one hour at 375 degrees, then place it in a Pyrex or flat dish. Add enough water to cover 1/2-inch up the sides of the pan, seal tightly with aluminum foil, and turn the oven down to 350 degrees. Cook for three hours.
When tender, remove from the oven, keep covered and let it rest for 20 minutes, then serve.
Texas Brisket Rub
Ingredients
(Serves 8-10)
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. paprika
Dash of nutmeg
Mustard
Basting spray
1 C cider apple juice
¼ C balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. steak sauce
1 10-12 lb. beef brisket, trimmed
to ¼ inch of fat remaining
Instructions
Mix all rub ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
Squirt mustard liberally over both sides of meat and rub in with you hands. Sprinkle generously with rub and pat into the meat. Let dry marinate for 3-4 hours, if possible, if not at least one hour.
Place brisket in oven or barbecue, fat side up, in the oven on a rack over a water pan, in the barbecue on indirect heat, and cook for about one and one half hours per pound of meat, or about 16 to 18 hours, at 225-250 degrees.
While meat is cooking, mix the basting spray ingredients together and put into a spray bottle. If using the rapid oven method, you do not need to make up or use basting spray, it will self baste occasionally in the covered pan. After three hours, spray the meat and turn, and repeat by spraying every three hours.
When the meat reaches an internal temperature of 185-190 degrees, remove it from the oven or grill, wrap in plastic wrap, and then wrap in aluminum foil and place in an empty ice chest for one to two hourss. Remove and slice into thin slices across the grain.
Serve thinly sliced with BBQ sauce on the side, and tradition dictates that you have lots of Saltine crackers, sliced dill pickles, and sliced raw onion available to eat the beef “The Texas Way.”
