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Like a Clint Eastwood cowboy, brisket is unforgiving. Cook it right and it is tender, juicy, and flavorful. Cook it wrong and it is like a wrangler's leather chaps.|
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A whole 12-pound packer brisket untrimmed, as it arrived from the packer. The cutting board is 20" x 14 ". The fat cap is 1/4" to 1/2" thick. The flat is A and the point rests on top of the right side of the flat in the oval B. As you can see, the packer trimmed it quickly and left some meat bare. Not the end of the world. |
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The same brisket fat side down. This side is usually fat free. The flat is A and the point is B. The grain runs in the direction of the white line. Notice the fat vein that runs between the flat and the point. |
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This side view looks right at the end of the flat with the point rising in the background. Notice that the flat ranges from 1/4" think on the right to about 1.5" on the left, and the point is more than 5" thick. |
Your butcher probably offers two cuts of brisket, a whole "packer" brisket, or a section of the flat. Each cut needs to be cooked differently and below we discuss how to cook each separately.
The whole packer brisket
When you buy a whole "packer" brisket (item 120 in the North American Meat Processor's Association Guide), it usually weighs 8-16 pounds and comes in an airtight Cryovac plastic wrap. There is a cap of fat on one side that can be up to 1" thick, and it is trimmed pretty close to fat free on the other side.
Beef is graded based on the age of the animal and the amount of fat marbeling. The more marbeling, the better because fat brings flavor and juciness. The most common grades, from lowest to highest are: Select, choice, and prime. But a lot of fat will not make the meat tender. Brisket is just an ornery piece of meat.
The top competitors prefer certified Angus choice, not the more expensive prime or the outrageously expensive Kobe or Wagyu breed of beef. But prime and wagyu are more marbled and will be more juicy, so if you can find it, and if you can afford it, go for it. Just try to avoid the select grade, which is the cheapest and least juicy.
There are two distinct muscles in a packer brisket: (A) A long flat rectangular lean muscle that sometimes comes to a point that is called the flat, and (B) a narrower, thicker, fattier, oval shaped muscle called the point. Got it? The flat is pointy and the point is round. Go figure.
The point lies on top of the flat and there is a layer of fat separating the two muscles. The flat makes nice uniform slices (think corned beef and pastrami), perfect for sandwiches or fanning out on a plate. Because one end is a lot thinner than the other, it often dries out as the thicker part of the clod cooks. For this reason, and also because the striation of the two muscles run in different directions, some cooks remove the point before or after cooking. It comes off easily along the fault line of fat that separates them. Some slice it separately and some cube or chop it.
Some top competitors will age the meat in its cryovac in the refrigerator for 30-60 days from the packing date to allow the enzymes to start breaking down the tough fibers and develop more complex flavors. Do not try this unless the meat is packed in its original airtight cryovac package.
Rub? We don't need no stinkin' rub in Texas...
As with anything barbecue, there is controversy surrounding brisket. Pitmasters disagree on several major scores:
Trim. Some cooks like to leave the entire fat cap on the meat as insulation, trimming what remains before serving. They think it helps moderate the heat during cooking. Others trim most of it off before cooking, leaving a layer of 1/8" to 1/4", reasoning that seasoning on the fat cap will never penetrate and is wasted when trimmed.
Rub. Before it is cooked, many of the best Texas barbecue joints simply use "dalmation rub": Liberal amounts of kosher salt and coarsely cracked black pepper. For them, stylin is to add some cayenne and garlic powder to the rub. Some leave it on the meat overnight, but others just season the meat and toss it on the pit. On the competition circuit many cooks use a complex secret concoction of herbs and spices that give a little spark to the bark, the flavorful crust that forms after all that cooking.
Slather. Some folks think it is a must to put a thin layer of mustard on the meat before the rub to hold it down. Others use oil because many spices in rubs are oil soluble. Both sides believe that either mustard or oil will help form a crunchy bark.
Pump. Many competition cooks like to inject brisket with an internal marinade by using large hypodermics and other gimcracks. These "pumps" add moisture, break down tough fibers, and add flavor. Apple juice with spices is a popular pump. Others use plain beef broth. If you choose to inject, don't use a dark marinade, it will leave tracks inside the meat, and insert the needle parallel to the grain.
Lately many of the champs have been injecting the meat with a product called Fab B Light, a moisturizer and flavor enhancer. It contains hydrolyzed soy protein, vegetable oil, sodium phosphates, monosodium glutamate, autolyzed yeast extract, xanthan gum, disodium inosinate, and guanylate. Some traditionalists think this is way too Barry Bonds and are repulsed by the idea. The results speak for themselves. They are winning. A lot.
Fat cap. Most folks cook with the fat on top. For years it was believed that the melting fat would actually penetrate the meat, but nowadays most folks understand that fat cannot penetrate meat fibers very well. The melting fat bastes the meat keeping it moist, but it takes longer to cook. Some cooks like the fat cap on the bottom, as sort of a heat shield. Others cook halfway with the fat up, and halfway with the fat down. On a smoker like the Weber Smokey Mountain or other bullets, where the heat is directly below, a good case can be made for fat side down.
Point. The point end is usually twice as thick as the other end, so by the time it is properly cooked the other end is overcooked. Some cooks, over the objections of the traditionalists, remove the point layer by sliding a knife through the fat layer that runs between the flat and point. They cook them side by side rather than one on top of the other. I'm not real keen on this. The point is fattier and helps keep the meat moist.
Temp. Many competitors swear that low and slow, around 225F for up to 20 hours for a whole packer, is necessary to make the meat tender and juicy. Danny Gaulden, the respected owner of Danny's Place in Carlsbad, NM recomends 250F. Legendary "Barbecue King", Walter Jetton, Lyndon Johnson's caterer, advocated cooking brisket at 275F and up. John Fullilove of Smitty's Market confesses that he cranks the heat over 300F and knocks out his briskets in as little as eight hours.
Mop. A lot of cooks like to keep their meat wet by mopping it with a baste. They say the mop replaces moisture that evaporates. Others say we should keep the lid closed to keep the heat and humidity in. They say mops ruin the crunchy crust.
Crutch. The Texas Crutch is a technique for speeding the cooking and tenderizing the meat. The concept is that you wrap the meat tightly in heavy-duty foil with a little beef broth, apple juice, white wine, or light beer, and let it steep on the grill for an hour or two. Then it comes off and sits in an insulated box for several hours. Advocates like the tenderness and juciness of the meat, and the fact that the process captures natural jus for in a sauce. Opponents dislike the fact that the crust or bark gets soft. Some folks try to get the best of both worlds by crutching and then taking the meat out and firming up the crust over a hot grill just before serving.
Slicing. When it is cooked, controversy reigns over slicing. Brisket is easier to chew if you cut it perpindicular to the grain. Cut with the grain and it can be stringy and chewy. The problem is that there are two muscles, the flat and the point, and the grains run in different directions. Most folks slice from the thicker, point end into about 1/8"-1/4" thick slices. Some folks run a knife through the fat layer between the point and flat and separate them and slice each separately. Some folks cut off the flat where the point meats it and then they rotate it so the cut is on the side and they slice through the point and flat from the side.
Method for a Whole Packer Brisket
In the recipe below I have chosen a path that yields excellent results. Some may dispute my choices, but if you start here, you can then riff on the controversies above. If your effort yields meat that is a bit dry or tough, try again. Sometimes it's the cow, not the recipe or the cook!
Yield. If you are cooking a whole packer, start with about 1 pound of meat or more per person. There will be significant loss, up to 20% from fat trimming and up to 40% from shrinkage.
Preparation time. 10 minutes to make the rub and apply it. If you can let the rub soak in for an hour or two, that would be nice. Overnight is better. You can make the sauce while the meat is cooking.
Cooking time. Your times may vary because each cooker is different and sometimes objects in cooker are weirder than you think. If you follow the recipe below and cook at 225F, it should take about 12 hours to cook a brisket. Even a 4 pound HOF can take that long!
Resting time. When the meat is cooked, this recipe recommends you let the meat rest, wrapped in foil, wrapped in a towel, buried in a plastic cooler, for another 1-3 hours. This is a great fudge factor that lets you take the meat off when it is ready and hold it until the guests are ready.
Toolkit
1 grill or smoker with lots of fuel
6 feet of heavy-duty aluminum foil
12 ounces of hard wood chunks or chips for smoking
1 digital meat thermometer, preferably a Maverick ET-73
1 plastic beer cooler bigger than the brisket (not styrofoam, which could melt)
1 towel or blanket
1 long, thin, sharp knife
Cooking log
1 alarm clock
1 lawn chair
1 good book
6 pack of beer
1 pair of shades
Sun tan lotion
Tunes
A crowd of hungry friends
The Meat
Big Bad Beef Rub
1 whole packer brisket
1 bottle of commercial beer such as Lone Star
The Sauce
2 cups of Texas Barbecue Mop-Sauce (you can make this days in advance) for a packer, or 1/2 cup for a HOF
Sides
Brisket is great with potatoes. For sandwiches, use thick slices of sturdy bread or kaiser rolls, and let the gravy soak in and get sloppy. Garnish with grilled ancho and red bell peppers or caramelized onions.
Do this
1) Trim. Rinse the meat and dry it with paper towels. If you have a packer, trim off most of the fat cap but leave at least 1/4". If you are trimming a packer, until you get the hang of it you might cut off some of the meat while trimming. No harm, no foul. If you are competing, trim the flat to about 9" wide in order to fit the width of the standard 9" x 9" turn-in box after shrinkage.
2) Rub. Before you apply the Big Bad Beef Rub, notice the direction of the grain of the flat and remember this so you can carve it perpendicular to the grain. Sprinkle the rub liberally on all exposed meat and rub it in. Not much sense in wasting rub on the fat since most of it will melt off or be cut off by your guests. If you can, let the meat sit for 1-2 hours to allow the rub to penetrate a bit and form a moist paste that will become your crust. Overnight is better. I strongly recommend you use a digital remote thermometer such as the Maverick, especially if you are not an expert with brisket, and insert the probe with the tip centered in the thickest part of the meat.
3) Cook. OK, before we begin, it is important to note that brisket is an inexact science, and the timing can vary significantly depending on the size of your brisket, it's moisture and fat content, and the nature of your cooker, not to mention the accuracy of your thermometer. But the method I describe has a long period of resting in an insulated beer cooler (warmer in this case), and that time is flexible so you can use that buffer time to keep dinner on schedule. If you are using a grill, set it up for indirect cooking. Click here to see how to set up a gas grill. Here's how to set up a charcoal grill, and here's how to set up a bullet smoker like the Weber Smokey Mountain. Get the temp stabilized at about 225F. It is crucial to keep the temp low or else the proteins can sieze up and squeeze out all the juices. And this can happen fast on brisket, so monitor your temp carefully. Brisket is a lot less forgiving than pork shoulder. Put the meat on the cooker, fat side up. On a Weber Smokey Mountain, put the meat on the lower grate, right above the water, and make sure you monitor the temp at that level. It is different there than near the top of the dome. If the temp starts to run up, start mopping the meat with water, apple juice, or beer to keep it cool until you get the temp back down to 225F.
Follow my instructions on adding wood. After three hours, turn the meat over if the color is different from top to bottom. Otherwise leave it alone. The meat temp will move steadily upward to a spot called "the stall" or "the conversion zone", somewhere between 140-150F. Once in the zone, it will seem to take forever to rise. This is the magic time when the connective tissues made of collagens begin to dissolve and create fabulous flavor and texture. When you hit the stall, don't panic and crank the heat up. Once the internal temp is past 170F it will probably rise more rapidly. This may seem way overcooked, especially since steak is well-done at about 150F, but we need to cook brisket to a much higer temperature to make it tender. Click here for more about the thermodynamics of cooking meat.
4) Crutch. When the meat hits 180F take it off and wrap it in a double layer of heavy-duty foil. Pour a cup of beer over the top of the meat before you seal the foil. Then seal it tight and drink the leftover beer. Put the wrapped meat back on the smoker for an hour. This step, the Texas Crutch, generates a bit of steam which tenderizes the meat. So when is it ready? The experts say you really can't tell by temperature. Each brisket is different. The pros can tell when it is ready by feel. Some talk about a gelatinous bounce it has when they poke it because the connective tissues have melted. They call it the "wabba wabba" point. Others stick a fork in the side of the flat and twist. If it turns easily, it is ready. "Fast Eddy" Maurin says he waits until his thermometer probe "falls into" the meat and it is as soft as buttah." Until you get a feel for this, I recommend you pull it off at about 190-195F and no higher than 205F. It should only take about an hour in foil to hit 190F.
5) Rest. When the temp hits 190F, get your plastic beer cooler, line it with a towel, blanket, or crumpled newspaper and put the meat, still in foil, into the cooler on top of the lining. Leave the thermometer probe in. If the foil is leaking, put the meat in a large pan first. The lining is important to prevent the plastic from warping or cracking. Close the lid and let the hot meat sit in the cooler for 1-3 hours until you are ready to eat. Do not let the temp of the meat fall below 145F while it is in the cooler or else you could get a tummy ache. If you have a tight cooler it should hold the meat well above 160F for hours.
7) Slice. Brisket dries out quickly once it is cut. Make sure everyone is ready to eat before you start carving. When your guests are ready, heat up your Texas Barbecue Mop-Sauce and bring it to the table. Turn the meat fat side up so the juices will run onto the meat as you slice. Now run a knife between the flat and the point and separate teh two muscles. Trim off excess fat. Slice them separately across the grain about 1/8" thick. The meat should hold together, not fall apart or crumble. It should pull apart with a gentle tug. If the first slice falls apart, cut thicker slices. If the meat is perfectly cooked it should be moist and juicy. You can serve it on a plate or as a sandwich and, if you wish, drizzle some Texas Barbecue Mop-Sauce on top of the meat. Serve everyone a little of both muscles.
8) Burnt ends. Burnt ends are amazingly flavorful bite-size crispy cubes. Originally they were simply edges and ends that were overcooked, sort of fried in their own natural fat, and trimmed off and munched by the kitchen staff. If there were any leftover, they were given away for free. Then, in 1970, in his marvelous book American Fried, Calvin Trillin wrote the following about Arthur Bryant's restaurant in Kansas City "The main course at Bryant's, as far as I'm concerned, is something that is given away for free -- the burned edges of the brisket. The counterman just pushes them over to the side as he slices the beef, and anyone who wants them helps himself. I dream of those burned edges. Sometimes, when I'm in some awful overpriced restaurant in some strange town -- all of my restaurant-finding techniques having failed, so that I'm left to choke down something that costs seven dollars and tastes like a medium-rare sponge -- a blank look comes over my face: I have just realized that at that very moment someone in Kansas City is being given those burned edges free."
Well, not any more. They taste so great that folks started asking for burned end sandwiches and Bryant's had to start making them on purpose. Here's how: Before you wrap the meat in foil for the crutch, cut off the thin part of the flat and throw it back in the smoker without the foil. You will then wrap the point end and the flat beneath it in heavy duty foil as described above. Keep the thermometer probe in this section. Cook the unwrapped flat until it gets really dark but not burned. Remove it and cut it into 1/2" strips with the grain and then cut the strips across the grain every half inch to make delightful, spicy, flavorful, crispy, cruchy cubes. They will probably be a bit dry so mix them with a bit of sauce, wrap in foil, and hold in your cooler with the rest of the meat until you are ready to serve. I have even been known to toss them into a non-stick frying pan with a little bacon fat to crisp them and then I add the sauce. Serve burnt ends like a side dish. They will go fast.
9) Pulled brisket. To make pulled brisket, after you remove the meat from the foil, cut off the thin end and slice it into strips. Then pull it apart into chunks and shards or chop it with a knife or cleaver. Splash on some sauce and serve on a bun.
Method for a Hunk o' Flat (HOF)
Here we see a small 2.5 pound HOF in an a gas grill in an aluminum pan sitting on a bed of onions in 1/8" of beef broth. One thermometer probe is inserted into the center of the thickest part of the meat and the other is hovering above the meat measuring the oven temp. This 15 year old Weber Genesis Gas Grill has three burners running from left to right. The top two are off and the bottom burner is on medium. At the top are baked beans and the meat, both cooking by indirect heat, and at the bottom is a "smoke bomb", two small aluminum loaf pans with wood chips sitting above the burner that is lit. The pan at left has a cup of chips that are dry and the pan at right has a cup of water and a cup of chips. The chips at left will smoke and burn out in the first hour or so, and by then the water will have evaporated from the pan at right and those chips will start to smoke. I have removed the upper cooking grate from the left side so I can add more wood if I need to, but I didn't. |
When the meat hits 180F, wrap the pan tightly with foil, cook until it hits 190F, and turn off the heat. Let it rest for 1-3 hours on the warm grill or in a beer cooler. |
Here's the resulting meat. Notice the smoke ring is only on the top because the bottom was sitting on wet onions. The meat was moist and tender, but not mushy as it would be if it sat in liquid (braised) or if it had steamed. Even the leftovers were good! |
Many grocers sell slabs of beef brisket cut from the flat running anywhere from 1-8 pounds. I call them a HOF, for Hunk o' Flat. My grocer usually has a number of HOFs in the 2-4 pound range, perfect for serving a small family. If you are cooking a 2-4 pound HOF, there is much less waste and shrinkage, so buy 1/2 pound or so for each person. But don't ask your butcher for a HOF, that's just a term you and I use.
This cut is practically pure muscle and it can be especially tough to make tender. Most people who buy it are making pot roast by simmering it for hours in liquid. But we're going to go for the Texas taste here. So you go for the highest grade you can find and get the thickest HOF you can. It will cook slower and be more tender. Look for marbeling and even thickness so one edge won't dry out. If the meat is not on a plastic tray and you can flex it, select one that is floppy.
Here's how to handle this difficult challenge.
1) Inject. If you have a hypodermic for injecting meat, now's the time to use it. Pump in about 1/4 cup of beef stock or apple juice per pound of raw meat by inserting the needle parallel to the grain in several locations and back it out as you press the plunger. Be careful so you don't get squirted in the eye.
2) Rub. If you have a HOF, don't trim any fat. Chances are that most has already been removed. The fat cap is necessary to help keep the meat from overheating. Coat the meat with cooking oil and apply your beef rub.
3) Float it. Take two large onions and slice them coarsely. Place them in the bottom of a low-sided pan. Add 1/8" of water or beef broth. Insert an oven safe meat thermometer in the meat. Place the HOF on top of the onions, fat side up. The meat should be sitting on onions, well above the liquid. If necessary, put some apple wedges or something stainless steel under the meat to help keep it above the liquid.
4) Preheat. Heat the cooker to 225F. Low temp is crucial for this cut. Use more wood than normal because the pan will block some of the smoke.
5) Cook. Use a thermometer with a probe on a rope. A 3-4 pound HOF will take about 4 hours to hit 180F. Check every hour or so to make sure the pan has enough liquid. Add more if necessary so the onions don't burn. But if you keep the temp at about 225F the liquid will not boil so you will not need to replace it.
6) Crutch. When the interior temp of the meat hits 180F, make sure there's liquid in the pan, cover it with foil, crimp it on tight, and place it back in your cooker.
7) Rest. When the meat hits 190F turn off the heat if you are using gas or electric, or if you are using charcoal, remove the pan and place it in a cooler for 1-3 hours as described above in the paragraph titled "Rest".
8) Serve. Drain the onions, throw them in a frying pan with a tablespoon of butter and sautee until brown. Then, as described in the paragraph above, serve with the onions on top and the broth on the side. Texas Style Barbecue Sauce is especially good with a HOF.
Leftovers
There are likely to be leftovers. Problem is that they dry out quickly. Here's what to do with leftover brisket:
Leftover brisket makes good sandwiches. I like mine with lettuce, tomato, and avocado. I slice or chop leftover meat and freeze it, two portions per zipper bag (that's brisket being chopped for sandwiches at the Salt Lick outside Austin, below). Freeze the sauce in ice cube trays and put the cubes in zipper bags. When it's time to serve, defrost the cubes, pour the gravy over the meat, and gently warm it in a microwave on low or in the oven at 200F (below boiling). If you don't have gravy, moisten the meat with beef stock.
Believe it or not, leftover brisket is great in a Chinese stir-fry with onions, carrots, broccoli, and a soy/sesame oil/hoisin sauce with a splash of hot sauce on a bed of rice.
Buzz Dean of Nekoosa, Wisconsin, says he takes his leftovers to the pub and trades it for beer!
John R. Crowley in Denver says he likes to chop leftovers up in beans or fry it up in some hash.
Bill Martin in Hawaii likes his leftovers chopped up in scrambled eggs and on top of a salad.
Lucy Baker says "Make Italian beef-style sandwiches with very cooked (limp) green and red bell peppers, onion, and a little italian seasoning. Reheat the beef in broth and spoon over crusty bread before adding the beef and peppers. Yikes!"
Merrill Powers in Elmhurst, Illinois, makes quesadillas with his leftovers.
Dave Frary makes chili with his leftovers.
Danny Gaulden makes burritos.
Rodney Leist from Elfrida, Arizona, kills several different leftovers in one dish. He puts one of those single serving bags of corn chips in a bowl, adds a big scoop of leftover chopped briskett, a similar amount of leftover smoked sausage, and a similar amount of beans. On goes some leftover sauce, chopped onions, chopped jalapenos, and grated cheese. The whole thing gets heated in the microwave.
This page revised 6/26/08
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Unless noted, all text, photos, and recipes are Copyright (c) 2008 by Craig "Meathead" Goldwyn. You need my written permission to publish or distribute anything on this website. |
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