
So how do you pick the perfect brisket for your smoker? But more typically, it has a stewed texture rather than the crunchier texture you get from smoking or grilling. This isn’t pulled pork! The slices should have some chew to them and taste of beefiness along with the flavor of the fat and braising liquid.ĭepending on how it’s cooked, a slice of braised brisket may have a crispy edge or two.

The edges of a slice should be a bit crispy with a nice mix of crunchy fat and dried meat with the flavor of smoke and your dry rub.Ī slice of braised brisket should also be tender but not so tender it falls apart. The meat should have a little chew to it, with a beefy flavor and juiciness from the marbled fat. Ideally, a slice of smoked or grilled brisket should be tender but not to the point of falling apart. BBQ brisket is going to have a different flavor and texture than one that’s been oven braised. It’s hard to explain what a brisket should taste like because the results really depend on your method of cooking. Why do folks like me rave about this cut and invest so much time into its preparation? If you’ve ever had the misfortune of eating a poorly prepared brisket, you may wonder what all the fuss is about.

In general, though, the bones are removed at the packing plant. Most briskets sold in the US are boneless cuts, although you can occasionally order a bone-in brisket from a specialty butcher. Brisket is ideal for low-and-slow cooking methods that give this connective tissue time to convert into delicious gelatin. The breast or pectoral muscles of cattle carry about 60% of their weight, so it’s no surprise that brisket has a lot of connective tissue running through the meat. There are two briskets per steer, one on each side, and these breast muscles cover the sternum and anchor them to the animal’s rib cage. What part of the cow or steer does brisket meat come from?īrisket is one of the 9 primal cuts of beef and comes from the front part, below the chuck and above the shank.
