Beef Brisket?

[Chef Munky]

Watching Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (I'm a diner buff) I've noticed more then once, diners making different variations of Beef Brisket.Baked slowly,smoked, grilled.

I do have a well equipped kitchen and patio for cooking indoors and out.None of that should be a problem.

It got me to thinking for what I buy rolled roasts for (Sammiches) I could accomplish the same things with beef briskets.It would just be shredded beef.

I've never had or made Beef Brisket.Mom never made it either.I'm willing to give it a try.But I do have questions about it.

Is it a very expensive cut of meat?

What is the usual weight of one?

I've been doing some homework on it,when I've had the time.I have yet to see any mentioning of weight.Maybe I missed it.

I understand prices vary according to butchers.

If it would benefit the budget to go that route.Even better.

Guidance here would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Munky.

 

[Elf]

I use the recipe from Joy Of Cooking, basically Chile sauce, vinegar, brown sugar poured over a 3-4 lb brisket that has been browned. cover and cook 3-4 hours till a fork slides easily through it. Ask for a flat cut brisket, 3-4 lb. That size roast will feed 4 easily with leftovers.
This summer I am going to try smoking one, so if you have a outdoor kitchen you can cook it either way, it is the same meat just cooked differently. Good Luck and enjoy.

 

[Robo410]

good quality meat is not cheap. That being said, very little of good brisket is waste so you eat what you pay for! A little fat cap is desirable for tenderness.

I would braise it after browning. I would use red wine and broth for the liquid (or wine, water and onion soup mix). chop an onion and carrot for flavor. Cook very much like a pot roast.

Other root veg, THyme or bay leaf etc optional. braise about 3 hrs.

Let rest and slice...It shoudl make good sadwich slices! or you can shred it. The broth makes great au jus or a soup or stew base.

 

[CharlieD]

Brisket is a cheap cut of meat. And it's pretty tough too. Need to cook long and slow.

 

[Chef Munky]

Thanks all for the information.Keep em' coming

Just so I'm on the same pages as all of you.

It's a cheaper cut of meat.

Cook it long and slow,with some type of marinade?

Look for or ask that the fat be on the meat.But not too much of it?

Do they only come in 3-4 lbs? Do I need to shake the butcher down for a larger cut? lol...

If I do smoke it in a smoker,do I need to marinate it first?

Thanks,

Munky.

 

[ChefJune]

In our family, we have always cooked it at least 1 day ahead of when we plan to serve it. After refrigerating in the pan you cooked it in overnight, all the fat rises to the top and solidifies, and it is then easy to remove before slicing the meat and putting it back into its now greaseless sauce for heating for service.

All the flavor and none of the fat! One of my favorite things to both cook and eat.

You can do anything to brisket that you would do to short ribs. It's all wonderful.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Ditto what ChefJune said... and it slices easier when cold. Slice thinly and across the grain of the meat for best results!

Enjoy!

 

[attie]

For us it is mostly 'corned brisket' [pickled? brined?] boiled and used cold on sandwiches.

 

[Chef Munky]

I have had beef brisket before,well duh!!!....we made beef jerky with it.Years ago.

It was much better then anything we could have bought at the store.

I'll have to get it from the butcher if he has it.If not he can order it for me.


Thanks for the tips.Let you know how it all goes.


Munky.

 

[JohnL]

Hi CM,
I don't know if you have one close by, but Costco here in Md. usually carries brisket. I think I paid about $3.29lb the last time.
John.

 

[Chef Munky]

We do have a Costco near us.We had a membership there just so we could buy our meats,cheeses.But the quality of the meats they were selling was becoming questionable.

We now just buy locally from a butcher who can tell us exactly where the beef came from.How it was raised and with what.No hormones.

Costco doesn't need my money.They don't even know my name.

If I have to wait it's ok.From everyone's comments Brisket cooked correctly will be worth the time.


Munky.

 

[luckytrim]

Here's My Brisket !

MARINATED BARBECUE BEEF BRISKET
Yield: 6 servings
1 cup ketchup
1 cup water
2 tablespoons each: minced onion, cider vinegar
1 tablespoon mustard
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
Coarsely cracked black pepper
1 beef brisket, about 3 1/2 pounds
2 large onions, sliced
5 carrots, peeled, cut in 1-inch chunks
5 medium red potatoes, unpeeled
Salt
2 small bags radishes, ends trimmed
Combine ketchup, water, onion, vinegar, horseradish, mustard and
pepper. Place brisket in a shallow glass baking dish. Pour marinade
over; cover and refrigerate overnight.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Scatter onions on top of meat.
Pour Marinade over onions. Cover and
bake 2 1/2 hours. Add carrots, radishes and potatoes; cover and continue
baking until meat and vegetables are tender, about 1 hour. Add salt
and pepper to taste. Cut meat into thin slices. Use the pan juices​

as sauce.

 

[ChefJune]

For us it is mostly 'corned brisket' [pickled? brined?] boiled and used cold on sandwiches.

Wayne, if you have never enjoyed brisket that is not "corned," it's a completely different flavor. When I was a little girl I didn't realize they were the same cut of meat.

 

[Callisto in NC]

I'm confused. Brisket is cheap????????????????????????????? You can't buy a real brisket here for less than $30. It's crazy expensive. I'm definitely not talking corned beef. I'm talking big old beef brisket. I would love to win the lottery so I could buy a brisket but that's not likely to happen since you can't win if you don't play.

 

[ella/TO]

Do remember to cut it against the grain......I always like to put a little Kitchen Bouquet in the marinade....just gives the meat a healthier look than the gray it sometimes looks like. It's a most deelish meat....I also like to thicken the gravy, and like to serve it with roasted veggies....and/or mashed potatoes, or, potato latkes (pancakes)

 

[Chef Munky]

I thought the brisket's were those big ones to.

DDD's had an episode on last night it featured brisket.It was huge.

Those are the one's I was referring to.The 3 pounders I would have to triple.To accomplish my goal.

I'm confused now to...



Munky.

 

[Callisto in NC]

I thought the brisket's were those big ones to.

DDD's had an episode on last night it featured brisket.It was huge.

Those are the one's I was referring to.The 3 pounders I would have to triple.To accomplish my goal.

I'm confused now to...



Munky.

At our markets they are HUGE. Huge huge that's why they cost no less than $30 and generally way more. Forget three pounds, these things are like three FEET long. They're crazy big.

 

[Chef Munky]

Crazy big is good..I'm feeding teenagers here.

What is the average weight of the crazy brisket?


Munky.

 

[Scotch]

Brisket is a relatively inexpensive cut of beef, probably because it's rather tough unless properly prepared. You can buy a whole brisket, the first or flat cut, which is more commonly available, or the second cut or point, which is the fattier part. I usually buy the first cut.

This is a very good recipe, producing a pot-roast style brisket that's very similar to what my Jewish mother-in-law used to make (brisket is a fixture of Jewish-American cooking), and it's simple to the point of being nearly idiot-proof.

FRIDAY NIGHT BRISKET

1 (4- to 5-pound) brisket
2 (1-ounce) packets onion soup mix
1½ cups Heinz Chili Sauce
6 cloves garlic
1½ pounds carrots

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the meat fat-side up in a large Dutch oven. Sprinkle the onion soup mix over the meat. Cover with the chile sauce and 2 cups of water, or more if needed to almost cover the meat. Crush the garlic cloves and add to the liquid (they will dissolve, so no need to chop).

2. Cover the pan and cook for 4 hours. Check every 30 minutes to be sure there is sufficient liquid in pan. Let the brisket cool for about 45 minutes and refrigerate overnight. Then skim the fat off the meat.

3. About 1½ hours before you wish to serve the brisket, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the brisket to a cutting board and slice it thinly across the grain. Trim, peel and cut the carrots into 1½-by-2-inch sticks. Cook the brisket and carrots covered for 1 hour, until the brisket is heated through and the carrots are fork tender.

(Alternatively, the brisket can be completed the same day: While the brisket is cooling for 45 minutes, trim, peel and cut the carrots into 1½-by-2-inch sticks. Remove the brisket and slice it thinly across the grain. Skim the fat off the top of the liquid, add the sliced brisket back to the pan with the carrots, cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 more hour, or until carrots are fork tender.) Serve on a platter.

Each of 10 servings: 346 calories; 44 grams protein; 18 grams
carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 9 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 87 mg. cholesterol; 1,173 mg. sodium.

 

[Callisto in NC]

Brisket is a relatively inexpensive cut of beef, probably because it's rather tough unless properly prepared. You can buy a whole brisket, the first or flat cut, which is more commonly available, or the second cut or point, which is the fattier part. I usually buy the first cut.

This is contingent upon where you live. Brisket is by far and away NOT inexpensive in certain markets.