Selecting And Trimming A Brisket
Selecting the best brisket from a butcher`s cold case is almost a combination of skill and luck and cookin' the ominous article may seem as if a miracle were needed. On the range, you may choose and cut an eight to ten pound brisket from a medium size beef, having checked the cut for flexibility -
and the brand on the steer! 
Place your hand vertically beneath the center of the butchered brisket and let the brisket "flop" over the edges of your hand. As with the selection of tenderloin, find a pliable cut with a natural bend. If it is tough coming from the meat locker or butcher shop, it will be difficult to make it more tender upon the barbecue grill.
The large end of the brisket is called the
"point". Place the brisket upon a cutting board and remove the outside fat from the brisket's backside with a boning knife. This layer will
not render drippings and is hard, tough, and often slightly yellow in color. With a boning knife, cut the thing almost to the muscle so there is only a slight amount of fat remaining. It will look mostly red with just a bit of fat remaining. Yes, there is much waste in preparing a good brisket.
The fat at the front of the brisket is handled a little differently. Notice two things. First, how deeply you must cut into the fat layer of the brisket in order to remove the maximum amount of fat separating the two muscles. This fat layer invariably remains in the center traveling the length of the brisket, separating the two muscles. Second, note the inch thick layer of fat along the bottom of the brisket. This layer will vary anywhere from 1/4 inch to about 1 inch in thickness. If you select a brisket with the 1/4-inch of fat trimmed along this side, you must thank your butcher, as it certainly did not come that way. The goal is to trim this fat edge to about 1/4 inch in thickness, offering a protective layer during the long period of cooking. Although this hardened fat will not render, it will help keep the meat moist while preventing it from absorbing too much strong smoke smudge, becoming overly bitter or having too strong a smoke flavor.
Braising A Barbecued Brisket
(Breaking The Collagen For Tender Meat)... more "saddlebum science"
Rather than
corning a brisket, lots of folks just choose to bake it low and slow, then finish it in a little smoke on the grill. Professionals sometimes inject about a half-cup of "secret braising sauce" into a large roast or brisket for peak flavor. And just what is
"secret braising sauce?" Juice a large white onion with two large garlic cloves through your juicer (not your processor - not your blender). Add a few teaspoons each of soy and Worcestershire sauces, then double the volume by adding slightly salted water. It`s that simple. Be sure to penetrate the beef in several places with the needle. Next, using your hands, rub a light coating of your favorite seasoning rub over the entire surface of the brisket. Why not try a bit of my "No Bull" Rub on the derned thing!
"Noble 'No Bull' Brisket Rub"
(Beef Brisket Rub)
1/3 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup paprika
3 tblspns. chili powder
2 tblspns. ground black pepper
1 tblspn. ground cumin
1 tblspn. ground oregano
1-1/2 tblspns. garlic powder
1/2 tspn. cayenne pepper
1/2 tspn. powdered mustard
Next, sear and brown the meat in garlic-flavored bacon drippings inside a large camp-Dutch oven or on a griddle. Allow the meat to develop a bit of caramelized crusty "bark". Place the brisket into a large baking vessel and add only enough water (or stock if you prefer) to come halfway up the sides of the meat. For ultimate flavor, use a little apple cider and two bay leaves.
Place the brisket covered with foil, in your kitchen pre-heated oven at 235° F and braise the meat by slowly simmering it until it reaches an internal temperature of 210 degrees. Maintain that temperature for another full hour to produce an exceedingly tender roast. Begin checking for doneness following another hour`s braising. Start soaking some hickory chips and light your outside grill at this point. For a heavy smudge, I like to spray a little liquid smoke into the hickory sawdust I use for smoking. However, please remember that beef cannot handle as much smoking as does pork. Don`t over-smoke your brisket!
Why is this brisket tender and not dry? At 150 degrees, collagen begins to melt and becomes gelatin-like as the temperature climbs. Collagen is the predominant protein in connective tissue and is moderately tough to chew. And that`s not all! It is found in abundance in tougher cuts of meat.
Now, here`s the
saddlebum science behind this project. At
150 degrees, the bonds between individual protein molecules become stronger and tighter and the muscle tissue will have tightened fully at this temperature. In fact,
these bonds become so tight they drive water from the meat back into the braising liquid.
If removed at this point, the roast will become tough and dry. Surprisingly, once the internal temperature of the meat reaches
170 degrees,
a second process begins as melted collagen makes meat seem tender and moist. Don`t stop cooking yet! Further heated, the collagen in the muscle will break down progressively into soft gelatin as the
tightened muscle tissue strands continue to separate. Because most collagen won't melt completely until the internal temperature of the meat reaches
200 degrees, the meat
must be fully cooked to this temperature to take full advantage of this phenomenon. At this stage, moisture from the cooking liquid will accumulate
between the fibers of the meat and as the roast is cooked through to an internal temperature of
210 degrees, the
bonds between the protein and water actually rupture. Although the finished product is still tough muscle tissue, it will be more succulent as the
collagen has converted into soft gelatin. Inspect the meat closely and you'll see resultant opening of gaps between the tough strands of muscle.
The ideal way to finish a braised brisket or a pot roast is to place it upon a grill a few minutes inside very heavy hickory smoke smudge. Remember to pat the meat dry before placing it onto the grill, as meat will not take on smoke if it is moist. Finally, brush the thing with melted butter and then remove it from the heat allowing it to rest a few minutes. Slice thin n` grin!
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
