Traditionally associated with Jewish cuisine, the brisket is one of those crowd-friendly, delicious cuts of beef that brings to mind meals with family and friends. In the modern world of “quick and easy” cooking and 5-minute, 3-ingreident dishes, the classic brisket demands a loving commitment to the joy of cooking – you need to cook a brisket at least 2 hours for minimum tenderness, and 4 for fork-tender meat.
There’s also a great value to brisket, in the literal sense. This large piece of beef, cut from the chest section of the steer, is tough, so it’s not a premium cut like tenderloin or strip loin. This means you get more bang for your meat buck, and if you’re willing to invest the time to cook it correctly, you get a flavorful and tender dish for much less than a filet mignon.
A beef brisket recipe usually starts with a rub, and here’s where you can let your creativity run wild with a complex mix of spices or keep things simple with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Spice it up with chipotle, sweeten it brown sugar, make it exotic with pimento, whatever works for your palate, the brisket meat will absorb the flavors beautifully. Just make sure whatever the rub, you apply it evenly and consistently, and keep in mind that the more of the rub mix you use, the more flavor it will have – something to remember if you’re doing a very spicy rub, otherwise you might end up burning your tongue!
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Another trick of the brisket trade? Baste it like a thanksgiving turkey! This keeps in all those mouthwatering juices and flavors. And don’t forget the sauce. Don’t just pour on the pan juices, but reduce and thicken them to create thick and delicious sauce to drizzle over your meat.
The payoff of all this effort? Juicy, intensely flavorful and tender meat that just falls apart at the touch of the fork. Oh-so-worth it!
Ready to give cooking brisket a shot? Try our delicious recipe Wagyu Beef Brisket below!