I have had beef brisket a good amount of times and I am thinking about making some myself. Well, at least trying to. I wanted to share the information I found about brisket.
The brisket is part of the cow’s breast and can be tough because this muscle is used a lot. It also comes cut up into two different cuts that are called the flat half and the point half. The flat half is lean while the point has all of the fat from the brisket.
There is a lot of information to be had about brisket and how to cook one. It is probably gonna take some trial and error but this information should help you get a good start.
What is beef brisket called in the grocery store?
Brisket is only called brisket at the grocery store. The variance in names that you will see will be because of the two different cuts. The brisket flat half will have the names Beef Brisket Middle Cut, Boneless; Brisket Center-Cut; Brisket First Cut; Brisket Flat Cut; Brisket Front Cut. The brisket point half will have names of Brisket Nose Cut; Brisket Point Cut.
If you buy a whole brisket, it will be a lot of meat. You better be throwing a huge party. A whole brisket can weigh anywhere from about 10-20 pounds.
Although, while cooking and depending on the cooking method, the brisket can lose about half of its weight. So, if everyone eats half of a pound then that is 10-20 people if the brisket loses half its weight.
A half of a brisket is gonna be half of that or 5-10 pounds and 5-10 people if it loses half its weight.
According to the USDA, in their national retail report for beef, brisket is about $4.12 per pound. So, a whole brisket will be between $41.2-$82.4, and a half of a brisket will be between $20.6-$41.2.
What is so special about beef brisket?
Beef brisket is used for pot roast, pastrami, and corned beef. It is eaten around the World. It is also known as the King of Texas barbecue. It was used a lot when people couldn’t afford the more expensive cuts of beef because beef brisket is a cheaper and tougher cut of beef.
What cut of meat is beef brisket?
The pectoral muscle of the cow is where beef brisket comes from and it is from around the breast bone. It supports a lot of the cow’s body weight so it is a very large muscle. The brisket is its own primal area or section of the cow and can be cut into two subprimal sections which are the point half and the flat half.
Is Chuck roast the same as brisket?
Chuck roast is not the same as beef brisket. They both can be used as a pot roast and chuck roast is a good alternative to beef brisket. Although, chuck roast is from a different part of the cow. It is from the front of the cow which is the neck, should blade, and upper arm areas.
How long does it take to cook a brisket?
In general, it takes an average of one hour per pound. The exact amount will depend on which cooking method you use. It is best to cook it low and slow so that the tough piece of meat becomes nice and tender.
What is the best cooking method for brisket?
The general consensus of smoking is the best way to cook beef brisket. Although, you can also braise it and it can come out just as well. Braising beef brisket will usually take just as long as smoking it.
Should brisket be wrapped in foil in the oven?
Brisket should be wrapped in foil in the oven when braising and while smoking. This should not be the first step in cooking a brisket. When you wrap a brisket it causes it to cook faster. If you don’t then it will cool down from the water evaporating off of it and cease to cook.
What do you wrap brisket in or not?
Aluminum foil and butcher paper are commonly used. With aluminum foil, you will get no smoke penetration but with butcher paper, you will get some. This will allow a better smoky flavor if you are smoking brisket wrapped in butcher paper.
What temperature do you cook a brisket?
A temperature of 225 degrees Fahrenheit is a popular temperature to cook brisket whether it is smoking it or cooking it in an oven. The higher the temperature the faster it will cook but it will also have a higher chance of drying out, becoming chewy, and overcooking.
It is best to cook it lower and slower if you are new to cooking brisket. Once you increase the heat higher you will have to watch it and know what to look for because it can become overcooked fast. With that being said there are plenty of people who cook it at a higher temperature than 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
Does brisket get tender the longer it cooks?
The longer the brisket cooks the more collagen that breaks down into gelatin and the more tender it gets. Collagen is what makes meat chewy and tough and when it breaks down into gelatin because you cooked low and slow then it will no longer be tough. You have to be careful not to overcook and cook it too long.
If you want to learn more about how to not overcook meat, I wrote a whole post about it here. I also wrote a post that talks about the benefits of collagen here.
Collagen has many health benefits, so the chewier the piece of meat is then the better it is for you. That doesn’t mean there are no ways to make it tender. I talk about that in another post here.
How do you keep brisket moist, tender, and from getting tough?
Choosing a fattier brisket or keeping more fat on the brisket, using water to braise or to spray on to meat, dry brining the brisket before cooking, flipping the brisket, wrapping it, monitoring the internal temperature, and letting it rest can keep brisket moist, tender, and from getting tough.
Let’s go over these in more detail:
Choosing a fattier brisket or keeping more fat on the brisket: you can choose a brisket that has more fat on it or that has a higher meat quality grade, this will give the brisket more flavor.
The fat is where a lot of the flavor comes from. If you want to learn more about meat quality grades, you can read this post I wrote here. You can also trim less of the fat off if you are trimming the brisket. I also wrote a post where I talk about how fat makes steak taste better here.
Use water to braise or spray on the meat: if you are smoking it then you can use a spray bottle to spray water and a lot of people will also use apple cider vinegar as well. If you are cooking it in the oven then you can put water in the pan to braise the meat.
Dry brining before cooking: this is where you salt your meat and let it get absorbed into the meat so it reaches the internal part. You can also put other seasonings on at this time as well. With brisket being pounds and pounds of meat, you want to let it dry brine for a while. Probably at least overnight, if not for 24 hours.
Salt is important and gives meat a lot of flavor, you can read more about that in a post I wrote here.
Flipping it: brisket has a thick layer of fat on one side. Now, there is the question of whether to cook brisket with the fat side up or fat side down. It is a huge never ending debate. I think it is best to flip it every now and then so it cooks evenly.
Wrapping it: wrapping the brisket will lock in the moisture and keep it from escaping and evaporating. The is a point while cooking a brisket where you get to what is called the “stall.” It’s where the water starts to evaporate off of the meat causing the meat to stop cooking.
It’s like when your body gets really hot and it starts to sweat to cool itself down. It is generally the same thing.
Monitoring internal temperature: you have to stop cooking the brisket when it gets to a certain internal temperature that you can check with a meat thermometer. That temperature is usually between 165-200 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you stop cooking it will continue to cook inside.
What is the best way to tenderize a brisket?
There is no best way to tenderize brisket. Most people do not put their brisket through an extra method to make it tender. The way you cook brisket will determine if it is tender and if you cook it correctly it will almost fall apart with tenderness.
I have found that some people do inject their brisket with a marinade to get it deep into the meat. They use what looks like a big long needle to stick into the meat and inject the marinade.
They do make some injections that you can use at the store already made for you to use or you can make your own. I suggest making your own and putting what you want in it because the stuff you can buy at the store is full of crap that you probably shouldn’t be eating.
There is a good post here about making your own injection marinade. I also put a video below that is very informative and shows you some of the stuff you can buy at the store.
How often should you flip a brisket?
Brisket should be flipped every few hours. This causes it to cook faster and more evenly throughout the brisket. Although, it is not necessary to flip the brisket at all for it to come out well. Some people never flip their brisket.
It’s such a huge debate about whether to flip or not to flip and what side to cook it on. Fat side up or fat side down? It’s a controversy and there is no clear winner. I say flipping gives you the best of both worlds if you can do so safely.
I think brisket is one of the meats with the highest safety issue and highest chance for burns. You have to flip a huge piece of meat that is hot. There is also a lot of hot juice that you don’t want to get on yourself.
I recommend using fitted oven gloves so that you can get a good grip on the brisket to turn it over. You still have to be careful of splashing the juice though.
How long should a brisket take to reach 165 and take in the oven?
In general, it takes a few hours depending on what exact temperature you are cooking at and what cooking method you are using. The best way to check is with a meat thermometer. Checking the internal temperature should be the focus and not how much time it may take. There are numerous factors to take into account.
How to cook brisket in the oven.
Cook brisket in the oven can be a great alternative to smoking it. Not everyone has a smoker and even if you do it’s not always the best time to use it because of the weather. It can still be cooked to perfection in the oven.
Let’s look at the steps:
Season the brisket: you can put whatever you want on it. Definitely add enough salt. I talk more about salt in my post here. There are rubs you can make or some that you can buy. You want to cover the entire brisket with a thick layer of seasoning because it is such a thick piece of meat.
Dry brine: dry brining is where you season a piece of meat and let it sit there for a while to get absorbed. This will make the seasoning get into the interior of the meat. I talk more about it in my post here.
You can dry brine brisket for a long time because it is so thick. It is good to do it overnight or for up to 12 hours.
Cook: Okay so there are a lot of ways to cook brisket in the oven. I prefer to keep things safe and simple.
I don’t recommend searing the brisket in a pan and flipping it. It’s just unsafe and I think it is an unnecessary step. You can achieve those results another way.
First, you want to have a big enough pan for the brisket in the ove and then put foil in the pan to wrap the brisket with. Now, you can leave the brisket open near the end to get a nice crispy outside without overcooking and drying it out.
Here is a list of the steps:
- Cook the brisket wrapped in foil at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour a pound or until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Open the foil and continue to cook the brisket for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
It’s best to have a meat thermometer and to go by the internal temperature of the brisket to make sure it is cooking correctly.
Let it rest: the brisket should rest for at least 30 minutes. You can let it rest for more but if you let it rest for too long then it may get overcooked and dry out. The best way to do this is to just keep the hot brisket covered for 30 minutes.
Cut and serve: slice the brisket against the grain. This will usually mean cutting it on the shorter sides. It’s important because you are cutting through the muscle fibers and making the meat more tender when you eat it.
What happens if I don’t let brisket rest?
If you don’t let brisket rest after cooking, then the juices don’t get a chance to get reabsorbed and once you slice it they will be lost and the brisket will be not as juicy. Letting brisket rest after cooking can allow it to relax the protein fibers to reabsorb juices. It’s a muscle, so it needs to be able to relax to let juices in.
Should I rest brisket in the oven or cooler?
Letting a brisket rest in a cooler will be a better option because if you let it rest in the oven at a low temperature, it has a higher chance of being overcooked and dry. You can let the brisket rest in the oven at a low temperature but it’s better in a cooler that will keep in the heat.
Is it ok to let brisket rest overnight?
In general, you do not want to risk a brisket overnight as it may cool and won’t be as good. Or if you are resting it in an oven at a low temperature, you’ll just overcook it.
I’ve got a video below of a guy who did an experiment on whether a brisket is better rested for a short period or a longer period of time. He used to only select grade brisket, which is the lowest grade you can get with the least amount of marbling. I talk more about meat grades in this post here.
His results were the brisket that was rested for a short period of time was the juicier and more tender of the two. But on average, if your brisket is higher than choice, grade such as select or prime, which has more fat, you can get away with letting it rest for longer, but still not too long of a time.
Conclusion
There can be so much information out there for making the perfect brisket. It comes down to what is right for you.
You do not have to cook a whole brisket but you want to make sure you have enough for everyone you are cooking it for.
Maybe you do have a smoker and love that smoky flavor, but then you probably don’t want to cook it in the oven.
If you do want to cook it in the oven then I think it can be done in a simple manner with the seasonings that you like.
