subject: What Makes Brisket Taste So Fine? [print this page] Have you ever had really good brisket and bbq in Texas? Brisket is a cut of cow or veal beef, and though it is specifically cut from the breast or lower chest of the animal, what makes it taste especially good is the manner of cooking used in preparation.
It's important to realize what brisket is so that you understand why the texture is just so. Brisket muscles include parts of the pectorals, and since cows do not have actual collar bones, these powerful muscles support more than half of the total body weight. This means the muscles must contain lots of connective tissue. This is important for cooks to know, as brisket must be cooked finely in order to tenderize all of this muscle and tissue. The word brisket comes from the English term "brisket", which is derived from Old Norse language, referring to cartilage. In addition to pectoral meat, brisket also includes parts of the ribs, sternum and cartilage.
When it comes to cooking brisket, as the cook, you have to make sure you cook slowly and that the meat stays moist. It is quite common to marinate the cut of meat and then cook, not from a pan, but from indirect heat coming from wood or charcoal. These methods ensure that the meat is slowly cooked and smoked.
In order to keep the meat moist, the cook must baste the cut throughout the cooking process. The meat texture starts out very tough and then gradually tenderizes, specifically when collagen fibers begin to gelatinize. Despite the fact that the meat is cooked a long time, it does come out tender because of the makeup of the meat cut.
Additional flavors result in brisket because of the wood used to heat the meat, not to mention the smoke and juices. It is important to prevent the meat from drying up during and after the cooking process, and so a "fat cap" (along with water) is usually included in cooking to help with the process. Lastly, cooked pieces are sometimes re-smoked so as to have burnt ends, which is a popular style.
This is one of the most popular meats in all of Texas bbq, and it's loved for its texture and unmistakable flavor! You may have tried brisket before, but unless you've tried it at an authentic Texas BBQ restaurant in a major city like Dallas, Austin or Houston, you haven't quite had the best!
