Four Curious Facts About the Brisket That Few People Know
While people who celebrate Passover eat slowly braised brisket with sweet onions and carrots, others enjoy it with a lot more flavor profiles. Popular methods in the US include marinating the meat, rubbing with a spice rub, cooking slowly over charcoal or wood heat, and more. In practice, this is a form of smoking the meat. Burnt ends are also popular, and the traditional New England boiled dinner also includes brisket as the main course.
Brisket Can Be Cooked in Many Ways
Whether it is baked, boiled, or roasted, brisket is a tough cut of meat that should be cooked with care to ensure perfect tenderizing. It overlies the sternum, ribs, and connects the costal cartilages and is one of the nine beef primal cuts. Here are four other interesting and less-known facts about brisket.
The Brisket — a Pectoral Muscle Rich In Protein
Cows have hefty pectoral muscles, and the Brisket is cut precisely from those. It can generally weigh from 12-20 pounds.
The Brisket Has a Lot of Connective Tissue and Has to Be Cooked Longer
The brisket is essentially one of the toughest muscles of the cow, and as such, it has a lot of tough connective tissue. That is why it should be cooked using low heat for a long period of time. This low and slow cooking allows for the tissue to break down and ensures ultra-tender results.