Beef Brisket

Beef Brisket is one of the primal cuts of beef. It's the breast section located beneath the first five ribs. Brisket is one of the tougher cuts of beef and, typical of tough cuts, it's loaded with great beef flavor.

Before I set out to learn everything I could about beef cooking I had never even considered cooking a fresh brisket.

Beef Brisket I almost always had corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day but that's it. (Most commercial corned beef is brisket.)

I'm about a year into my beef-cooking hobby now and I've learned a lot about brisket. I'm also happy to say that with the half dozen or so fresh briskets that I've cooked I haven't had a failure.

Let me share a little of what I've learned.

Beef Brisket Cuts

First of all there are three brisket cuts that you are likely to see in your grocery. It's always boneless and usually fairly inexpensive.

Whole Brisket

Whole brisket is the entire primal cut just as it comes to the butcher from the meat packers. It's usually in cry-o-vac wrap and weighs anywhere from 8 to 15 pounds.

Whole brisket is the favorite of Texas style barbecue. You don't normally find whole brisket in groceries (Not at mine anyway.) except on special occasions.

The whole brisket is also divided into two smaller cuts for retail. The flat cut and the point cut.

Point Cut Brisket

The point cut has much more fat than the flat cut and is the ideal cut if you're going to cook it for shredded beef.

Because of the high fat content it tends to fall apart after cooking and doesn't slice very well.

Flat Cut Brisket

The flat cut is ideal for slicing. It works great with home cooking methods and has great flavor.

It can also be shredded if cooked to the proper degree.

Flat cut brisket is also the cut most often used for commercial corned beef. I'm talking about the uncooked corned beef you find in the butcher display case and not the delicatessen section of your grocery.

The cooked Deli corned beef is usually top round.

I'm really glad that I've discovered fresh beef brisket on my quest for beef cooking knowledge. It has truly been rewarding.

With a little care in the selection, cooking and carving you too will be rewarded with delicious beef brisket. Brisket that has great beef flavor along with tenderness that you wouldn't expect from this beef cut.

Brisket Articles:

How To Cook Beef Brisket

Beef Brisket

Selecting Brisket

Brisket Recipes: