Brisket
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest. While all meat animals have a brisket, the term is most often used to describe beef or veal. The beef brisket is one of the eight beef primal cuts. According to the Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Second Edition, the term derives from the Middle English "brusket" which comes from the earlier Old Norse "brjōsk", meaning cartilage.
Brisket can be cooked many ways. Popular methods in the U.S. Southern States include smoking and marinating the meat and cooking slowly over hot coals or wood. Additional basting of the meat is often done during the cooking process. Juices from the meat drip on the heat source. As the juice boils off, the smoke penetrates the meat - adding flavor. Small amounts of certain woods such as hickory or mesquite are sometimes added to the main heat source. The smoke from these woods further enhances the flavor. The finished meat is often referred to as a variation of barbecue. Once finished, pieces of brisket can be returned to the smoker to make burnt ends. In traditional Jewish cooking, brisket is most often braised as a pot roast.
In the U.S., the whole brisket has the meat-cutting classification NAMP 120. The brisket is made up of two separate muscles, which are sometimes separated for retail cutting: the lean "first cut" or "flat cut" is NAMP 120A, while the fattier "second cut", "fat end", or "triangular cut" is NAMP 120B.
| Cuts of beef |
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| Upper: Chuck · Rib · Short Loin · Sirloin · Tenderloin · Top sirloin · Round |
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