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In many places, barbecue involves pork, but Texas is known for its barbecued beef brisket. One of the toughest cuts of beef, brisket is brought to tender, smoky perfection in the hands of a Texas barbecue chef who cooks his brisket at a low temperature for many hours. Ensuring a tender brisket begins with selection of the perfect raw brisket. Beyond that, there are a variety of techniques that you can use during or after cooking to make it even more tender.
Instructions Before Cooking
Choose a "choice-grade" brisket. "Select-grade" briskets may not get tender.
Buy a brisket that is bendable. There is a range of flexibility in this cut of meat and the briskets that can be bent back and forth with ease will be more tender when cooked.
Leave some or all of the fat cap before cooking. The fat helps tenderize the meat.
Marinate the brisket overnight to begin the tenderizing process. Use your favorite marinade from the grocery store or make one from scratch.
Inject the brisket with a solution to help soften the fibers. This adds moisture and flavor as well. Rub the outside of the meat with a mixture of seasonings to boost flavor, if desired.
Cooking
Position the brisket on the grill with the fat side up so the fat can naturally baste the brisket underneath.
Mop the brisket about once an hour with a flavorful liquid solution to keep the brisket moist and to keep the air inside the smoker humid. This will help further tenderize the brisket.
Cook the brisket at 200 to 225 degrees for as long as it takes to reach an internal temperature of 190 degrees. Although your brisket will be safe to eat at 150 degrees, it will not yet be tender.
After Cooking
Remove the brisket from the grill when it reaches your preferred temperature. Wrap it in aluminum foil and set it inside a box or dry cooler with plenty of padding such as towels or crumpled newspaper. This will hold the temperature to a safe level for about four hours.
Cut the brisket across the grain when serving. Remove the point and slice it separately since its grain runs in a different direction.
Reheat the brisket if it cools down too much by placing slices in a disposable aluminum pan and covering it with barbecue sauce. Warm it slowly in the smoker.
Tips & Warnings
Marinades, mops and injectable solutions should contain an acid such as vinegar or lemon juice that will break down the tough fibers of the meat.
Above 190 to about 200 degrees, the brisket will no longer be sliceable because it will be falling apart, but it will be perfect for chopping or pulling for sandwiches.
A brisket that has turned out very tender can be sliced thickly against the grain, but if the brisket is not as tender as you would like, slice it wafer-thin against the grain.
It's not necessary to use all of the tenderizing techniques every time. Choose what works best for you.
Some cooks like to pierce the brisket and insert slivers of garlic in the holes.
Have patience. Raising the temperature beyond 225 degrees will not give the brisket the low and slow cooking it needs to become tender.
When choosing an injectable marinade, see that the marinade is not too much darker than the meat or it will leave perceptible streaks where it has penetrated. This won't hurt the meat, but will affect presentation.
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