There’s nothing better than a juicy piece of brisket. It’s delicious no matter how you cooking brisket in instant pot it: cured into pastrami or corned beef, smoked for Texas barbecue, or oven-roasted for a Jewish holiday.
Unfortunately, there’s a reason the saying “brisket, don’t risk it” exists, and we’ve all had a less-than-perfect brisket that turned out drier and chewier than we hoped. Luckily, it’s completely possible to pull off a mouth-watering, fall-apart-tender brisket. You don’t need to be a certified pitmaster to do it, either. It’s all about paying attention to the details and avoiding many of these common mistakes everyone makes when cooking brisket. Armed with this knowledge, you’ll be ready to cook brisket for anyone — maybe even a holiday meal! Brisket comes from the breastbone area of the cow, and it’s basically the animal’s pectoral muscles. This well-worked muscle is tough and full of muscle fibers, so it can’t be cooked like a steak.
Instead, it requires low-and-slow cooking techniques, like braising or smoking. Marbling — or the white streaks of fat found in between the muscles — is a critical element to creating a juicy brisket. Although brisket is the name of one of the eight primal cuts of beef, it is sold in several different ways. While all of the cuts of brisket are delicious, some are better suited for certain tasks than others. The first cut of brisket is called the flat cut, or the leaner portion of the brisket.
Although this piece still has a large fat cap on the top, it contains significantly less marbling within the meat. The second cut, or the point, is connected to the flat cut by a very thick piece of fat known as the deckle. The right cut of brisket really depends on what you intend to do with it. If you’re curing corned beef or pastrami, the flat cut is better because it’s easier to slice. The point, on the other hand, is juicier and richer, so it’s best for smoked brisket or braised stew dishes. If you’re hoping to wow your guests with a smoked brisket at your next backyard barbecue, make sure you don’t accidentally come home with corned beef.
They look very similar, but they’re not the same thing. Instead, be sure to check the label on the package before you leave the grocery store. If you’re unsure, you can ask the butcher for his or her advice. But any added ingredients like salt, sodium nitrite, or flavorings are a sure give-away that you’re probably buying a ready-to-cook corned beef. It’s difficult to gauge how much food you need when cooking for a crowd, and brisket doesn’t make it easy.
Briskets — especially packer briskets that contain the point — contain a heavy fat cap. That fat breaks down to keep the brisket moist as it cooks, but it’s not edible. The Kitchn recommends purchasing a half-pound of raw brisket per person as a good rule of thumb. So that five-pound brisket will feed about ten people. The first step in any braised dish is usually searing or browning the meat to add flavor and color to the dish. The only problem here is that the brisket is a gigantic hunk of meat.
Instead of flipping a one-pound steak or turning small, bite-sized pieces, you’re being asked to pick up a roast that could be over five pounds. Bon Appétit suggests browning the brisket for at least ten minutes per side. The amount of time adds a beautiful browned character to the meat, which enhances the flavor later. Getting each side fully caramelized takes time, so set aside these twenty minutes to start your brisket off right. If you have trouble flipping it with a single set of tongs, try grabbing a second set of tongs to help. Brisket is not a last-minute dinner plan, and it’s definitely not an easy weeknight dinner. If you’re smoking it on a 225 degree Fahrenheit smoker, it can take as much as an hour and fifteen minutes per pound.