Beef Brisket
Μοσχαρίσιο Ψαρονέφρι
There are as many ways to cook brisket as there are pitmasters out there. However, there is consensus on two main themes. One, while there is nothing stopping you from experimenting—typically salt and pepper are the only ingredients you need in a rub, and two, no matter what method you choose, you need care and patience. Steven is the designated brisket cooker of the family, and has been experimenting with his technique to craft the perfect result for years. Cooking a brisket is a deeply personal affair, and while he can’t tell you exactly what to do, he will impart the wisdom he has picked up along the way.
Ingredients
- 100g salt
- 100g pepper
- Both with the coarseness of fine sand
- Whole brisket - approx 7kg will feed around 7 people after trimming and cooking
Method
Selecting a brisket
A good brisket approximately 7kgs in size - the 3 main areas to look at when choosing a brisket are:
1. Evenness - Make sure the brisket flat is thick and even as best as you can. This will minimise the amount of trimming, and help get nice even slices in your final product.
2. Fat - Look for evenness and consistency in the cap, avoiding briskets that may have been gouged or sliced into by the butcher. Flip it over and look to see if you can identify any marbling, typically this is white seams of fat running parallel to the muscle fibers
3. Flexible - Bend it and see how pliable it is. The easier it bends, the more potential for the final product to be tender
Trimming
Briskets are made up of two main muscles. One is rounded, called the point, one is flat, called the flat.
1. The flat
• Round off the thinnest part to 3cm thick to avoid drying out and improve airflow
• Trim fat cap to 1cm thick using a flat blade to avoid gouges that ruin bark
2. The point
• Carefully remove the protruding deckle (the mohawk of meat running down the middle of the point) so that the deckle is even with the fat cap. This strip of meat will burn and potentially affect air flow. You can use this later as trim for sausages or stews
• As with the flat, trim the fat cap so that it is approximately 1cm thick across the entire brisket
• Do not trim off the fat cap completely; it protects the meat, adds significant flavour and enhances the cooking experience
• Go slowly, be patient and cut with confidence. Don’t be discouraged by mistakes, it's all part of your brisket journey
Seasoning
Using the 50/50 blend of coarse salt and pepper, evenly cover the entire brisket, starting with the underside first to ensure the rub doesn't get scraped off the top as you rotate it
• Note: You can use a binder of oil, mustard, mayonnaise or anything other liquid of similar viscosity. However, Steven finds them unnecessary and you may have lost his respect with its use
Smoking
Steven suggests a temperature hovering between 120 and 135 degrees, but trial and error is really the best way to determine what works for you and your circumstances
• Insert a temperature probe if you have one, then do not touch it for at least 4 hours, after which you can look to assess the colour (it should be a deep red colour) and evenness of the bark (the surface of the brisket)
• Begin to spray it with water from a distance with a wide nozzled bottle (to avoid disturbing the rub before it has had a chance to fully set) focusing on any areas that might be looking a little dry
• Throughout your cook, test various parts of the brisket of different thickness, taking 6-7 different readings until you think it is ready
• It’s important that you have a temperature probe to monitor the changing internal temperature of the brisket
• When using a probe you may notice that at around 65-70 degrees, the internal temperature of the brisket will stop increasing. This is because the muscle fibers get tighter as they heat up, squeezing moisture out until the evaporative cooling is high enough that it “stalls” the temperature increase. This is a good time to wrap the brisket in foil or butcher paper. Wrap it very tightly and place it back into the smoker
Finishing
• You are aiming for a final temperature around 94 degrees, however experience does count for a lot, and the number is only a guide
• If the brisket feels tender in the paper (bends easily), and the probe goes into the meat with no resistance, it is ready
• Wrap the brisket in a towel, and place it into a cooler to rest for at least 3 hours
• Take it out of the cooler, unwrap it from the paper and slice 1cm thick
From Yiayia's Fridge · page 65