Good morning, welcome back to our series sharing Food Holiday’s: April 28, 2021. Did you know it’s National Brisket Day? I didn’t when I bought groceries this morning or I would have purchased a Brisket to cook for dinner this evening. Do you like Brisket? Would you like to have Brisket for dinner this evening?
Unless you live in Texas, you might not have had experience with the cut of Beef known as Brisket, but May 28 is a fine day to change that. Brisket is good for so much more than just Barbecue or Corned Beef on St. Patrick’s Day.
Brisket comes from the breast area, and is separated into point cuts and flat cuts. Both have their uses. The point cut is fatty, and full of connective tissue, which makes it a great candidate for braising or smoking. It’s also full of flavor.
The flat cut is no less flavorful, but can be much leaner, meaning that it requires a different preparation. Whatever your preference, grab some Brisket and celebrate!
Facts about Brisket:
- Brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest of Beef or Veal.
- The Beef Brisket is one of the eight Beef primal cuts.
- The Brisket Muscles include the superficial and deep pectorals.
- Did you now Cattle do not have collar bones? These muscles support about 60% of the body weight of standing/moving Cattle.
- This requires a significant amount of connective tissue, so the resulting Meat must be cooked correctly to tenderize the connective tissue.
The word primal has many meanings, but all of them come back to one meaning “first.” This word speaks of the beginnings of things, from our ancient lineage as human beings, to the animalistic force that lives within each of us. Appropriate to our thinking, then the meaning of primal when applied to cuts of meat.
The primal cuts are those that are severed from the carcass first before the smaller and less important cuts are removed. The Brisket is among these cuts, and while Brisket requires a little know-how to make it properly, when properly made Brikest is nothing less than the choicest of the primal cuts. National Brisket Day encourages you to explore this cut and everything it has to offer.
History of Brisket Day
Some things take time, and a good Brisket is one of these. Brisket is a popular cut of meat to serve as part of any family affair, and it’s long cooking time ensures that a Brisket is a big hit when those know how to prepare it.
Brisket is a tricky Meat in that it comes from the Animal tough, but if you find a particularly well-marbled piece and cook the Brisket correctly, it will become fork soft and simply peel apart, making Brisket the tenderest of tender meats.
Of course, there are hundreds of variations on how to prepare Brisket, including the use of various hardwoods in the grilling process to ensure a nice smoky flavor. Some people marinate Briskets and some don’t, and many people like to serve Brisket with a sauce.
For me personally I don’t care for the Sauce and neither does Charlie. While David will not eat Brisket without BBQ Sauce and the more the better he thinks.
Did you know the history of Brisket dates back to ancient history – practically ever since humans reared Cattle. People would sacrifice their Animals on special occasions and eat every part of the Animal, including the Brisket cut.
Texas BBQ Brisket is one of the most popular ways to prepare Brisket. Here, chefs marinate the Meat for between 24 to 48 hours and cook the Brisket in a unique wood or charcoal-fired BBQ oven.
Careless cooking often resulted in tough Meat, so people developed techniques to get the most out of the cut. After all, if you could make Brisket taste good, its a great way to get delicious and cheap Meat.
In the old days, you couldn’t store Meat in a refrigerator. The technology simply didn’t exist. After 48 hours following the death of the Animal, the carcass would begin to turn, meaning that the butcher had to cook and eat the Meat fast.
Friday evenings, therefore, became the traditional day on which people would cook up the remaining cuts of Meat uneaten and unsold throughout the week.
People found that barbecuing Meat and adding Marinades and Sauces provided the best flavor so the rationale for holding Brisket Day celebrations were born.
national Brisket Day is also heavily associated with smoked Meats – not just Brisket. Again, butchers had to use smoking to preserve Meat so that it wouldn’t go off.
For that reason, they took cuts of Meat, such as Rib-Eye or Tenderloin, and put them in smoke sheds. This process killed off all the bacteria and created compounds that would inhibit the growth of harmful bugs in the future.
How to celebrate Brisket Day
The best way to celebrate Brisket Day is to prepare a delicious Brisket.
Crock Pot Cooked Brisket With Onions
- Brisket
- 1 Onion Per (In my family we leave the Onions out) but this is my mother in laws recipe and how she fixes her Brisket.
- 2 Cloves of Garlic Per Pound
- Salt and Pepper (to Taste)
- 2 T of Worcester Sauce per 2 pounds ( I use Kraft Original BBQ Sauce while my dad used Woody’s BBQ Sauce
- 2 T of Soy Sauce per 2 pounds ( Which I don’t use because we use the BBQ Sauce.
Start off by rinsing your Brisket and then pat the Brisket dry. Rub the Brisket down with Salt and Pepper, Worcester Sauce and Soy Sauce, and place in the crock pot. (Again we use the BBQ Sauce in place of the Worcester Sauce and Soy Sauce.
Add sliced Onions (if you like them and David doesn’t so we don’t use Onions) and Chopped Garlic (you can always add more, and then cook on 275 for about 4 hours in the crackpot. At hour four, add a can of Beer of your choice. David prefers Budweiser but you can use any Beer. Let finish cooking for the next hour. Take out of the Crock Pot and let set for 20 minutes then slice and serve.
Besides cooking a Brisket meal, what else can you do to celebrate National Brisket day?
You could visit your favorite BB Que Restaurant for a meal serves Beef Brisket in the traditional style. You’re looking for an establishment that takes the cheaper cuts of meat and prepares them in a way that makes them taste far more expensive than they actually are.
By going to a local restaurant along with your friends and family, you’re showing your support for everyone involved in this restaurant, from the restaurant owner to the cattle rancher.
Many restaurants make a point of serving Brisket because they want to prove that its possible to make even the cheapest cuts of Beef taste amazing. They see cooking Brisket as a challenge.
For instance, some cooks use special tenderizing techniques and serve Beef Brisket rare. Others rely on slow cooking methods. The great thing about National Brisket Day is there are many r options. Barbecued Brisket is a classic, but today’s chefs are so inventive, you’re now spoiled for choice for how they prepare your meat.
Brisket Day is also an opportunity to highlight the environmental costs of food waste. People, often throw away a substantial proportion of the food that they buy.
The tradition of eating Brisket, however, reminds us of the fact that food was a scarce commodity in the past, its important to make use of every part of the Animal. Throwing away food is costly and damaging to the natural world.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
