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We embrace the lean, adaptable slab of brisket as a springtime favorite, but look to it year-round to inexpensively feed a crowd. You can go several ways with brisket – slow-cooked pot roast-style with root vegetables, smoked and slathered with barbecue sauce (burnt ends please!), blanketed in lemon slices and simply roasted. You really can’t go wrong with this versatile cut, but we here to make sure things go very right.

Recipe: Roasted Brisket with Parsley, Mint and Thyme

Choosing the Right Brisket

• Brisket is cut from the breast of beef or veal.
• It’s typically sold in two portions, call the flat and point cuts.
  • The flat cut is the larger of the two portions and significantly leaner.
  • The point cut tapers to a point (thus earning its name) as has additional fat marbling.
• You may also find corned beef brisket (a Saint Patrick’s Day favorite), which has gone through a flavor-packed curing process in preparation for cooking.

Whichever cut you take home, rest easy knowing our beef is from cattle raised to meet our high quality and animal welfare standards.

• No antibiotics and growth hormones.
• No animal byproducts in the feed.
• Raised without gestation or farrowing crates.
• Certified to the Global Animal Partnership’s 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating Standards.

Recipe: Roasted Beef Brisket with Carrots and Tomatoes

Cooked to Perfection

Brisket is lean and tough, so a low and slow cooking time is essential to a truly delicious final product.

• In a 325°F oven, plan on the following timeline for a perfectly cooked brisket.
  • 3-4 pound brisket = 4-5 hours
  • 5-7 pound brisket = 6-7 hours
  • 8-10 pound brisket = 7-8 hours

• Brisket can also be rubbed with a spice mixture before cooking for added flavor. Try Lou Lambert’s Coffee Rubbed Roasted Brisket.
• Corned beef brisket should be boiled or braised, adding extra liquid to the cooking process with no additional seasonings.
• If you’re set on baking or roasting corned beef, carefully rinse the cured brisket and place it in a stockpot. Cover the beef with water, bring the pot to a boil and discard the water. Repeat, then proceed with the recipe.
• Remove the brisket’s fat cap after it has cooked. The fat will flavor the meat as it roasts and protect it from drying out during the long cooking time.
• Slice brisket across the grain of meat to ensure the most tender cut.

Buoyed by Brisket

Brisket works just as well as ham for leftovers, so take advantage of any remaining scraps to eek out another few meals.

• Chop brisket, douse with barbecue sauce and scoop onto buns for a handheld favorite.
• Layer thin slices on toast – spread with Brie Pimiento Cheese or Romesco Sauce and top with a fried egg for an easy breakfast or lunch.
• Mince cooked brisket and add it to leftover-friendly frittatas or Irish Cheddar Potato Bites.
• Shred brisket and tuck into tacos or distribute over a pizza.

What’s your go-to brisket recipe? Is it a cut you find yourself using all year long?

Visit our spring gatherings site for more expert tips on what to cook and how to cook it, being the host- or host-ess with the most-est and fun ideas for cooking with kids.

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