First and Second Brisket Cuts - Difference and How to Cook

Amarante

Mon, Sep 09 2024, 9:57 am

In the category of learning something new everyday, I learned this about brisket and the way to achieve the best results while exploring my newest food p*orn - e.g. a new cookbook.

Excerpt From: Alex Guarnaschelli - Old-School Comfort Food

There are two distinct parts of brisket: the first and second cuts. The first is very lean while the second is loaded with fat marbling. This makes cooking a whole brisket something of a felony, since the two parts need wildly different cooking methods to fulfill their delicious destinies. Better to have just the fatty, flavorful second cut, in my opinion—even in several pieces—than one big ol’ brisket.

So when you buy it, ask your butcher if it’s possible to get all second cuts. If faced with only a whole brisket, have your butcher at least separate the first and second cuts. You will immediately see how much less fat marbling is in the first cut of meat. You will want to cook the two pieces separately, allowing for a longer cooking time on the second cut.

As far as companions for this meat go, I like to cook brisket with some of the humblest vegetables: earthy yet underrated parsnips and celery hearts, which almost act like an herb would in this recipe, with hints of anise and a pleasant bittersweet quality like arugula or radicchio.