Just what is a brisket, anyway?
Editor– The Epicurious dictionary defines a brisket as: “Brisket– [BRIHS-kiht] A cut of beef taken from the breast section under the first five ribs. Brisket is usually sold without the bone and is divided into two sections. The flat cut has minimal fat and is usually more expensive than the more flavorful point cut, which has more fat. Brisket requires long, slow cooking and is best when braised. Corned beef is made from brisket.” For Texas-Style barbecued brisket, we use the whole brisket, containing both the ‘flat’ and the ‘point’, untrimmed of fat, known in the industry as the ‘Packer’s cut’. The typical full brisket weighs in at 8-12 pounds and is about 12-20 inches long and about 12 inches wide. The ‘point’ is the thicker end and the ‘flat’ is the thinner end. The deckle end is the ‘point’ end.
