Buying and Cooking Brisket--Keep it Simple

Being a West Texas girl, I've eaten many, many pounds of brisket in my life.

I've had it at big restaurants, home, banquets, parties, people's houses, church luncheons, picnics, fly-ins, stock shows, rodeos, reunions, on the floor, in a chair, on the stairs, near a sheep, on a pig, on a horse, with a friend, with a foe, with a guy named Joe, in the ocean, in the desert, with dessert, with a carrot, in a tortilla, on a chip, with and without dip...

Well okay, maybe not all of those places. But you might be surprised by which ones of those are true.

Anyway, out of all of the brisket I've had in my life, my mom's brisket recipe is still the best.

It's also the simplest.

First, there are a couple of things you oughta know before you head to the grocery store.

What makes brisket tender and delicious is all the fat that comes on that cut of beef.

Heretofore...don't buy a brisket that's already been trimmed.

The cut should probably weigh between 8 and 15 pounds, if you want to use this method.

When you're picking out a brisket at the store put one hand on either end and see if you can fold it in half. If you can (or can at least get close), that means it's got a lot of good fat in it. As Walter Brennan (and my brother) would say, "That's a good'n!"

While you're at the store, grab a bottle of brisket marinade. Claude's is the best, but I've used other marinades that were alright.

The supplies--Marinade, brisket and roaster pan.

Once you get it home, you can freeze the brisket if you want. I have a tiny freezer, and it takes a long time to thaw that much meat (can't just pop in the microwave), so I elected to cook it right away. Of course, it'll stay good in the fridge for a while too, if you need to wait.

Once you're ready to cook it, you'll need a roaster pan with a lid.

Preheat the oven at 250.

Put the meat in the pan fat side up. (That's the white side.) Doing this causes the fat to dip through the meat while it cooks, distributing the flavor and producing a really delicious, tender meat.

You're brisket will probably be longer than your pan. That's okay. You can turn the ends under so that it curves up in the middle.

Ready to go in the oven!

Next, pour the whole bottle of marinade over the meat. If you're using Claude's, you need to shake it well first to make sure you get most of the seasoning that settles in the bottom out.

Finally, put the lid on the pan, put in the oven and leave it for about 8-12 hours.

When it's done, you can easily carve off the fat that hasn't melted. Then, slice the meat against the grain.

It's good by itself, but if you want some other serving ideas...

• Chopped brisket sandwiches are always a hit. I like to use hamburger buns, barbecue sauce and sliced pickles. 
• Brisket nachos are delicious. Just replace ground beef or beans with chopped brisket and top with your favorite nacho fixin's.
• Brisket burritos make a great lunch and a great fundraiser. Just wrap some chopped brisket in a tortilla (homemade are best) and serve with salsa. Charge $2 a burrito and you generally can get back about twice what you spent on supplies. 

I cooked a brisket last week, chopped it and froze it in baggies. This is a great way to vary your meals when you're on a budget. A $20 brisket will easily make 4 or 5 meals  for the two of us. 

Good luck!