Brisket Baby!!!

Ok so as I mentioned i am a Pescatarian, but I must say that my Husband and friends are not!  Well most of them anyway.  So I have a BBQ to go to and I have been asked to make my infamous Brisket for the event, so here i am cooking and it is after 2 am.  Well in any case the reason of this is to share my cooking with all of you so here we go!!!

Marbeling in the meat is an important factor when you are shopping for a good Brisket.  You want good looking marbeling through out and don't be afraid of the fat on the underside of the Beef!  You DO NOT want to trim this off till later TRUST ME!!!  Now what you cook the meat in is also very important.  I never recommend to use glass cookware unless you are baking.  A metal baking pan is a good start, but I prefer to use an Extra Large Cast Iron Skillet!  Works great at evenly distributing the heat.

Now for some of the secrets i use at cooking it!  Before I cook it, I slice it in pieces about a 1/4 inch thick.  Yes folks, slice it!  Now the most commonly made mistake is how you season it!  I never measure how much of all the seasonings I use because it is all to taste!  So below is the list of all the seasonings i use:

Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Dried Parsley Flakes
Italian Seasoning Blend
Crushed Red Pepper
Black Pepper
Salt

Dont be stingy with the seasonings aka the Dry Rub! 

OK kids now this is how I do it! 

Preheat your oven to 375 Degrees F.  Keep in mind that the average rule of thumb for cooking your Brisket in the oven is for every 3 & 1/2 LBS of Beef Brisket you will want to cook for 1 Hour!  The end result you are shooting for in most cases is a fork tender brisket, preferably with a gravy created from the braising and meat juices.  Cooking times and temperatures for beef brisket will vary according to the beef brisket recipe you are preparing. In most cases, brisket is braised, or cooked slowly at a low temperature with some moisture. The reason brisket is cooked by braising is to break down the meat’s collagen which helps develop your sauce while also coaxing out the most flavor from your meat.

I start with a thin coating of Extra Virgin Olive Oil on the bottom of the Cast Iron Skillet.  Now I layer the slices of the Beef in the Skillet.  After you have layered them all in the pan you will want to cover it with foil!  Now you are ready to put your beef in the oven.  Once it is in, sit back and enjoy the aroma as it fills your entire kitchen!  Serve with your favorite side dishes like baked beans, cole slaw, maybe even some corn on the cob!  Well folks that is all for today and I hope you enjoy!  As always,

Let Your Taste Buds Guide You and Happy Cooking!!!