National Brisket Day

Taking place during National Barbecue Month, National Brisket Day celebrates brisket! Brisket comes from the lower cut of an animal, usually a cow. A full brisket is a single cut of beef. Each cow has two, one on each side towards its anterior, above the shank and below the chuck. A butcher will cut the full brisket apart. The leaner cut is called the flat brisket or first cut, while the more marbled piece is the brisket point or second cut. Flat brisket is usually used in brisket recipes where the brisket will be sliced. For example, flat brisket is the most common cut of beef used to make corned beef. Brisket point is used to make classic barbecue brisket and brisket that will be shredded.

Brisket is a tougher cut of meat that necessitates slow cooking, either by being braised (seared then simmered) or cooked with indirect heat. Flat brisket or brisket point may take 3 or 3.5 hours to cook, while a full brisket may take an additional hour. Some common ways brisket is cooked are with an oven, slow cooker, smoker, or a grill with indirect heat, using charcoal or wood. In Jewish cooking, brisket is braised like a pot roast. It is often used as a main course during holidays like Passover and Rosh Hashanah, as well as on the Sabbath. In the Southern United States, brisket is smoked in a smoker or slow-cooked on a grill over indirect heat, to make what is considered classic barbecue.

Before cooking, brisket is often marinated or rubbed with a spice rub. It is usually cooked fat side up so that the fat keeps the meat moist as it drips off; the fat should be trimmed to 1/4" or 1/8" thick before cooking. After cooking, the brisket should be fork-tender and juicy and between 185 and 190 degrees Fahrenheit. After at least 20 to 30 minutes, or sitting overnight, it may be sliced, and should be done so perpendicular to the grain.

Brisket is often served with one of many varieties of barbecue sauces, but can be eaten without it. It is also often eaten with simple complements like white bread, pickles, and white onion, or with sides like potato salad, coleslaw, and mac and cheese. There are numerous other uses for brisket. It is eaten in sandwiches and on tortillas, and in soups, pho, and casseroles. It's used in hash and nachos and salads. Burnt ends, the leftover, extra-smoky ends of brisket, are not only eaten on their own, but are added to soups and gumbos.

How to Observe National Brisket Day

Cook some brisket! Make it with an oven, slow cooker, smoker, or a grill. Enjoy it with barbecue sauce, white bread, pickles, or white onion, and bring in some sides like potato salad, coleslaw, and mac and cheese. Use it in sandwiches and tortillas or to make nachos, soup, pho, casserole, hash, gumbo, corned beef, or a salad. Don't forget to savor the burnt ends!

You could also have brisket at a restaurant near you or at one of the best restaurants for it in the United States. Look for specials in honor of the day. During a number of celebrations, Dickey's Barbecue Pit has taken part, such as by organizing a barbecue giveaway through their loyalty program, so check if they are participating today.

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