Brisket- underdone or overdone

Log in / Sign Up

List of Forums + New Post Recipe Box Usergroups Following My Posts Bookmarks

Private Messages Rules New User Guide FAQ Advertise Contact Us

Forum -> Recipe Collection -> Meat

View latest: 24h 48h 72h

Lechatchila Ariber ↓

Sun, Sep 16 2007, 10:02 pm

When the brisket comes out very chewy and tough, does that mean its underdone or overdone?

cindy324 ↓

Sun, Sep 16 2007, 10:31 pm

It depends...how long did you cook it, in the oven or stovetop, was it first cut or second cut...

General rule of thumb...cook 30 minutes per pound of meat.

Also, if cooking in the oven ,keep it covered the whole time.

I was told by a guy at the butcher dept. at Glatt Mart that it's better to buy 2nd cut brisket, because it's fattier, therefore very soft when cooked. First cut is very lean, so it comes out not as soft, even though it's more expensive.

Mimisinger

Sun, Sep 16 2007, 10:46 pm

That's the same thing my mother taught me!

madys

Mon, Sep 17 2007, 9:47 am

I also only buy 2nd cut brisket, and it's "melt in your mouth" soft when done.

I cook it covered at 350 for 3 and a half hours.

chocolate moose ↓

Mon, Sep 17 2007, 9:56 am

Estie, certain meat is tougher. The cheaper cuts from Uruguay are tough no matter what you do to them.

greenfire ↓

Mon, Sep 17 2007, 11:38 am

are you cooking it frozen ?! that could make it tough ...

try minute steak ... nice and soft ...

Tamiri

Mon, Sep 17 2007, 12:51 pm

If it's not melt in your mouth, my experience would say that it's either undercooked or improperly cooked.
I buy (frozen) brisket here in Israel, I am sure it's inferior to most of what you get in the States. Barely any fat and it's been shipped from South America. It's not even 1st or 2nd cut: just a slab which someone butchers from the chest of the cow. I can get a scrumptios meal out of any brisket here by baking @ 325F for a looong time (someone mentioned 3.5 hours, sounds about right) in liquid with some seasoning. Yum. It's not always pretty to look at (hard to slice parts of the slab) but always delicious to the palate.
Try and cook the meat some more on a low setting (325F) for an hour or two, in a bit of liquid and see if that improves the texture.

DefyGravity ↓

Mon, Sep 17 2007, 12:57 pm

I always buy cheap cuts of tough steak, such as chuck. I cook it at 300 for several hours, and it comes out soooo soft.

↑ Lechatchila Ariber ↓

Mon, Sep 17 2007, 8:53 pm

I have no idea if its second or first cut, all I know is I asked them for some brisket.
Its beef.

ok maybe I'll try cooking it for longer before yomtov. Its in the freezer for now.

↑ chocolate moose ↓

Mon, Sep 17 2007, 9:06 pm

can you recook brisket? defy?

↑ DefyGravity ↓

Mon, Sep 17 2007, 9:19 pm

If it's been cooked and it's tough, I don't think recooking it will help.

In the future, slow-cook the brisket at 300. My MIL always cooks her brisket this way and it's so soft and tender. Slow cooking is a great way to make tough cuts of meat very tender. Remember - if you check the meat after a couple of hours it WILL be completely cooked, but very tough. However, the longer you cook it, the softer it will become.

↑ greenfire

Mon, Sep 17 2007, 9:30 pm

once it's tough it is tough ... no changing it ... hopefully your next meat purchase will be better ... it has happened to me too ... and it's no fun

↑ cindy324

Mon, Sep 17 2007, 11:30 pm

Quote:

I have no idea if its second or first cut, all I know is I asked them for some brisket.
Its beef.

If you tell me how much it weighed and how much it cost, I can guess...

Quote:

ok maybe I'll try cooking it for longer before yomtov. Its in the freezer for now.

Maybe try defrosting it, and on the day that you're planning to use it, slice it up thin, and reheat it for a good hour or maybe even longer in it's juice, covered tightly in the oven. BTW, did you save the water you cooked it in?

↑ Lechatchila Ariber ↓

Tue, Sep 18 2007, 12:16 am

I cooked it in some apple sauce and wine mixture.
don't remember how much it weighed or cost but it was a big piece, kind of flat and folded over in half. when you slice it you get thin strips like corn beef

↑ Lechatchila Ariber

Tue, Sep 18 2007, 7:30 pm

Quote:

If it's been cooked and it's tough, I don't think recooking it will help.

we are all saying cooking but I actually baked it. does that make a difference?

↑ chocolate moose

Wed, Sep 19 2007, 11:09 am

as a kid my mom always baked the roasts and she bought the best cuts. They were always gross and chewy.

I think the kind in a pot on the stove is more more tender, but again, you need a good cut.

↑ DefyGravity

Wed, Sep 19 2007, 11:16 am

EstiS wrote:

Quote:

If it's been cooked and it's tough, I don't think recooking it will help.

we are all saying cooking but I actually baked it. does that make a difference?

I was talking about baking. Doesn't cooking refer to making any type of food that's not in the cake, cookie, bread group?

Page 1 of 1