Expert: Enrique Torres - 5/6/2008

Question
QUESTION: The last few times I have cooked a brisket in my slow cooker it was very tough and did not shred easily as in times past.  Is this because of the cut?  I generally use a flat cut brisket and cook on low for about 5 hours for a 4.5lb piece of meat.  What am I doing wrong?

ANSWER: Rachel:
For me could be useful to know the following in order to answer correctly:

1. Did you use water when you cooked the meat?
2. What cooking temperature  did you used?
3. How thick was the cut?
4. What animal the cut came from?
5. Please, let me know your entire cooking process.

Thanks a lot,
Enrique

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I use a marinade consisting of wine, tomato sauce, dry chile's and spices blended together for a watery consistency. I am using a crock pot and the type of meat is a flat cut beef brisket.  I usually cook the meat on high for the first hour and then switch to low for the next 6 for a total cooking time of 7.5 to 8 hours (type in my first question). The flat cut beef brisket is generally about 2.5 to 3 inches thick.

Answer
Rachel:
According to my experience, I can tell you the following:
1. This kind of meat is hard and in many cases irregular results are obtained when cooked like you do, more over if you can't use high pressure cooking machines. (many are designed to be used in industries ).
2. Beef brisket hardness is due to meat's fibers (they are so long). For that reason is better if you cut it in cross-sections before cooking. The best results can be obtained when each section is about 0.2 inches thick.
2. The cooking process you are using can be applied in this case, but I recommend to use less time, may be less than a half of your current cooking time .

I hope this information helps you to obtain a delicious brisket recipe,
Thanks,
Enrique