Cooking Brisket in the Oven - A Beginners Guide

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Cooking brisket in the oven is a time consuming process, but also a very rewarding one. When your family and friends take their first bite of your delicious brisket, they will most definitely be asking you for the recipe. This article will make you a brisket cooking pro!

Did you know that at one time, brisket was considered a very poor quality meat? History has it, that two brothers from Germany, back in the 1950’s decided to smoke up some leftover brisket they had. They left the brisket inside their smokehouse for an entire weekend. When they returned to work they sliced up the meat and served it to their customers. The meat was so flavorful and tender that it quickly became a hit.

I remember the first time I had the pleasure of eating beef brisket. It was at this fabulous little Barbecue Restaurant in Croton-On-Hudson, NY called Memphis Maes.

New York isn’t known for its BBQ, so my wife and I were a bit skeptical. But after we took our first bite of the “Texas BBQ Beef Brisket”, we became believers! My wife then looked at me and said , “You have to make this!” Not wanting to let the lovely wife down, I took it upon myself to try and recreate the BBQ brisket at home. I don’t own a smoker, so I needed to improvise and cook the brisket in the oven.

Believe it or not, the oven makes a pretty darn good BBQ brisket. Many BBQ enthusiasts will tell you that a smoker is the only way to cook brisket, but I can tell you from experience this is simply not the case.

The secret to a good beef brisket is to cook it nice and slow at around 225 degrees for several hours. So if you are looking for a quick and easy meal tonight, cooking brisket in the oven is not the way to go.

You will have to prepare this particular recipe one day in advance and you will need to plan some extra time to cook the brisket as it takes several hours to finish cooking.

Lets Talk About Dry Rubs

There are a variety of different dry rub recipes you can use for your beef brisket. One such recipe is listed below. Don’t be shy with your dry rub. You want to really coat the brisket well. Its not called a rub for nothing, so really rub those spices into the meat with your hands. After the rub has been applied put the brisket in the fridge and let it marinade over night.

DRY RUB

- 1/4 Cup Paprika

- 1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar

- 2 Tbs Chili Powder

- 2 Tbs Kosher Salt

- 2 Tbs Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

- 1 1/3 Tbs Granulated Garlic

- 1 1/3 Tbs Granulated Onion

- 2 Tsp Ground Cumin

THE SAUCE

We need some type of liquid to slowly braise the brisket in the oven. Braising is an excellent way to cook brisket in the oven because it keeps the brisket moist and very tender.

What I do is mix some good quality store bought barbecue sauce with a little beef broth to thin it a bit. I like to use a smoke flavored barbecue sauce. To give it a little more smoky flavor, I also add a few drops of liquid smoke. This makes a very tasty braising liquid.

LETS START COOKING ALREADY!

Before we start cooking, lets do a little preparation.

Remove the brisket from the fridge and leave it on the counter for 30 minutes or so to allow it to come to room temperature.

Get yourself a baking dish with a tight fitting lid big enough to hold your brisket.

Mix equal parts of barbecue sauce and beef broth. I like to make enough so that the brisket is at least half submerged. Pour this mixture into your baking dish.

Pre-heat your oven to 225 Degrees.

Heat up a large pan over medium heat and add enough oil to cover the pan. Add the brisket to the pan and brown on all sides until it forms a nice crust.

Place the browned brisket into the baking dish with the braising liquid. Put the lid on and place it in the pre-heated oven.

About half way through the cooking process, flip the brisket over so that the other side has time to cook in the braising liquid.

The brisket is done when it is fork tender and has an internal temperature of around 185-200 degrees F. The amount of time it takes to cook a brisket in the oven really depends on the weight of the brisket. Figure 1 1/2 to 2 hours per pound of meat.

There you have it. My recipe for cooking brisket in the oven.

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How To Make Sure You Are Buying The Best Prime Rib

How To Make Sure You Are Buying The Best Prime Rib
By Hans Dekker

Six Ways to Make Sure you are Buying the Best Prime Rib Available

The best grade of rib or any type of beef is of course prime grade. The problem comes in when trying to buy prime grade beef, there is only 20 percent of prime grade beef in America cut and most of this grade of beef finds its way to those fancy restaurants. Some prime rib can be found in your local grocery store and some in the butcher shop. If you are lucky enough to find prime grade then you will still need to know how to make sure you are buying the best prime rib available. Here are some things to look for and some to steer away from.

Now, you know what prime rib is but did you know that that the rib cut includes cuts like the Rib Roast, the Rib eye Steak and the back ribs and is the least tender of all the other sections. So, when you begin to look at the prime ribs in the store you will want to seek out the more flavorful and best you can find in order to prepare a delectable meal. With this guide you should be able to make sure you are buying the best prime rib you can find.

1. Always look at the date the prime rib was packaged. This is an indicator as to how long it has been sitting around in the store. Look at the color of the prime rib; it should have a bright red color and no dry or brown edges. Check for any damage to the packaging and wrapping.
2. Buying prime rib that has been injected with flavorings is also a very bad idea. Many people believe that this process will ensure that their prime rib is flavorful and juicy but that is not the case. Usually the flavorings will cause the meat to break down and become mushy. This can produce a tougher prime rib.
3. Several people also search out prime rib that has been tenderized by the butcher, but once again that is another error. When the butcher tenderizers the prime rib or any beef he beats and pierces the meat. Any piercing allows the natural juices and flavorings to escape. This will not only leave your meat un-flavorful but it will also be tough.
4. Next is how the prime rib is aged. The best method of drying your prime rib is dry aged. . Dry aging is when the meat is taken from the bag that it arrives in to the butcher and is hung in a cooler for a certain amount of time to dry out. This method allows for the meat to shrink naturally. Most meat you find in your supermarket has been cut beside the slaughter house, wrapped in plastic and has aged on the way to the store in a Styrofoam packaging and plastic. This is for sure not the way to get a great tasting prime rib. You can talk with the butcher at your supermarket and ask him about the aging process used if he knows. If not and you desire the best prime rib around, then you should go directly to a butcher shop and talk with them.
5. Not only should your prime rib be bright red but it should have some fat. This is called marbling. The fat should be in thin lines and distributed evenly throughout the prime rib. The marbling will give your prime rib more flavor.
6. You also want to buy prime rib that is cut close to the bone or with the bone still intact as much of the flavoring also comes from the bone marrow.

With these few tips you should know how to make sure you are buying the best prime rib.

Hans is author of Steaks, Seafood and
Barbeque Recipes at Steaks-Guide.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hans_Dekker
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Make-Sure-You-Are-Buying-The-Best-Prime-Rib&id=62983

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