North Carolina isn't known for its love of beef brisket. We really dig the pig in these parts. Our barbecue foodways honor it, but sometimes you want to go outside of the box.

Brisket can be cooked many ways, including roasting, baking, boiling and braising. Basting of the meat is often done during the cooking to help break down the thick collagen fibers resulting in more tender brisket. The fat cap helps to keep the meat from drying during the cooking process. Broth or other liquid is necessary to help break down the collagen to gelatin, which also makes the meat tender.

Scroll down to watch a video I created for Taste Carolina to explain how to make Tomato Braised Beef Brisket!

WHAT IS BRISKET?

Brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest of beef

Brisket can be cooked many ways, including baking, braising, boiling and roasting. Basting of the meat is often done during the cooking to help break down the thick collagen fibers resulting in more tender brisket. The fat cap helps to keep the meat from drying during the cooking process. Broth or other liquid is necessary to help break down the collagen to gelatin, which also makes the meat tender.

Most popular preparations: The most famous ia Texas BBQ, Kansas City Burnt Ends, New England Boiled dinner (with potatoes, carrots and onions) and of course in traditional Jewish cooking, brisket is most often braised like a pot roast for holidays and select celebrations. And I can't forget to mention the Montreal-style smoked meat where brisket is left to cure with salt for a week before being smoked and served on rye with mustard. If you've never taken a trip to Montreal to try it, it's a must-do.

WHY IS BRISKET SO TOUGH?

There are two types of cuts: The cut can intimidate the home cook because of its size. two different muscles, one stacked atop the other, slightly askew and connected by a seam of fat. One muscle is fatty (better known as the point), the other lean (the flat).

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN BRISKET IS DONE?

Grab the meat by one end and shake it. A properly cooked brisket will quiver like Jell-O. Or use the bend test: wear gloves, grab the brisket at both ends and lift. It should bend or sag easily in the middle.

you’ll probably want to eat your brisket right away. But resting it for an hour or two before slicing improves its texture and tenderness. Refrigerating it overnight is a great option too and reheating it under moist conditions, with a sauce is ideal.

HOW DO YOU SLICE A BRISKET?

Carving a brisket flat is easy: Simply slice it across the grain to the thickness of a No. 2 pencil. Carving a packer brisket is more challenging because the meat fibers of the point run almost perpendicular to those of the flat.