LCBO Food & Drink Summer 2025

A CUT ABOVE

What is Brisket? Celebrated for its deep flavour and succulent texture, beef brisket holds a near mythical place in North American cuisine. Taken from the lower chest of the cow, it’s made up of two muscles: the flat and the point. It’s a tough customer with lots of fat, collagen and connective tissue, which is transformed into melt in-your-mouth meat through low-and-slow cooking. Whether it’s prepared as pastrami, corned beef or Montreal smoked meat, brisket is the heart and soul of Jewish delis. And in Texas, pitmasters have elevated brisket to a carnivore’s holy grail. Using simple seasonings and a long sojourn in a smoker, they’ve created a brisket with a heavenly crust (aka the “bark”), while keeping the meat moist and tender. Bonus: A whole brisket feeds a crowd!

THE CUT While you can buy a trimmed brisket, it’s relatively easy to do yourself. Just sharpen your knife and follow these easy steps.

Gather your tools —a sharp boning knife, a

large cutting board and paper towels.

Remove brisket from packaging and pat dry.

JESSE’S BBQ BRISKET P. 114

Place brisket fat side up on cutting board. Trim fat cap all over down to roughly 1/4-inch (5-mm) thick, being careful not to cut into meat.

Remove any hard pockets of fat —these won’t render as the brisket cooks. Flip brisket and remove any visible silver skin.

Burnt Ends

In the 1970s, Arthur Bryant’s restaurant in Kansas City started giving away charred brisket trimmings under the name “burnt ends.” It caught on and evolved into a dish of diced brisket baked in a tangy-sweet barbecue sauce. These days the trendy concept features everything from hot dogs to carrots. Try our vegetarian version (left), Smoked Tofu Burnt Ends (p. 115).

Carefully trim around all sides of brisket, remov ing any oxidized edges and evening to a rectangle-like shape. Your brisket is ready to season and smoke!

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SUMMER 2025