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Brisket
The brisket is a favorite in barbeque restaurants. It is a tougher cut of beef and needs to be cooked slowly to tenderize the beef. Brisket should not be cooked to a rare or medium consistency as it will remain very tough and difficult to eat.
Unlike with a steak where the lower the internal temperature the juicer and less tough the meat will be. However, with beef that starts out tough another process helps to tenderize the beef. Many tougher cuts of beef are loaded with collagen. As this collagen breaks down, the meat will become tender.
The collagen begins to break down at 130-140 degrees but does not rapidly occur until 180 degrees. Thus in order to ensure a tender brisket it should reach an internal temperature of 210 degrees (lower at higher elevations). This ensures the collagen in the brisket breaks down. However, as the brisket cooks much of the moisture in the meat will evaporate leaving it dry. In order to have a moist brisket it should be served with a sauce.
Braising the brisket will help to retain more mositure within the brisket. Braising entails cooking the brisket in a liquid over a long period of time. I have not experimented with braising of a brisket yet.
