Brisket - what did I do wrong?

[dan101smith]

I picked up a bit of beef brisket, which today I've given 7 hours in the slow cooker with some red wine, onion and chilli.

Unfortunately it has come out a bit chewy. I was expecting it to be nice and tender, a bit like pulled pork.

Have I done it wrong, or is it just not that kind of cut?

By contrast, yesterday's BBQ ribs were spot on.

[hungry_hog]

Did you seal the meat (heat on a high heat) before putting in the slow cooker?

[Plotloss]

Brisket is fatty, so I suspect the wine hasn't allowed the fat to render out of it fully.

[dan101smith]

Hmmm. I didn't seal the meat (heat on a high heat) before putting in the slow cooker, no.

It was sitting on the onion, and the wine only came up to the bottom of the meat with the fat on top, but I guess you could be right.

I'll try again with another bit tomorrow.

[pad58]

Do you mind telling me where you brought it from?

You will need properly aged beef something that has hung abit.

This allows the meat to dry out,you can aways tell by the sweet smell when ready.
and if purchased it from a supermarket ,these don't hang for more than 3 days and the meat is far too fresh
that i'm affraid is due to those big markets making quick profits, and the process is rushed.

[dan101smith]

I brought it back from Tesco, where I bought it. It was about £4, so can well imagine that it wasn't the best bit of meat, however I had hoped that the slow cooker would make up for that.

[pad58]

dan101smith said:

I brought it back from Tesco, where I bought it. It was about £4, so can well imagine that it wasn't the best bit of meat, however I had hoped that the slow cooker would make up for that.

Through so. Try a real butcher.

[dan101smith]

Nah. I'll try another bit of Tesco brisket without the wine and searing it in a hot pan first, but it's a convenience thing.

[calibrax]

Definitely worth another shot. Even the cheapest supermarket beef should come out very well when slow cooked.

EDIT: another thing to try is to marinade it for a day or two in the fridge before cooking?

Edited by calibrax on Thursday 25th November 22:19

[Mobile Chicane]

Chances are you didn't cook it low or long enough. Red wine can also make it tough.

I bought a cheap piece of brisket the other week. £4 from Asda if I recall.

Pot roasted on a trivet of celery, carrot and onion in the slow cooker (for 10 hours or so) it was lovely and sufficed for a few meals including a rather hearty beef broth.

Looks awful though - hence no pics.

Edited by Mobile Chicane on Thursday 25th November 22:48

[dan101smith]

Mobile Chicane said:

Chances are you didn't cook it low or long enough. Red wine can also make it tough.

I bought a cheap piece of brisket the other week. £4 from Asda if I recall.

Pot roasted on a trivet of celery, carrot and onion in the slow cooker (for 10 hours or so) it was lovely and sufficed for a few meals including a rather hearty beef broth.

Looks awful though - hence no pics.

Edited by Mobile Chicane on Thursday 25th November 22:48

So no liquid in with it at all?

[Mobile Chicane]

None at all. The 'juices' from the veg are enough.

[dan101smith]

Fair enough - will try it tomorrow.

[Mobile Chicane]

Just keep an eye on it.

I don't know what slow cooker you have (they vary hugely in terms of temperatures attained).

If it looks as though the veg are burning on the bottom, add a few mm of water.

[dan101smith]

A new (couple of months) Morphy Richards one. Even on low seems a bit hot, which I read isn't unusual.

Will try again and update.

[Rueh]

pad58 said:

and if purchased it from a supermarket ,these don't hang for more than 5 days and the meat is far too fresh
that i'm affraid is due to those big markets making quick profits, and the process is rushed.

EFA

It's also more due to storing the beef to hang it. The company I work for supplies Tesco, if we we're to hang our halves of beef for 28 days we'd end up with 15-20 thousand halves hanging around!

[surrey7er]

Rueh said:

pad58 said:

and if purchased it from a supermarket ,these don't hang for more than 5 days and the meat is far too fresh
that i'm affraid is due to those big markets making quick profits, and the process is rushed.

EFA

It's also more due to storing the beef to hang it. The company I work for supplies Tesco, if we we're to hang our halves of beef for 28 days we'd end up with 15-20 thousand halves hanging around!

which would affect those profit margins. Storage costs money!! so never mind the taste...

[jessica]

I do brisket of beef a lot. I cook mine in the pressure cooker for 35 minutes with stock and onion and carrots. I dont bother to brown the meat. and When it is done, i give it a quick dry out in a hot oven, chill and slice when cold for sandwiches.

[pad58]

Rueh said:

pad58 said:

and if purchased it from a supermarket ,these don't hang for more than 5 days and the meat is far too fresh
that i'm affraid is due to those big markets making quick profits, and the process is rushed.

EFA

It's also more due to storing the beef to hang it. The company I work for supplies Tesco, if we we're to hang our halves of beef for 28 days we'd end up with 15-20 thousand halves hanging around!

I know i worked in beef processing plants for 3 years.

[zakelwe]

My wife can use a slow cooker to perfection and it always comes out perfect, when i do it then it is tough. How can you have such diifernt resuls from the same simple way?

Brisket does seem hard to do, hats off for trying it, need to get some tips from the pro's I guess.

Andy