Slow Food UK interview with Joanna Plumb of Cherwood Nursery, Chawston.
Smoking Texas Brisket and Cooking Chilli
In our latest video blog I demonstrate how to hot smoke a Texas brisket which I use for our smokey chilli con carne in the restaurant. What is Texas brisket? Brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest of beef or veal. The beef brisket is one of the nine beef primal cuts, though the precise definition of the cut differs internationally. Popular cooking methods in the United States include rubbing with a spice rub or marinating the meat, then cooking slowly over indirect heat from charcoal or wood. This is a form of smoking the meat. A hardwood, such as oak, pecan, hickory, or mesquite, is sometimes added, alone or in combination with other hardwoods, to the main heat source. Sometimes, they make up all of the heat source, with chefs often prizing characteristics of certain woods. The smoke from these woods and from burnt dripping juices further enhances the flavor. The finished meat is a variety of barbecue. Smoked brisket done this way is popular in Texas barbecue. Once finished, pieces of brisket can be returned to the smoker to make burnt ends, a delicacy of 'slow and low' cooking.