Are there regional variations for slicing brisket in Texas?
I went to a fairly new barbecue (i.e. it was opened within the last year) yesterday and ordered sliced brisket. They cut it in large chunks.
The flavor was okay, but I couldn't get it to slice against the grain with their plastic eating utensils and ended up having to just tear it apart to eat it. I ended up with fibers of brisket caught in my teeth in several places. I just now, about 18 hours later, managed to dislodge the final tangle of fibers! It wasn't at all tender enough to get by with chunks instead of slices. I'll probably go there again some time, but not for brisket.
I've also seen this with the biennial 4th of July celebration in the city park. The barbecue is in large chunks instead of slices. They basically just rip it up into chunks. I always just bring it back to the office where I can slice it up with a sharp knife before eating it.
I've seen other places serve it in chunks as well in the Panhandle.
There was one barbecue place in the county for many years that would always serve brisket chopped if you didn't ask for sliced. But when you ordered it sliced, they did slice it properly. I often wondered if they did it chopped so that you couldn't see how much fat was in the meat -- they apparently bought brisket with a whole lot of fat on it and wouldn't trim it at all. I can see brisket chopped for a sandwich, but eating it on a plate with a fork is really sloppy.
I quit eating barbecue there several years ago after getting sliced barbecue twice in a row that was more fat than meat.
I don't remember it ever served this way in Central Texas and along the Gulf Coast. Is this really a regional variation in slicing brisket or is my memory faulty?
I went to a fairly new barbecue (i.e. it was opened within the last year) yesterday and ordered sliced brisket. They cut it in large chunks.
The flavor was okay, but I couldn't get it to slice against the grain with their plastic eating utensils and ended up having to just tear it apart to eat it. I ended up with fibers of brisket caught in my teeth in several places. I just now, about 18 hours later, managed to dislodge the final tangle of fibers! It wasn't at all tender enough to get by with chunks instead of slices. I'll probably go there again some time, but not for brisket.
I've also seen this with the biennial 4th of July celebration in the city park. The barbecue is in large chunks instead of slices. They basically just rip it up into chunks. I always just bring it back to the office where I can slice it up with a sharp knife before eating it.
I've seen other places serve it in chunks as well in the Panhandle.
There was one barbecue place in the county for many years that would always serve brisket chopped if you didn't ask for sliced. But when you ordered it sliced, they did slice it properly. I often wondered if they did it chopped so that you couldn't see how much fat was in the meat -- they apparently bought brisket with a whole lot of fat on it and wouldn't trim it at all. I can see brisket chopped for a sandwich, but eating it on a plate with a fork is really sloppy.
I quit eating barbecue there several years ago after getting sliced barbecue twice in a row that was more fat than meat.
I don't remember it ever served this way in Central Texas and along the Gulf Coast. Is this really a regional variation in slicing brisket or is my memory faulty?
