Rolled Brisket: Temping a Joint of Beef

[Elderberry]

ThermoBlog by Martin Earl

What is Rolled Brisket?

Rolled brisket is simply that: a brisket that is rolled up into a cylinder, tied, and cooked. The transforms a brisket from a large, flat, unwieldy cut into a smaller, easier to handle, less unwieldy roast. Being a British dish, the cut is often braised rather than smoked, though smoking a rolled brisket may be a worthy experiment for a future post.

Tying a brisket joint

A rolled brisket is also called a “brisket joint” where joint takes on the British sense of “a large piece of meat cooked whole or ready for cooking,” and making one is easy. A brisket flat from a 5–6 lb whole brisket (we started with the whole brisket and trimmed the point off of it) is trimmed of fat on one side, seasoned, and rolled so that the grain of the meat runs along the length of the newly formed cylinder. It is tied with butcher twine in as many places as needed to secure it. If you feel uncomfortable with butchery techniques like this, you can most likely ask your local butcher to do it for you.

Cooking a rolled beef brisket

As we said above, this cut is usually braised, and it’s a phenomenal way to do it. The beef is browned and cooked with a little stock or wine in the bottom of the pan, an abundance of vegetables, a good dose of salt and pepper. To make sure the whole roast gets to bathe in the richly flavorful broth, it should be turned every so often during cooking. This will also help the roast joint cook more quickly, as the direct heat transfer from the liquid to the meat is more efficient than the transfer from the air.

We’ll jumpstart the cooking by putting the roast in a hot oven—375°F (190°C)—for 20 minutes, then braising at a lower temperature until the brisket reaches 200°F (93°C)—verified with a Thermapen® Mk4, of course. Then, to be well sure that it’s tender, we’ll add some potatoes and mushrooms to the braising liquid and cook it all until those are cooked through. That extra time at the final temp will ensure proper collagen melt.

Though it takes a long time (plan 4–6 hours for the cook), this roast of brisket is well worth the time. A lazy Sunday spent pottering around and checking through the kitchen from time to time is a perfect way to do this dish. You’ll get savory, amazing meat and veggies that you’ll love, and the ChefAlarm and Thermapen with give you the confidence that you’ve cooked everything properly. Give this British classic a try and warm up your weekend.

More: https://blog.thermoworks.com/beef/rolled-brisket/