Going Against the Grain

Photo: Braised Brisket with Panko Topped Penne with Cheese and braising vegetables. (The baked mac'n cheese was made with a bechamel and grated fontina.)

I've always been a little weird. In high school I used to make vests with matching scrunchies. So maybe I wasn't so much weird as I was a NERD, but I've changed??? I'm now a FOOD nerd. And why do I digress, you ask? Well, because I know now that it's acceptable to be different, and if that means going against the grain, then damn it, go against the grain and I promise you'll never go back. I just wish someone had told me this at a younger age. I could've saved money instead of spending it on all those therapy sessions...

It's how you slice it. Last night I made a beef brisket, which I slow braised in my trusty Le Creuset cobalt blue braiser for 6 hours at 275 degrees. It would have been great at 3 or 4 hours, but the house was cold so I went until dinner time. Cut along the grain, the meat can appear stringy and tough, but once you slice it AGAINST the grain, alles gut, ja. Of course, if you totally screw up and the meat is tough all around, cutting across the grain will help but not cure your culinary disaster.

Most meat should be cut across the grain. The resulting shorter fibers means less work for your jaw, and hence more tender feeling meat. Sometimes you'll want to shred meat, as in pork shoulder roast, but when it's steak or brisket, think again(st.)

So try braising a brisket. Revive the Jewish grandmother in you. Use stock or red wine until it reaches 3/4 of the way up the meat, add some tomatoes, onions, celery, parsley, and bay leaves, and forget it in a 300 degree oven for 3 hours. Perfection, and at a cheap cost, too! Now YOU can use this extra money for your own therapy.

Buon Appetito,
Quyen