I have a need to prepare Brisket for a large crowd. The plan is to use flat cut, there are 8 of them and they average 6-7 pounds each.
Simmer in batches or braise is the question. If braised, they would go in the oven well covered at 325. Well simmering is simmering…
which method would be the fastest?
Also I want to avoid stringy, what is the minimum temp to pull them? These will be allowed to cool and then sliced.
The meat will most likely end up in steam pans, perforated perhaps if that is the way to go.
There are a lot of different things to consider here, and perhaps I am over complicating it.
I use brisket for St. Patrick’s Day corned beef. After brining it I rinse it and simmer it in fresh water until it is fork tender, usually about 4-5 hours (I am brining and will cook about 10 pounds). After awhile I add onions, carrots and turnips. When it is done I take it out of the cooking water, place it on a platter and put a weight on it to compress it. I slices beautifully. While the beef is resting I add wedges of cabbage and cook until tender. I serve it with soda bread and sticky toffee pudding for dessert and a pot of hot tea with milk and sugar.
I normally smoke a beef brisket and get the internal tempeture to 195 because this breaks down the collagen down and the meat will not be super tender but not tough either. If you want to do the briskets in your oven just follow my Smoked Beef Brisket recipe, I think your crowd will love it.
Do a search on brisket and it should pop up on the first page. Also take a look at the Smoking Corned Beef to make Pastrami from Antilope. I tried it and we enjoyed it.