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 H-E-B
Cooking Tips
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Outdoor Brisket Terms: A Texas Vernacular Courtesy of H-E-B Culinary Department Brush up on your grill-side lingo to impress your group when you expound on the nuances of barbecuing! Barbecue - The origin of the word traces back to a framework of green sticks used by Indians of the Caribbean to cook game and fish. The Spanish explorers, drawing upon Taino, an Amerindian language, called the framework a barbacoa. The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines barbecue as meat cooked by the direct action of dry heat created from the burning of hardwood or hot coals until a brown crust is formed. Dry Wood - aromatic wood such as mesquite, oak or pecan, which burns hot generating the heat for cooking because it has been cut and allowed to dry for about 8 months before burning. Fat Cover - surface fat on the top side of the brisket which is shaved down close to the meat, leaving an even layer of a desired thickness such as 1/8 or 1/4 inch to "protect" and self-baste the meat during slow cooking. Green Wood - freshly cut aromatic wood used in combination with dry wood for smoking meats because it creates more smoke for flavor and burns slower for longevity than dry wood. Hand Count - the amount of time you can hold your hand over the heat source to determine how hot it is for cooking. When cooking over direct heat, check the temperature of charcoal or wood coals by holding the palm of your hand at cooking height. Count the number of seconds until the heat causes you to pull away. Six seconds is the target time for low coals. Rub - a blend of seasonings, peppers, spices and salts blended and used to coat the surface of the meat forming a flavorful crust during cooking. Sop - a basting sauce, differing from barbecue sauce, mopped or sprayed periodically over true Texas barbecue throughout cooking to keep the meat moist. Sop may include some combination of ingredients such as beer, lemon juice, vinegar, butter, water and onion or onion juice. Trimmed - surface fat on the top-side of the brisket that is shaved down close to the lean meat with a sharp, smooth knife blade held parallel or at a close angle to the brisket surface. Texas Barbecue - beef brisket, sausage or ribs rubbed with dry spices and slow smoked in a covered pit by indirect heat to add flavor, with a mixture of Texas aromatic woods, such as mesquite, oak or pecan, or cooked directly over smoldering embers. Sliced brisket is typically served sliced thin across the grain with a tomato and vinegar-based sauce, potato salad, cole slaw, pinto beans, pickles, onions and white bread. Often barbecue is a way to celebrate a special occasion like weddings or holidays. The Hill Country region makes up the barbecue belt of Texas, influenced by German settlers, their meat markets and their old-world knowledge of smoking meats. |
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Sandwich Chart
Brown bagging's a breeze with this handy chart to post on pantry or fridge. A Pretty Palate Color your menu with 5 a day the easy way. Sunless Shimmer Capture the glow of summer all year round with beautiful bronzers.  |
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