Which Cooking Method is Most Appropriate for a Boneless Brisket

Brisket is a cut of meat that comes from the lower chest of beef cattle or veal. Since brisket contains a great deal of connective tissue, it is high in collagen, a substance that keeps connective tissue strong and healthy. Making high-collagen foods such as brisket a part of your diet can help to keep your own ligaments and tendons vital for a lifetime.

Traditionally, brisket has been cooked slowly in order to break down its dense tissue. The British braise it or make it into a stew with vegetables such as carrots and potatoes. The Chinese season it, cook it slowly and serve it over rice or noodles. In Korea, cooks simmer it with herbs and then marinate it in a soy sauce while it is pressed flat under heavy weights. It is then cut into long strips and served in soups.

You might think that the only way to prepare brisket is in some of these traditional ways, slowly and at low temperatures. However, there is another equally delicious option: pressure cooker brisket. By using a modern, safe pressure cooker, you can get amazing brisket results in a fraction of the time.

That’s because these modern one-pot cookers use a high-pressure, closed environment that enables you to use less liquid and to cook the brisket much faster. A pressure cooker brisket recipe can be prepared from start to finish in less than two hours; the same concoction in your oven is an all-day production that also monopolizes valuable cooking space that you probably want to use for other recipes.

Once you try brisket in a pressure cooker, you’ll probably never go back, and why should you? It’s moist, flavorful and prepared in a fraction of the time. For busy cooks, particularly during the holidays, it’s a win-win.