The Quick 'Bend' Test You Need To Use For The Best Cooked Brisket

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

There are two main ways to cook brisket. One is to braise it, since it's one of the best cuts of meat for pot roast. The other involves slow smoking, a process that can take all day. (Whatever you do, though, you do not want to grill it since it will come out tough and dry.) After you smoke it for hours and hours, though, how will you know when it's done? Kelsey Murphy, a chef who will be cooking for The Players Tailgate at this year's Super Bowl, suggests using something she calls the bend test (though it may not work so well for braised brisket, since the meat is much moister).

The bend test is meant to be performed after the brisket has rested, so it's not a spot check you can do while it's still on the smoker. To perform it, slice off a piece about the same thickness as a pencil from the thickest part of the brisket. (According to Murphy, this is usually the toughest part.) You should then try to fold the piece, as per the name of the test. "If the slice has been cooked properly, the two ends should be able to touch each other without breaking or forcing the issue," Murphy says. "Stiffness means the meat [has not been] cooked long enough," while "breakage means it has been overcooked." For those who don't want to slice into the brisket, there's another way to perform the test without cutting into it at all. As Murphy explains, "You can also pick up the entire brisket and see if it bends and droops enough without breaking."

The bend test shouldn't be your sole gauge of brisket readiness. As Kelsey Murphy explains, "the bend test is good in conjunction with other measures. You have to go on feel, temperature, time — a lot of factors." One of the factors she cites is experience, but this won't do you much good if you're smoking your first brisket. Instead, you should rely on a good meat thermometer like the $17.99 ThermoPro TP 16. The brisket is done when it reaches a temperature between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit. Some people believe that 203 degrees Fahrenheit is the perfect temperature at which the meat is as tender as can be without drying out from overcooking. Simply inserting the thermometer can also help you determine doneness, since it should easily slide into the meat when it's done, like butter.

Another way to see whether the brisket is properly cooked without cutting into it involves picking it up with tongs and shaking it. If it's done cooking, the point end should be wobbling and jiggling like a bowl of Jell-O. Still, the best test of all will require you to slice off a piece. According to Murphy, "There is nothing like actually tasting the meat to tell you if it is cooked properly or not."