Brisket

[Daft Doctor]

Hi, I wonder if anyone has successfully managed to get a rolled beef brisket joint from a French butcher, and if so, how they went about ordering it? It seems, generally, the French don't eat beef brisket in the way that we do in the UK. The best equivalent description in French that I can muster would be 'Pointe de poitrine de beouf roulée', along with showing a picture of what I'm after. If anyone can put me straight before I make a fool of myself à la boucherie, I'd be most grateful.....

[woolybanana]

DD, I have a strange feeling that I have seen it all tied up in string and stuffed. Would that be it?

Given your skills, perhaps your could simply buy poitrine de boeuf then roll it, hold in place with metal skewers and tie up? A useful exercise in home cooking!

There are recipes out there such a roulé de poitrine de boeuf which have a heart of minced beef. Try this

https://www.ptitchef.com/recettes/plat/roule-de-boeuf-a-la-poitrine-fumee-au-coeur-fondant-de-fromage-fid-1570312

[idun]

[:)]I have just looked up brisket as it is something I have never bought,  but it looked remarkably like a Pot au Feu to me and far too fatty for me.

Not that I buy beef with no fat at all, because I am aware of the flavour that the fat gives, but this is way beyond my taste.

Would not a Pot au Feu do?????

[woolybanana]

The tied up one is usually roasted, ksnt it, so you could get rid of much of the fat?

[Daft Doctor]

Hi Wooly, yes, we used to have brisket at home from time to time when I was a kid. It is rolled into a joint and tied. It is quite fatty to start with, and would be tough if roasted like a normal joint, but if slow pot-roasted, it is both tender and tasty. Most of the fat cooks away during the process, but it helps the meat stay moist.

To be honest, we are sick of trying to buy decent beef for roasting here in France, as most of the (usually very expensive) cuts we have tried are only fit to sole you shoes with. For that reason, brisket would be a good alternative, if we can get a hold of it......

[idun]

I used to slow roast Gite Noix, or get a joint of bavette.

I do slow roast meat in the oven built into my wood burner, I rarely slow roast in my normal oven.

I, as well as all my french friends use a pressure cooker.

I noted with interest that the winner of one of the MasterChef programs that they used a pressure cooker too.

Steaks, well, the only steak I could ever depend on was filet steak.

[Judith]

Idun, agree with fillet steak, only one to be guaranteed to be not tough, but here they serve it with too much fat.

Brisket was never a favourite, too much fat!

Pressure cookers?  Non.  No taste left at the end!

[pip24]

My mother used to coook brisket. When it was cold she would thinly slice it and make a sandwich with what in our area we would call a plain teacake. Adding sliced rings of onion pickled in malt vinegar. Very tasty.

[nomoss]

We have taken to pot roasting or braising most of the beef we buy in France. I buy what I think is probably brisket by the look of it, but we buy most of our beef and lamb in Spain.

On the odd occasion we, once again, try frying or grilling a promising-looking French steak (we never learn), but our plastic teeth are just not up to the job.

Maybe the originals would have done better, but it's too late now[:(]

[CeeJay]

We know it as 'potrine de boeuf' in these ere parts. In fact our local butcher will also roll it and tie it for roasting, it may help that she is English!!!!!!

[YCCMB]

For the last couple of years I've bought a huge chunk of brisket from my local butcher, who can probably tell you the names of all the cows from which his meat comes, told him what I want it for, and he trims and rolls it beautifully with a minimal amount of fat. I then stick it in the garage in a bucket of brine with various herbs and spices and some saltpetre where it stays for a couple of weeks, then make half into salt beef and half into pastrami.

[Pareedave]

Yes, those who suggest some form of “poitrine” are correct. The actual closest cut in France (and it’s very close) is called basse côte and you can get a roast the size of your liking prepared and tied up by your butcher.