<P> Brisket can be cooked many ways, including baking, boiling and roasting . Basting of the meat is often done during the cooking process . This normally tough cut of meat, due to the collagen fibers that make up the significant connective tissue in the cut, is tenderized when the collagen gelatinizes, resulting in more tender brisket . The fat cap, which is often left attached to the brisket, helps to keep the meat from drying during the prolonged cooking necessary to break down the connective tissue in the meat . Water is necessary for the conversion of collagen to gelatin, which is the hydrolysis product of collagen . </P> <P> Popular methods in the United States include rubbing with a spice rub or marinating the meat, then cooking slowly over indirect heat from charcoal or wood . This is a form of smoking the meat . A hardwood, such as oak, pecan, hickory, or mesquite, is sometimes added, alone or in combination with other hardwoods, to the main heat source . Sometimes, they make up all of the heat source, with chefs often prizing characteristics of certain woods . The smoke from these woods and from burnt dripping juices further enhances the flavor . The finished meat is a variety of barbecue . Smoked brisket done this way is popular in Texas barbecue . Once finished, pieces of brisket can be returned to the smoker to make burnt ends . Burnt ends are most popular in Kansas City - style barbecue, where they are traditionally served open - faced on white bread . The traditional New England boiled dinner features brisket as a main - course option . Brisket is also cooked in a slow cooker, as this also tenderizes the meat due to the slow cooking method, which is usually 8 hours for a 3 - lb brisket . </P> <P> In the US, the whole boneless brisket, based on the Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications (IMPS), as promulgated by the USDA, has the meat - cutting classification IMPS 120 . The North American Meat Processors Association publishes a photographic version of IMPS called the Meat Buyer's Guide . The brisket muscles are sometimes separated for retail cutting: the lean "first cut" or "flat cut" is the deep pectoral, while the fattier "second cut", "point", "fat end", or "triangular cut" is the superficial pectoral . For food service use, they are IMPS 120A and 120B, respectively . </P> <P> Brisket has a long history in the United States dating back to the indigenous Indians of southern Texas . Brisket is synonymous with Texas culture and has long been a standing staple for residents of the Lone Star State . </P>

Where does brisket come from on a pig