Audio By Carbonatix
Good brisket meat is typically rich in savory flavor and falls apart in your mouth. Choosing the best meat can be challenging if you don’t know what to look for. This is why one Texas-based H-E-B customer revealed a little trick she learned from her father to spot the best brisket meat at the grocery store.
In a clip with more than 111,000 views, TikTok creator Jacqui (@flap._.jacks) stands in front of the frozen meat section in an H-E-B grocery store in San Antonio, Texas.
She bends a whole brisket wrapped in plastic back and forth, the meat moving with ease.
“POV: Your dad told you to get the brisket that bends the most. So, you’re at H-E-B like,” she writes in the text overlay.
For confirmation she’s running the test properly, the content creator sends her father a video. “Like this?” she asks in Spanish.
What Do Viewers Think Of This Hack?
Many commenters asked for further clarification around the significance of bendy brisket meat.
“Ok…what does it being bendy mean??” one viewer questioned.
“Why tho? Is it less fatty?” another inquired.
“I never knew this,” a third stated.
Others shared that they employ this same hack when brisket shopping.
“I do this too!! I’m up at Sam’s bending them and people stop me to ask me what I’m doing,” one commenter shared.
“I’m in Arizona and when I did this to a brisket the butcher asked me, ‘why are you doing that?’ I was shocked,” another recalled. “He said he never heard of that theory. SHOCKED!!!”
What Is ‘The Bend Test?’
According to How Slow Can You Slow, this is a real test. It helps identify the tenderness of the meat as well as the amount of fat it contains.
Testing Table notes that when both ends of the meat easily touch each other when folded, this is a good sign of tender brisket that’s not too fatty or tough. However, if it doesn’t pass this test, it’s likely filled with hard connective tissue or fat. Neither dissipates through cooking, resulting in a hard final product.
The color of the brisket meat is also an important factor in assessing its quality. Crossbuck BBQ suggests finding ones that appear reddish-pink in the front and contain white fat on the back. The BBQ outlet further recommends avoiding meats with brown spots, as that may indicate they have been previously frozen.
BroBible reached out to Jacqui via TikTok comment and direct message.