The Best Brisket

Brisket is an indulgence, but as long as it's not an over-indulgence, it can be part of a healthy lifestyle. And here's the thing: if you're going to eat brisket, make it amazing brisket—fork tender, juicy, deeply beefy, complexly smoked.

Personally, I was never much of a brisket guy. I'd always found it a little lacking, compared with other barbecued products—a little dry, or tough. My eyes were opened with my first bite of 4 Rivers Smokehouse brisket. Based in Orlando, FL, it's a Texas-style smokehouse that does bang-up business. Owner John Rivers is proud to preach the glorious gospel of steaming meat hunks, and regularly takes his product on the road for tasting events. We're proud to have him join us in person at our Light Up The Night event on September 21 (see CookingLight.com/LUTN for details) to carve up his amazing beef.

Can't get to NYC? No problem: 4 Rivers sells brisket through mail order, too. Presliced, it only needs to be reheated. We've sampled it that way in our offices, and I can vouch for the fact that it not only doesn't suffer from being packaged and shipped, it's likely to be the best brisket you've ever tried.