Have you ever been Jacardded?

BBQfan1 · February 2001

Hey all. Seems to be a fair amount of interest in brisket lately on the forum, and to that end I went searching through my own personal archives and found the Feb '98 issue of 'On the Grill' magazine. This issue focused on brisket smoking and had several techniques, tips and recipes from various sources in it. In a sidebar titled, 'Tips from the experts..' there is a quote from a Rick Dipper, of Baby Joe's Barbecue Sauce company of Cary, Illinois which states, and I'm a-quoting here:
"Have your brisket Jacardded. A Jacardd is a tool a butcher or meat market would use to tenderize the tough fibrous muscle of meat of this kind. It is a spring-loaded devise that has several fine sharp needles. The butcher simply presses the Jacardd into the meat in several places and the needles break down the fibers."
Other than his use of the term 'butcher' instead of 'meat cutter', does Mr. Dipper's advise make sense to you guys? Is this Jacardding usually done before reaching a potential customer's perusal, or is it a specialized technique that requires specific request. Have we all been Jacardded at one time or another without realizing it, or giving our consent?
This is the first, and only, reference I have seen as to this technique, but if it helps out in tenderizing the brisket.........
BBQfan1

djm5x9 · February 2001

BBQfan1:[p]I use my Jacard on skirt steak and similar cuts with excellent results. Using the Jacard on a good steak can waste a good piece of meat. I would like to hear from others that have experience with this method of tenderizing a brisket. My first reaction is that a brisket cooked properly does not need to be Jacarded.

Spin · February 2001

BBQfan1,[p]Jacardding is similiar to pounding the meat, except with better penetration into the meat. Both methods tenderize the meat by breaking it down by force, tearing the fibers that hold it together. Grinding is an even better tenderizer. The result is a more tender mouth feel than if the meat was cooked the same without the application.[p]The goal of a brisket or pulled pork cook (low and slow) is tenderization by cooking the toughness into flavor. The end result needs no tearing or destruction of the fibers prior to the cook. Maybe the use of this device would make the end result a bit mushy?[p]Spin

Char-Woody · February 2001

djm5x9, Bingo! You win the stuffed oinker! Seems like there was one of those gadgets posted on the bbq-forum a few months ago..still there?
C~W

Zip · February 2001

djm5x9,[p]I have used it on a brisket for pastrami. My intent was not to tenderize, only to expedite the curing process. A jaccard is a very useful tool, especially if you eat much county/chicken fried steak. It will allow a piece of very lean round steak to be cooked well done and still be edible without being cubed.[p]A Jaccard can be purchased from restaurant supply places and some retailers like Cabela's for around $40.[p]Zip

Zip · February 2001

<p />Char-Woody,[p]If you are referring to the one over at Song Dog's place, that was not a jaccard. That was something like item B in the picture, kind of a manual meat cuber. A Jaccard is item C and item A I've never seen before. [p]Zip

Char-Woody · February 2001

Zip, yupper's I was, and thanks for the heads up on this one.
That is interesting.
I was thinking of pounding Ssteel nails in my old rolling pin but gave up that idea for obvious reasons...:-)
I like the looks of "B" but like most small appliance tools, soon wind up in the "what did I buy this item for" box.
What is your recommendation on this idea?
C~W[p]

Zip · February 2001

Char-Woody,[p]I like the jaccard because you can control the ammount of penetration and you can end up with a piece of meat that doesn't have the texture of being cubed. The jaccard can also double as a weapon for obvious reasons. They wouldn't let me carry one on a plane, I had to check it in my luggage
which was already loaded. It is nothing like being the one that delays a flight......[p]Zip

Have you ever been Jacardded?

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