BY MAVIS LINNEMANN I love barbeque. Americans love barbeque. Pretty much everyone in the world loves barbeque. You can slather barbeque on any number of meats, including pulled pork, chicken, ribs, and that lesser known but no less lovable cut of meat—the beef brisket. My boyfriend, Doug, doesn’t just like barbeque brisket. He LOVES it. If we go to a restaurant and it’s on the menu, hands down, that’s what he’s going to order. And that brisket sandwich will disappear before you’ve even had a chance to ask for a taste test. So, when my parents asked me to make a meal for 25-30 people at their home in Kentucky, I knew a beef brisket was in order.Beef brisket comes from the breast or lower chest area of the cow. Because of this (it’s a hardworking muscle), it has a lot of connective tissue that needs to be broken down before the meat will be tender, much like a pork shoulder or pot roast. For instance, in traditional Jewish cooking brisket is often braised in the same manner as a pot roast. A low and slow stint in the oven breaks down the collagen in the brisket, and the fat cap on top bastes the meat as it melts down during the long cooking time. Five to six hours in the oven means you can put the brisket in and forget about it—or you can be a real go-getter and make your side dishes and dessert while it cooks. The other great thing about brisket? It’s cheap! An 8-lb slab of brisket will serve 8-12 people and costs approximately $25. That’s only $2.50 a head! If you’re going to feed a crowd, this is the way to do it. When you slice the brisket and add the barbeque sauce, you’ll understand why the six-hour wait was worth your while. The resulting brisket is melt-in-your-mouth tender, with a great tanginess from the BBQ sauce and a smoky bite from the liquid smoke in the marinade. MORE