# Left hand or right hand Brisket-which is more tender?



## indaswamp (Mar 7, 2018)

I know...I know...age old debate. But-which do you prefer? Is there a difference? Is one more tender than the other? Do cows favor one leg more than the other like people do arms??? 

What say you?


----------



## gmc2003 (Mar 8, 2018)

How would you tell if buying from a store? I've never seen it(or noticed) anything listed on the package stating which side of the cow the meat came from, and we don't get full packers here very often. So when we do I'm just happy to get one.

Chris


----------



## jimmyinsd (Mar 8, 2018)

gmc2003 said:


> How would you tell if buying from a store? I've never seen it(or noticed) anything listed on the package stating which side of the cow the meat came from, and we don't get full packers here very often. So when we do I'm just happy to get one.
> 
> Chris



The shape tells you what side of the animal the brisket came off.  it has to do with how the brisket flat tapers in relation to the point.  

As far as if animals favor one leg or the other.... its seems so with ours at least when I have bothered to watch them.  nothing scientific but they seem to prefer one leg over the other in the front pretty consistently... does this translate to a more tender piece of meat or is it just a feed and genetics thing... I have no idea.


----------



## challenger (Mar 8, 2018)

I'm a right Twix kind of guy.


----------



## smokeymose (Mar 8, 2018)

How would you know?


----------



## tallbm (Mar 8, 2018)

I've done left briskets just in case but I can't say I noticed a difference from the right briskets.
When I did my reading on it a long while back I read that most cows are right side oriented so they get up with their right front leg most often.
I don't know if it really matters but I go ahead and pick left hand briskets when I get the chance unless there are none or they all suck compared to the right hand briskets :)


----------



## chopsaw (Mar 8, 2018)

Yeah ,,, you also need to consider if the cattle was raised on level ground , or did it have a slope ?


----------



## eat more beef (Mar 12, 2018)

That's funny....  Mostly feed and genetics shape the flavor and tenderness of meat.  Days fed also have a large part in it.


----------



## hb99 (Mar 14, 2018)

This reminds me of a TRUE story...When I was last stationed in Germany we got a fast food chicken restaurant put in.  Being new to the area, it did a lot of business.  Since it was only 2 blocks form the high school, they also had a lot of kids sign up to work.

I'm in there one day and when placing my order I ask the young guy if I could get 2 LEFT breasts.  He said "sure", then turned around to fill the box.  Then he turned around to me and said "I'm sorry, I've only been here a few days and I don't know which ones are the left or right breasts".  I said, that's OK, just give me what you have.

A couple of days pass and I go back and there are 3-4 people behind the counter being talked to by the manager.  He mentioned something about how to deal with customer complaints.  So, I mentioned that I was in a couple of days ago and requested 2 LEFT breasts and the person taking my order didn't know which were which.  Then one of the guys said, that was me.  The manager looked at him then at me and said "I hope you were joking"...and I said "Yeah, I was, but he didn't catch the joke."  The kid got a little embarrassed and we all had a good laugh.  

Thing is, this kid has a funny story to tell for the rest of his life.


----------



## lantzy75 (Mar 15, 2018)

I had no idea there were left or right handed cows!  Interesting concept though.  I'll have to ask my butcher if the cow they got the brisket from were left or right handed :D


----------



## indaswamp (Mar 15, 2018)

Not a scientific study, but I was up at the camp this past weekend and I rode by a lot of farms with cows. I took notice of how many were laying on the right vs. left....

I counted 3 on the left and 41 on the right. Something to think about.....


----------



## jimmyinsd (Mar 15, 2018)

indaswamp said:


> Not a scientific study, but I was up at the camp this past weekend and I rode by a lot of farms with cows. I took notice of how many were laying on the right vs. left....
> 
> I counted 3 on the left and 41 on the right. Something to think about.....



how many were laying with their heads pointed down hill?


----------



## indaswamp (Mar 15, 2018)

jimmyinsd said:


> how many were laying with their heads pointed down hill?


all of them....


----------



## smokeymose (Mar 16, 2018)

indaswamp said:


> all of them....


Was it cloudy or sunny?


----------



## jimmyinsd (Mar 16, 2018)

smokeymose said:


> Was it cloudy or sunny?


I am guessing flat or the cattle were dead.  I've noticed that the critters always lay either level or slightly uphill.   If they don't they tend to bloat and thats a bad thing for a cow.


----------



## indaswamp (Mar 16, 2018)

jimmyinsd said:


> I am guessing flat or the cattle were dead.  I've noticed that the critters always lay either level or slightly uphill.   If they don't they tend to bloat and thats a bad thing for a cow.


Oh, their spines were definitely aligned either level or slightly up hill, but all were looking down hill....


----------



## chopsaw (Mar 17, 2018)

I was watching Cooks country today . They were doing a picnic shank for pulled  pork . The gal said " I've often heard the left leg is more tender than the right leg "  I couldn't believe it .


----------



## Gwanger (Mar 20, 2018)

jimmyinsd said:


> The shape tells you what side of the animal the brisket came off.  it has to do with how the brisket flat tapers in relation to the point.
> 
> As far as if animals favor one leg or the other.... its seems so with ours at least when I have bothered to watch them.  nothing scientific but they seem to prefer one leg over the other in the front pretty consistently... does this translate to a more tender piece of meat or is it just a feed and genetics thing... I have no idea.


I don't think it is that hard to figure out, just watch for when he is next up to swing the bat!


----------



## myownidaho (Mar 20, 2018)

Of the ones standing, how many were going clockwise around the hill, versus counterclockwise?


----------



## hb99 (Mar 21, 2018)

Gwanger said:


> I don't think it is that hard to figure out, just watch for when he is next up to swing the bat!



Those left handed batters are udderly amazing!


----------



## bbqbrett (Mar 21, 2018)

hb99 said:


> Those left handed batters are udderly amazing!



Boy, you are really milking it with that joke!


----------



## indaswamp (Mar 21, 2018)

LOL!


----------



## hb99 (Mar 21, 2018)

bbqbrett said:


> Boy, you are really milking it with that joke!



Go ahead..."horn" in anytime you'd like...:D

Sorry, I gotta "hoof" it outta here...:rolleyes:


----------



## bbqbrett (Mar 21, 2018)

hb99 said:


> Go ahead..."horn" in anytime you'd like...:D
> 
> Sorry, I gotta "hoof" it outta here...:rolleyes:



Well, you can normally cownt me in on puns like these but if I tell to many I find that people want to kick my dairyair.


----------



## hb99 (Mar 21, 2018)

bbqbrett said:


> Well, you can normally cownt me in on puns like these but if I tell to many I find that people want to kick my dairyair.



I agree moost certainly...


----------



## bbqbrett (Mar 21, 2018)

hb99 said:


> I agree moost certainly...



Well, I hope most people won't have a beef with us for jokes like these.


----------



## hb99 (Mar 21, 2018)

bbqbrett said:


> Well, I hope most people won't have a beef with us for jokes like these.



Yeah, they'll probably "tip" us like we have hoof IN mouth disease...


----------



## lemans (Mar 21, 2018)

What is more 6 or a half a dozen?


----------



## bbqbrett (Mar 21, 2018)

hb99 said:


> Yeah, they'll probably "tip" us like we have hoof IN mouth disease...



You could have a real field day with all these jokes going "past your eyes".


----------



## hb99 (Mar 21, 2018)

lemans said:


> What is more 6 or a half a dozen?



6...half a "doze"n is called a nap...:D  What do I win?


----------



## lemans (Mar 21, 2018)

A left sided brisket!!


----------



## hb99 (Mar 21, 2018)

bbqbrett said:


> You could have a real field day with all these jokes going "past your eyes".



I saw them but I never "herd" them..


----------



## bbqbrett (Mar 21, 2018)

hb99 said:


> I saw them but I never "herd" them..



Well maybe if I had the proper gear I "cud" find a way to upload some audio.  Not sure if it would be worth the "heifert" though.


----------



## hb99 (Mar 21, 2018)

OK, I have to stop this...I'm busy.  ; ' )

How many kids can ride a cow?  5...4 on the back and 1 on the handle bars...


----------



## bbqbrett (Mar 21, 2018)

hb99 said:


> OK, I have to stop this...I'm busy.  ; ' )
> 
> How many kids can ride a cow?  5...4 on the back and 1 on the handle bars...



No problem... I have been neglecting what I am supposed to be doing as well.  Hope I did not steer you off into the wrong direction for too long.  Catch you later!  :D


----------



## hb99 (Mar 21, 2018)

bbqbrett said:


> No problem... I have been neglecting what I am supposed to be doing as well.  Hope I did not steer you off into the wrong direction for too long.  Catch you later!  :D



No rustle, er, hassle... :cool:


----------



## chopsaw (Mar 21, 2018)

myownidaho said:


> Of the ones standing, how many were going clockwise around the hill, versus counterclockwise?


well that's a one leg shorter than the other situation .


----------



## myownidaho (Mar 21, 2018)

chopsaw said:


> well that's a one leg shorter than the other situation .



But there are gravity issues to be addressed when it comes to muscle development. I would assume the downhill side would be under more stress, hence a larger, tougher brisket. Trying to use reason and logic here.


----------



## challenger (Mar 22, 2018)

This thread has moooooved me in ways you cud never udderstand :p


----------



## Bearcarver (Mar 22, 2018)

Around here we call them "Hillside Cows". Only walk comfortably in one direction.

My Dad was something like that after breaking his leg in two places & his ankle on Home plate when he was 40 years old.
He was safe at home, but suffered quite a bit from it. When everything healed, his Right ankle ended less than perfect. That ankle would only bend in one direction. Since he was a Self-Employed Carpenter, when he did roofing, he had trouble going in the one direction across the slope of the roof, because of that ankle. He used to say it was because he was like a "Hillside Cow", with 2 legs shorter than the other 2.

Bear


----------

