Brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest of the beef section of the cow beneath the first five ribs, behind the foreshank. The beef brisket is one of the nine beef primal cuts, it is quite long and is usually divided in half and sold as two different pieces of meat.. The brisket muscles include the superficial and deep pectorals. Traditionally, brisket is slow-roasted in the oven until the meat is falling apart and meltingly tender.