Well, this is certainly good news (for me, at least):
Texas A&M University scientists Tuesday gave a big thumbs up to barbecued beef brisket, saying the mainstay of he-man Texas cuisine is loaded with the same type of healthy fat found in olive or canola oil.
The high level of monosaturated fat found in brisket — up to 50 percent — comes from feeding cattle corn in a feedlot setting, AgriLife meat scientist Stephen Smith said. The more corn a steer eats, the higher the percentage of the good fat.
Olive and canola oils contain up to 80 percent monosaturated fat.
Smith and Texas A&M graduate student Stacey Turk, who conducted the research for her master’s thesis in animal science, contend the discovery bodes well for other beef products in grocers’ meat counters.
Grinding brisket, or grinding parts of brisket that contain the highest concentration of fat, could provide a healthy alternative to conventional ground beef, which typically is made from cuts higher in saturated fat, Smith said.
The key to brisket’s monosaturated fat seems to be the corn-fed finishing most American cattle receive in feedlots. The same breeds of cattle fed entirely on grass do not develop the health-enhancing quality, nor is all fat in cornfed beef high in monosaturated acids.
Smith and Turk said they believe the new findings will be a boon to the beef business.
Leave it to an Aggie to discover something the rest of us Texans have known since childhood…
Think I’ll go celebrate the good news down in Lockhart (the Mecca of BBQ) this weekend.
Just had brisket last nite…one of my favorite meats.
As an aside, have you checked out Smart Balance Omega Plus Mayo? I used it in potato salad and it tasted great with none of the funny taste so many low fat products have - It has No Trans or Sat Fats with half the calories of regular Mayo.
Left by dianne on April 30th, 2008 at 11:14 am