While anyone can wow dinner guests with filet mignon or another expensive cut of meat, a truer test of cooking skill is transforming a less choice cut, such as beef brisket, into a meal that is tantalizing and unforgettably scrumptious. Beef brisket is cut from the breast or chest portion of a cow or calf. It's a tougher, fattier cut of meat than what most of us might prefer, but slow-cooked and drenched in tangy barbecue sauce, beef brisket becomes extraordinary. Knowing how to cook beef brisket just right is a process that begins long before you heat your smoker, grill or oven.