Brisket is a cut of beef that comes from the breast or lower chest of the animal. It is one of the nine primal cuts of the steer and is made up of two different muscles: the point and the flat. The point cut is the fatty part of the brisket, which is called the deckle, while the flat cut, also known as "first cut", has the deckle removed, which makes it leaner and causes it to lay flat. Brisket has a lot of connective tissue, so the correct cooking method is required to make it tender. It is a relatively tough cut of meat because the animal works it while moving, and it must be cooked over low heat for a long time to break down the tissue without overcooking the meat. When looking for a brisket for smoking, an untrimmed or “packer” cut is recommended, which has the point and the flat part together.