Brisket can be cooked many ways. Popular methods in the Southern United States include rubbing with a spice rub or marinating the meat, then cooking slowly over indirect heat from charcoal or wood. This is a form of smoking the meat. Additional basting of the meat is often done during the cooking process. However, most of the tenderness from this normally tougher cut of meat comes from the fat cap often left attached to the brisket. The brisket is almost always placed with the fat on top so that it slowly dissolves down into the meat as it cooks, resulting in a more juicy and tender meat. A hardwood, such as pecan, hickory, or mesquite is sometimes added, alone or in combination with other hardwoods, to the main heat source. Sometimes, they make up all of the heat source, with chefs often prizing characteristics of certain woods. The smoke from these woods and from burnt dripping juices further enhances the flavor. The finished meat is a variation of barbecue. Once finished, pieces of brisket can be returned to the smoker to make burnt ends. Smoked brisket done this way is most popular in Texas. In traditional Jewish cooking, brisket is most often braised as a pot roast. In areas of southern China, especially Hong Kong, it is cooked with spices over low heat until tender and commonly served with noodles in soup or curry. It is a common cut of meat for use in Vietnamese Phở soup. Brisket is also the most popular cut for corned beef.