It\u2019s richly beefy and supremely tender when smoked correctly.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nYou might be wondering, what’s the fuss about brisket? It\u2019s often known as a tough, sinewy hunk of cattle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, let me change your flawed view of brisket<\/strong>. It is one of the great classics of American BBQ. Together with ribs and pulled pork, the brisket completes what is called “the holy trinity barbecue<\/strong>.” <\/p>\n\n\n\nThis large, tenacious piece of beef becomes divinely tender and incredibly delicious <\/strong>after several hours of slow smoking. So, you just need to ensure you’re doing it right.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBrisket, when smoked well, is one of the most tasty and rich meats you can eat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What Cut is the Brisket? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n The brisket comes from the front of an adult<\/strong> cow<\/strong> at least 2 years of age. It is the anatomical part located above the<\/strong> front<\/strong> legs;<\/strong> the chest. Think of it as the steer\u2019s pectoral muscle.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIt is a large cut weighing up to 15 or 20 pounds and is composed of powerful<\/strong> muscles<\/strong> that support most of the animal’s weight and are continuously stressed. The muscle fibers are thick and rich in connective tissue. The muscles are tough because they\u2019re used often. <\/strong>This is typical with animals. Muscles that are used infrequently are more tender.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nHow to Choose a Brisket?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n The USDA has three grades for beef. In order of quality, they are Prime, Choice, and Select. Don\u2019t buy a Select brisket and try smoking it<\/strong>. You\u2019ll be disappointed. It lacks enough intramuscular fat to make amazing brisket. Smoking brisket is a labor of love – you\u2019re looking at a full day of cooking. Don\u2019t waste your day just to crank out inferior beef.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMy go-to is Choice, which is a good compromise between quality and cost. <\/strong>Grab a Prime grade brisket for special occasions – it\u2019s pricy.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThere is also a type of beef known as Wagyu. True Wagyu comes from Japan and is extremely expensive and almost impossible to get your hands on. American Wagyu is a blend of Japanese and American cattle. It\u2019s richly marbled and elegantly beefy. <\/strong>It\u2019s expensive, but if you can find some, it\u2019s worth a splurge if you\u2019ve got the dough. It\u2019ll be a showstopper for sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHere\u2019s what to look for when shopping for brisket. You want a brisket with a dark red and purple color. The more marbling in the muscle, the better. Thin white strands of fat indicate marbling. It\u2019s usually packed in cryovac packaging – make sure there aren\u2019t any punctures in the cryo. Fresh is always best.<\/strong> Read the packed-on date or have your butcher grab a fresh brisket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nTrimming the Brisket <\/h2>\n\n\n\n I trim up my briskets before they hit the smoker. Here\u2019s what to do:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You need to eliminate some excess fat.<\/strong> I already mentioned the fat cap – I take mine down to around \u00bc\u201d. You can remove more if you like.<\/p>\n\n\n\nOnce the fat cap is set, I move on to the rest of the brisket. Remove any solid chunks of fat. <\/strong>They won\u2019t render. The thin strands of intramuscular fat are good – those will render. Leave them alone<\/p>\n\n\n\nFAQs <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
1. Can You Cut a Brisket Into Smaller Pieces? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n Yes, you can cut a whole-packer brisket into two parts, the point and the flat. These can be further cut into smaller sections, though that would be pretty irregular in the BBQ community. A 6-pound flat or point should fit on even the smallest smoker that I\u2019m aware of.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n2. What if My Brisket is Too Big for My Smoker? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n Cut the brisket in half. If your smoker has multiple racks, smoke each half (the flat and the point) in different racks<\/strong>. If the smoker has no extra rack, you can choose to smoke one half now and keep the other half for a later date or time in a refrigerator. Cutting the meat is done laterally along the fat, separating the flat from the point. <\/p>\n\n\n\n3. How to Slice a Cooked Brisket?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Once you\u2019ve smoked the brisket, you\u2019ll need to slice it. First, let it rest. I wrap my brisket in foil, then stick it in an insulated cooler. <\/strong>Let it sit for around 4 hours before slicing. The rest lets the meat cool down and helps the meat retain its juiciness when sliced.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe flat is usually sliced about pencil thin, maybe 3\/16\u201d. Cut against the grain. This will make the brisket taste more tender because the muscle fibers are shortened. <\/strong>The point is usually cut a bit thicker than the flat, around \u00bc\u201d. It\u2019s more tender than the flat (thanks to the extra fat), so wider slices will still taste tender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nFinal Thoughts <\/h2>\n\n\n\n How the brisket is cut (along the point and flat) and trimmed before it hits the smoker allows you to smoke a smaller piece of meat. This is handy if you only want 6 or 7 pounds of brisket, or if your smoker is small. It also shortens cooking times.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you want to cut a brisket in half before you cook it, know that it’s very possible! In fact, you can ask your butcher to do it for you. Again, I think the point is superior to the flat, but try both and see which your favorite is! Happy grilling.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Yes, you can cut a brisket in half before smoking it. Cutting a brisket in half can simplify and shorten your cook. A full-packer brisket can be divided into two cuts – the flat and the point. These two muscles are what make up a full brisket. Brisket is one of my favorite cuts of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17262,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"table_tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3639"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3639"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3639\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20251,"href":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3639\/revisions\/20251"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3639"},{"taxonomy":"table_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/table_tags?post=3639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}