Brisket point is almost unedible even when the temp pulled is 200 degrees in the flat, why?
Smoked fat side down until the temperature in the flat reached 200 degrees.
I made sure that I sliced a corner of the flat to make sure I slice against the grain.
The flat was tender but the point was very chewy and tough.
What can be done to correct this?
When smoking a packer, internal temp readings from the point and the flat should be taken. The flat has a much thinner cross-section, therefore will cook faster. In your case, with 200* temp in the flat and barring the possibility of a hot-spot under the point of the packer, the point may have only reached somewhere between 165-180*, causing it to not fully cook through (still safe to eat, just not as tender as it could be).
The flat-cut muscle fibers run length-wise the packer, while the point-cut muscle fibers run cross-wise, so slicing should be done after separation of the point and flat for the best consistency. Also, the point overlaps the flat and both muscles are tapered in thickness towards the center of the overall length of the packer brisket, so, cross-cut slicing of either muscle without separation will result in full-length cut of the opposing muscle when the overlap is encountered. Cutting with the grain will make for very tough chewing, unless it is literally fall-apart tender. At best, if you were to slice on the bias (diagonally), you would get the most consistent results without separation, though, slicing on the bias adds to the chew.
I rarely cook a packer to finish temps without separating the point and flat mid-smoke...they just won't cook at the same rate, although I know of a few hot spots in one of my vertical smokers where I can place the point-end of a packer and get pretty close to the same internal temp. 180-190* internal for slicing, with probing for tenderness, of course, and 200* for pulling the meat. If I want to pull it, I leave the fat-cap on to keep it moist enough at those higher finished temps. The point pulls easier than the flat will, due to it's muscle construction being more tubular with higher inter-muscular fat, while the flat is more fibrous and leaner.
I'm assuming you rested the brisket a few hours prior to slicing, as this can have a somewhat smaller effect on tenderness, but mainly can cause drier finished meats.
Agree with fat-cap up, as this will self-baste the meat as it cooks, though this is not likely to be the cause for any toughness when sliced. If protecting the meat from heat, in more of a direct-heat cooking method (which wouldn't be advisable with brisket anyway), fat-cap down would be in order.
Eric
