I don't think you can buy a flat that is not lean trimmed...typically labeled as center cut. If you talk to someone behind the meat counter they can cut you a flat, but the fat-cap will not cover the entire flat, as the the point overlaps the flat, however, they could cut off exposed flat muscle, as they grind a lot of brisket for burger meat anyway.
Center cut is best put to use for corned beef / pastrami, IMHO. It's difficult to cook tender without drying out, unless you use a bit more specialized cooking techniques / procedures. I haven't tried lean trimmed brisket flat (yet), but in a vertical smoker, if you used sand or gravel in the water pan instead of water for a dry smoke chamber, I'm convinced it would stay moist at 180-190*+ finished temp. Dry smoke chamber can yield very moist meats with a pronounced bark. Been playing the wet/dry or dry only smoke chamber game since last spring, and the results have been very good. Haven't had the opportunity to try it with a lean trimmed cut of brisket, but I'm tempted to do it every time brisket gets mentioned around here. I'm convinced it would be the route to go...at least I wouldn't hesitate to give it a whirl...I haven't smoked every lean cut of meat using a dry smoke chamber just yet, but they've all been better than I expected, so far.
If you're interested in trying it, I'll link you some threads explaining how it works and what the outcomes have been like, including all the gory..er, uh...mouth-watering pics.
Eric
