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I am going to make a brisket Saturday with burnt ends. I have looked a lot of videos and some say separate the point and flat before smoking and some say cook first then separate. What are the thoughts here? I am leaning toward separating first.
Everyone has an opinion (even me). I personally would cook together till done, then separate and finish the burnt ends. I feel like the fat from the point helps the moisture content of the flat. But that's just me.
Another vote for leaving them together, do not split them apart.
I too think the Flat benefits from the extra fat and the Point being attached.
I think that a Flat attached to Point is a much more forgiving cook than just a Flat by itself.
I've recently started separating them in order to get more bark and seasoning coverage. If you're careful, you can split them and leave most of the fat cap on the flat intact. Both ways are fine.
If you're serving them all together keep them together. Having said that I separate them quite a bit cutting the brisket almost in half....the point end and the end with just flat. I smoke the point (and the flat that is under it) and make pastrami or corned beef out of the section that's just flat.
I would smoke it whole. I smoke it whole and put a probe in the flat and the point and cut the flat off once it's done and leave the point on the smoker until it gets done. I have found doing this keeps the flat from getting overdone.