Brisket Talk

[BB-que]

Anybody else always have the “tip” of their flats take the longest to get tender? I’d think the thicker parts would take longer but I’ll be damn if the tip hasn’t consistently been the last part of my brisket to get tender. It’s always the thinnest so makes no sense at all - maybe my cooker (Rec Tec just had a cooler spot the way I let it. I’ll have to try move it around next cook.

 

[Displaced Texan]

Anybody else always have the “tip” of their flats take the longest to get tender? I’d think the thicker parts would take longer but I’ll be damn if the tip hasn’t consistently been the last part of my brisket to get tender. It’s always the thinnest so makes no sense at all - maybe my cooker (Rec Tec just had a cooler spot the way I let it. I’ll have to try move it around next cook.

Less fat marbling and maybe deeper within the tissues of the muscle in the flat?

 

[SmokinEdge]

More connective tissue that takes longer to break down. That flat is what messes people up. They cook to temp not to probe tender. The flat always takes the longest even on whole packers.

 

[BB-que]

Less fat marbling and maybe deeper within the tissues of the muscle in the flat?

Yeah could have something to do with it. just surprised being the thinnest part of the flat that it’s the last part of the flat to get tender but seems to be a trend for me.

 

[Displaced Texan]

Yeah could have something to do with it. just surprised being the thinnest part of the flat that it’s the last part of the flat to get tender but seems to be a trend for me.

Would also agree with SmokinEdge .

 

[Displaced Texan]

Not familiar with the Rec Tec, but in an offset the flat is usually away from the firebox, which I would think would add to it cooking slower.

 

[BB-que]

Not familiar with the Rec Tec, but in an offset the flat is usually away from the firebox, which I would think would add to it cooking slower.

Yeah it cooks hotter the closer you get to the stack so always have the point at that end. Have a 15lb going on late Sat night into Sunday so we’ll see!

 

[tallbm]

Anybody else always have the “tip” of their flats take the longest to get tender? I’d think the thicker parts would take longer but I’ll be damn if the tip hasn’t consistently been the last part of my brisket to get tender. It’s always the thinnest so makes no sense at all - maybe my cooker (Rec Tec just had a cooler spot the way I let it. I’ll have to try move it around next cook.

I trim off the thin part of the flat and repurpose it, or I fold it up and it in my drippings pan below my brisket(s) along with some of the trimmed fat. Down there it turns into original crispy style burnt ends or shredded beef. I have people that will eat it either way.

The flat is always the troublemaker and on 15pound + briskets the thin end of the flat would always just burn up into an inedible crust. Now I trim it away and what I leave behind is about uniform in thickness across the flat so it all finishes about the same time.

When trimming away such good meat the key is to buy whole packers with thicker flats and to buy 15pound+ packers so when you trim way 3 pounds of that thin flat meat you are still left with plenty of brisket to eat :)

This image tells the story of my flat trimming:

 

[kruizer]

The flat muscle is the hard working part where the point muscle is kinda lazy so the flat take longer to break down the collagen in the meat. That is what I was told by an unnamed expert.