Cut a whole brisket in half?

[mrtrung90]

My local Sam's Club has whole prime brisket on sale at a fairly decent price, $3.58lb. I was thinking of getting one and cutting the flat from the point, freeze one for a later smoke. There's not a big enough crowd to warrant smoking a whole brisket till Xmas, and then I'll be smoking a rib roast. Is cutting the brisket in half acceptable practice? RAY

 

[JC in GB]

Yes it is. Many cooks do it. I like the flat better than the point so I usually use them differently. They are fairly easy to separate. That fat lines will help guide you.

JC

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

I do it all the time. I usually cure the flat for corned beef.

 

[sandyut]

I would cook the whole thing and save the finished product in a vacuum bag in the freezer for later. its dreamy to pull out ready to go brisket on demand. plus i think a FP is easier than a flat.

 

[tallbm]

My local Sam's Club has whole prime brisket on sale at a fairly decent price, $3.58lb. I was thinking of getting one and cutting the flat from the point, freeze one for a later smoke. There's not a big enough crowd to warrant smoking a whole brisket till Xmas, and then I'll be smoking a rib roast. Is cutting the brisket in half acceptable practice? RAY

Hi there and welcome!

I'm with sandyut on this one. I prefer to the smoke the whole thing THEN also slice and vacuum seal then. Brisket seals and reheats amazingly.

If you really want to cut the approach I would take would be to do a very aggressive approach to how I trim my whole packers for cooking. I use the following image to explain how I recommend trimming away the thin portion of the flat. Do the same but move the green line way more aggressively towards the point muscle:

I say this because the flat muscle is the problem child and cooking together with the point helps keep the flat from drying out and makes for a better product.
The left over flat you can smoke or cook any way you like and you should have a pretty good amount (almost half the brisket).
In all you get a large chunk of just flat BUT you also get some flat point combo which is like the best of both your worlds :)

Here's my post on how I a trim a brisket where I pulled that pic from :)

My Brisket Flat Trimming Approach Explained - QView

Well I have had a number of private messages where people ask for more info about what I do when I trim away the thin Flat portion of a brisket I smoke. So today I figured I would just post about it with plenty of pics so it becomes easier to understand vs when I just go "blah blah blah trim...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[JC in GB]

Hi there and welcome!

I'm with sandyut on this one. I prefer to the smoke the whole thing THEN also slice and vacuum seal then. Brisket seals and reheats amazingly.

If you really want to cut the approach I would take would be to do a very aggressive approach to how I trim my whole packers for cooking. I use the following image to explain how I recommend trimming away the thin portion of the flat. Do the same but move the green line way more aggressively towards the point muscle:
View attachment 463394

I say this because the flat muscle is the problem child and cooking together with the point helps keep the flat from drying out and makes for a better product.
The left over flat you can smoke or cook any way you like and you should have a pretty good amount (almost half the brisket).
In all you get a large chunk of just flat BUT you also get some flat point combo which is like the best of both your worlds :)

Here's my post on how I a trim a brisket where I pulled that pic from :)

My Brisket Flat Trimming Approach Explained - QView

Well I have had a number of private messages where people ask for more info about what I do when I trim away the thin Flat portion of a brisket I smoke. So today I figured I would just post about it with plenty of pics so it becomes easier to understand vs when I just go "blah blah blah trim...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Good trim advice right here....

JC

 

[zwiller]

All great advice. One other thing to think about. Take that trim and point and grind into burgers.

 

[bregent]

All great advice. One other thing to think about. Take that trim and point and grind into burgers.

Absolutely. Brisket burgers are the best, and so much better than a slice of dried out flat.

 

[DPB]

I have cut briskets up and vacuum pack for later. On my flats to keep moist I inject with no complaint from the wolverine (my picky bride). I also wrap to finish off.

 

[GaryHibbert]

I always separate the point from the flat. In a MES 30 that's the only way a packer will fit. I put the point above the flat so the drippings keep the flat from drying out.
The flat gets sliced and the point gets turned into burnt ends.
Gary