I am a new member who has been cooking all my life and got into smoking briskets recently. I understand the science behind why Briskets should be tender, the point muscle is full of collagen which, at a certain temperature (just north of 150 degrees) starts to break down slowly and, with the fat, creates an unmatched combination of flavor and soft texture. However, I have noticed after a few cooks - that is absolutely not the case with the flat. While I can see the chemical reaction of the collagen in the point muscle breaking down over the course of hours in the smoker as it falls apart - the flat gets dryer the longer you cook it regardless of temperature, it’s just a dry piece of meat without collagen - am I missing something? Brisket flat reacts to heat like it’s a dry tough piece of chuck steak, it does not fall apart it only loses moisture.
My cook time and temperatures for a standard 10.5 pound packer from Costco - 250 degrees in the smoker for 4.5 hours, wrapped in butcher paper for 3 more hours then confit style in the oven at 200 degrees for 8 to 10 hours drenched in beef tallow. Total cook time typically around 15 hours (here's a video of this style: ).
The thicker side of the brisket is soft enough that touching it with my finger can cause it to fall apart. The other, flat only side? Dry and tough and clearly lacking moisture, if you watch the video above the cook actually cuts off a large portion of the flat side to remove much of the lean meat because it will "burn off" but really he's cutting off the lean brisket flat part that dries out during the smoking process.
I’m starting think the smart way to go is Brisket Point only (or at the very least, the thicker side of the brisket only), what’s the point of the flat other than being the disgusting leaner brother of the fat and juicy point? I will go as far as to challenge any chef/bbq pitmaster in the world to cook a better flat than I can cook a point - I am happy to use select meat, they can use USDA prime, I would bet my house that if they had to trim the entire point off, they would stand no chance against a slowly smoked and confit style point muscle - the thicker side of the brisket with all of that fat and collagen could never be less tasty than the dry flat only side.
I am also beginning to question how honest the TV/Youtube cooks are with their videos, for example here's a brisket slicing video:
Around 2 minutes and 20 seconds he slices the flat, looks exactly like mine, dry and tough, then around 4 minutes and 45 seconds he begins slicing the thicker, point side:
Look at that difference, it is far more tender, you can see the meat bend on the slice and honestly? Mine is more tender than his in that area of the brisket, mine falls apart to the touch and I'm sure you guys who smoke briskets know exactly what i'm talking about!
Sorry that I sound so bitter on my very first post but I came to this forum where people probably smoke brisket all the time to see if everyone else is having the exact same experience as me. There is no such thing as a brisket that is uniformly tender all around, it is point = great and flat = dry, and that's really all there is to it!
My cook time and temperatures for a standard 10.5 pound packer from Costco - 250 degrees in the smoker for 4.5 hours, wrapped in butcher paper for 3 more hours then confit style in the oven at 200 degrees for 8 to 10 hours drenched in beef tallow. Total cook time typically around 15 hours (here's a video of this style: ).
The thicker side of the brisket is soft enough that touching it with my finger can cause it to fall apart. The other, flat only side? Dry and tough and clearly lacking moisture, if you watch the video above the cook actually cuts off a large portion of the flat side to remove much of the lean meat because it will "burn off" but really he's cutting off the lean brisket flat part that dries out during the smoking process.
I’m starting think the smart way to go is Brisket Point only (or at the very least, the thicker side of the brisket only), what’s the point of the flat other than being the disgusting leaner brother of the fat and juicy point? I will go as far as to challenge any chef/bbq pitmaster in the world to cook a better flat than I can cook a point - I am happy to use select meat, they can use USDA prime, I would bet my house that if they had to trim the entire point off, they would stand no chance against a slowly smoked and confit style point muscle - the thicker side of the brisket with all of that fat and collagen could never be less tasty than the dry flat only side.
I am also beginning to question how honest the TV/Youtube cooks are with their videos, for example here's a brisket slicing video:
Around 2 minutes and 20 seconds he slices the flat, looks exactly like mine, dry and tough, then around 4 minutes and 45 seconds he begins slicing the thicker, point side:
Look at that difference, it is far more tender, you can see the meat bend on the slice and honestly? Mine is more tender than his in that area of the brisket, mine falls apart to the touch and I'm sure you guys who smoke briskets know exactly what i'm talking about!
Sorry that I sound so bitter on my very first post but I came to this forum where people probably smoke brisket all the time to see if everyone else is having the exact same experience as me. There is no such thing as a brisket that is uniformly tender all around, it is point = great and flat = dry, and that's really all there is to it!
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