To trim or not to trim

[smokeykris]

Hi All

This is my third year smoking meat but this weekend will be my first brisket smoke.  I've read through many of the old threads and I am close to having a game plan for this weekend.  The only thing I can't decide on is weather or not to trim the brisket before the cook.  I usually buy my meat from Sam's club so not sure if that makes a difference or not.  I plan on buying a full packer.

Thanks for your feedback.

 

[pops6927]

A fat cover keeps the meat from drying out too much; but if fat is a diet concern then by all means trim it; leaner and drier is better from a health standpoint and the extra fat will bother you more than the dryness; it is all in your preferences.  When we cook brisket it is far too much for just us, so we have it for the families and would leave a fat cover on, and those that didn't like the fat would trim it off.  Now, however, my oldest son is showing signs of early onset diabetes and the whole situation has changed and dry is good, fat is bad!  All depends on where you're at in your dietary lifestyle.  My youngest son is doing rock wall climbing intensely and has to keep is weight at a minimum so no fat for him, either.  With 4 strokes, I have to trim the fat off my lettuce.... lol!

 

[alblancher]

I find that a quarter inch trim works pretty well for me.  It provides a good bit of flavor and moisture but when you slice and serve you do not have to trim off a thick piece of fat with all your spices and bark on it.  The little bit of fat that remains can be trimmed on the plate if they do not want to eat it

We all do it different for different reasons

 

[jrod62]

I leave it on. I put my brisket in a pan ( to catch all the juice) with fat cap down

 

[smokinhusker]

You've been given some great advice. I've only smoked one packer and I trimmed the thickest parts of the fat to be consistent with the rest on the meat. I scored it before rubbing it and smoked it fat cap up. Again these are all a personal preference thing. I don't like the fat so I cut what I didn't want off mine after I sliced it.

I would recommend Chef JimmyJ's Smoked Au Jus-it is outstanding! I did make a couple small changes to it, I added a red bell pepper to my veggies and instead of red wine, I used more beef broth (the paste kind). 

Good luck and don't forget the q-view!

 

[smokeykris]

SmokinHusker

I did a search for that Au Jus recipe and it looks awesome.  I will definitely give it a try this weekend.  As far as the brisket goes, I am leaning towards not trimming it during the smoke and but trimmingthe fat right before serving.

Thanks everyone

 

[bruno994]

What Husker said.  I trim the thick fat to make the brisket a more consistent size.  I also clean up the small pieces of fat along the top side (meat side) of the flat.  At comps though, I'll trim the bottom and sides of the flat portion agressively, so that I can have a 1/4" of uniform fat or less on the bottom and no fat on the edges of my turn in slices.  But at home, minimal trimmimg now. 

 

[forluvofsmoke]

If you will make burnt ends from the point-cut, I suggest trimming the fat cap fairly lean on the point (heavier end, and tapering towards the center of the slab), keeping the fat-cap intact on the flat. I do a cross-hatch scoring on the fat-cap to aid in rendering down and keeping the meat covered when the fat-cap shrinks during cooking. You'll get a better bark on the meat and retain more dry rub without the fat cap, and this makes for the best burnt ends. As stated, the fat cap drastically improves interior moisture, and with the flat, this is needed, as it is a leaner muscle than the point, and yes, the fat-cap adds flavor to leaner muscles, as well.

A heavy fat-cap hinders the development of smoke ring and smoke penetration, which is the only real trade-off. The flat will still get a good smoke on the side opposite of the fat-cap, so you can get great smoke flavor and aroma, regardless.

Eric

 

[smokeykris]

Regarding the burnt ends.  When should I remove the point from the flat?  Should I let the entire brisket rest before separating the two or should I remove the point to make the burnt ends while the flat rests?

 

[rabbithutch]

I was concerned about too much fat and aggressively pared the fat cap on the first one I did. I cross hatched it and rubbed it well. The cook went well but the brisket was a bit too dry. At the time, I didn't think that the fat removal would make much difference and didn't bother to foil. I will be more circumspect next time. I will trim the fat but I will leave a good quarter inch or better cap and I WILL foil. My first was a flat, not a packer and I think that also made the finished product a bit dryer.

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Regarding the burnt ends.  When should I remove the point from the flat?  Should I let the entire brisket rest before separating the two or should I remove the point to make the burnt ends while the flat rests?

I like to separate the point/flat when the internal temp in the point is between the upper 150's to mid 160* range (the flat may be in the 180*+ range, as it cooks faster, typically)...this temp seems best for our liking of texture in the BE's. It will still have pink juices when sliced for cubing, and when cubed for the second smoke, the texture of the burnt ends seems best. A nice popping, but tender chew inside, and if done the way I like them, they get a crispy, crunchy exterior...it's an explosion of texture variations. If I separate at much over 170*, the burnt ends can get a bit drier interior, unless cut into larger pieces. I normally cube to about 1-1/4", but have gone to 1-1/2 to 1-3/4",depending on the temp I separated at (larger if higher temp).

When I separate, I decide what I'll do with the flat next for slicing, based on it's internal temp. If over 180*, I probe for tenderness, and if I feel little resistance, I foil to wrap in towels and rest. If it's not quite tender enough (some briskets will be, some will not), I may foil (or just re-season the freshly bared meat real quick), and return to the smoker to bring it up to 190* or so, then towel wrap to rest. While doing the final prep for the flat, I'm giving the point a few minutes to rest on the board before cubing for BE's. I smoke BE's at 225* for the bulk of 2-3 hours, depending on cube size, and like to bump to 275* or so to get the finished crispy texture, if needed.

If a bark is what you're after with the flat, don't foil to bring to finish temps, or the bark will soften a lot. It softens some when foiled to rest, but not as much. As soon as you foil, you begin a steaming process and with or without added liquids in the foil, the meat will give off a lot of water vapor. But most just like a tender slice for the flat, so foil away if that's your game.

If you haven't read a lot on BE's just yet, in my signature line there are several brisket smokes, most with BE's and methods I have used...each one a bit different than the other.

Eric