Trimming Brisket

[Hiram]

The first brisket I did was pretty much flat so monitoring temp was easy, the one I picked up today at Sams has for lack of a better word a horn on one end. It's not much but a hump 2X the size of the thin end and it's meat not fat, would I be better off to trim it off level and lay it alongside the brisket. If I monitor the thick end the thin will be dry and vice versa the thin will be done and the thick end not so done, any advise please.

[Ka Honu]

I'm guessing you bought a packer (usually about 10-15 pounds) which is the "entire" brisket with the point (deckle) still connected to the flat. If that's the case, then you want to trim the fat cap down to about ¼", making some "windows" where the meat shows through and better absorbs the rub and smoke.  You may also want to remove some of the "ribbon" of fat between the flat and point.

Read Pachanga's and West Texas Smoker's guides (here and here) for a couple of excellent tutorials.

[Tenpoint5]

Hiram
Sound like you have a full packer brisket. Which has both the point and the flat. On the recipe site WTS did a great write up on how to trim a brisket. http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?525-WTS-Brisket

"Okay I understand, the day before your smoke pull the brisket out of its package for some fat trimming. If you bought a market trimmed your already good to go. On your packer trim off the heavy chunks of fat, but don't get to carried away on your cap as it serves as a self baster while we're cooking it. Once you've got the heavy parts of fat removed, you'll see the fat ribbon that separates the flat from the point, run your knife along this ribbon as if you were going to separate the two."

Just follow the fat ribbon and the two should separate. You shouldn't have to separate them to cook the brisket in the Bradley. If the brisket is too long. Just hunch it up in the middle "camelback" style. As the meat cooks and shrinks it will fit the rack. I just monitor the IT in the Flat when I do mine. and take the IT to 185-190.

Ka Honu beat me to it.

[Ka Honu]

...Ka Honu beat me to it.

By a hare hair, so to speak.

[GusRobin]

here is another tutorial on briskets
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57882&highlight=brisket+flat+point+fat

[SouthernSmoked]

Hello Hiram

Here is one of the best tutorial on briskets...

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57882&highlight=brisket+flat+point+fat

Enjoy

[SouthernSmoked]

here is another tutorial on briskets
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57882&highlight=brisket+flat+point+fat

Dang Gus, you bet me to that one. ;D

[GusRobin]

Dang Gus, you bet me to that one. ;D

you must be slipping in your old age ;D

[Hiram]

Thanks for the info, we'll have a go this week sometime ot the weekend.