How many of us have stopped trimming briskets? Other changes

[fracmeister]

I tried it once and then I did it again. Both times were excellent. I do still slice a bit of the flat at 90 degrees to the grain so (a) I know which way the grain runs for slicing and (b) so I have a nice snack midway through cooking. I am still not up to hot and fast but have gone to 275 from 225. Wrapping in butcher paper and making sure I have AT LEAST an hour hold time and usually 2-3. Cooking brisket has gotten easier over the years, plus I am buying better meat. Stay safe out there

[STEbbq]

I don’t know about not trimming brisket. Basically, that means I am leaving a lot of flavorful rub on the butcher board at the end.

[Spinaker]

I still trim mine, but I do leave a little more fat on the flat than I used too. I like to leave about a 1/4 inch of fat on the flat. The point gets trimmed down to the meat. There is so much inter-muscular fat in there that it really does need the extra fat on the surface.

[smokin fool]

I never used to trim briskets until the last 2 or 3, really I find no difference.
guess if I've paid for it I might as well cook all of it.

[Spinaker]

trim it to make tallow. It is a great way to use all of it.

[smokin fool]

I dunno, as I've gotten older I find the old gut less forgiving when it comes to fats in my diet.
Confess I don't know a lot about tallow, is it liquid beef fat or a by product of the beef fat broken down?

[FireMan]

Eh, it’s the beer not the fats that’s givin ya problems.

[JoeSousa]

If anything I have been trimming more aggressively than I previously did. Mostly I feel better now cutting off thinner parts of the flat or the hump on the point. I used to want to leave as much as I could so I didn't waste any meat but I have started saving a lot of the good trimmings and grinding them up for burgers. So those trim pieces aren't really wasted any more.

[Spinaker]

Grind and render the fat for tallow.

[JeffJ]

I aggressively trim mine. But I only do one brisket per year. If I need smoked beef outside of that one chuck roast or short ribs are my go to.

[TheCountofQ]

Still trimming heavily here also. Spinaker 's practice of trimming all the cap of of the point really makes sense to me (why didn't I think of that). I will likely give that a go on my next HB briskets (typically three full packers at a time now-a-days).

Now that I've got a (yet to be used by me) KBQ though, I'll likely start off leaving some of that on the point and placing the point towards the rear of the cooker, as I keep reading that needs a bit more protection.

When I was following the KBQ thread, way back when, I don't recall there being issues with hot spots in the back... but perusing the threads of late, it seems to have become more of an issue.

Back on topic now... yes, I trim.

[Starsky]

I don't trim as heavily as I used to

[Rob whatever]

I go heavy on the trimming. But there is little to no waste. Per Spinaker, I save all of the fat to render for tallow and all of the meat, including leftovers, is used for chili. If I get a decent grinder, I’ll use it for burgers.

[Henrik]

Yes, trimming must be done I think, otherwise the rub just slides off too easily when handling. But I leave a slightly thicker fat cap on these days. Way back I was trimming too hard, now I leave 1/8" (or a little more) on the flat.

[captainlee]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mDVd2H9dov8

I posted this a while back. I haven't tried it yet.

[Mosca]

If I’m not going to eat it, I’m not going to cook it. I trim my briskets in the traditional way. But I only do brisket once a year, too.

[jfmorris]

I am probably trimming my brisket more than I used to, if anything. Just to cut down on the thick fat, trying to leave it under 1/4 inch. I don't dive down and remove all the fat between the point and flat, except for where it is exposed on one side of the brisket. I probably trim a couple pounds of fat off each packer lately.

I am also smoking more at 275 than at 225 as well, because it means I can fire it up in the morning at 6am, and have dinner on the table that night, versus having to do an overnight smoke and then hold it all afternoon.

[Lock Stock and Barrel]

Franklin BBQ is trimmed down to a 1/4 inch fat and deckle fat removed so I follow his lead. I can use fat to make Pemmican just like the Indians did. Find that it is easier to serve without having to cut out fat on my plate. Just not a great presentation! it is all on the chef's preference.

[Oak Smoke]

I don’t trim nearly as aggressively as I used to. I’m a firm believer that fat is flavor. I do trim the thin end off the flat for burger. I cook hot at 300 F and leave the fat cap mostly intact to use as a heat shield on the under side.