Separating the brisket flat from the point, then smoking?

[Michael_in_TX]

Hi all,

Yesterday, Susie Bulloch (Hey Grill Hey) posted a very well-done video on why she often likes to separate the flat from the point when smoking a brisket. Here's the video, 22 minutes in length: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozp1rQRiMaM

(Quick aside: The camerawork on her separating the flat from the point is excellent. You can clearly see how little force she is using with the filet knife and that she is using frequent, careful, shallow cuts. I thought this was very well done and edited. Trimming and separating part begins two minutes into the video.)

Susie argues that separating the two parts of the brisket allows her to take the flat to 190 F, which keeps it moist yet sliceable, but allow the point to go further to 203-205 F or so. An added benefit, as she shows in the above video, is that while the flat is resting, she can get a head start on turning the point into burnt ends if she chooses.

I know when I've cooked just straight flats, they've always come out quite dry, but then again, the "flat only" briskets I can source are always Select. Perhaps using a Prime grade brisket (as she did) is the secret to this method?

I also don't know if I have enough experience with briskets to figure out where on the thick side the flat truly meets the point. (Susie even mentions that conveniently this was easy to see on the brisket she was using.)

Do yall ever separate the flat from the point? Has anyone adopted this as their go-to standard method?

[Jim White]

I always separate and have never cooked a packer without separating. I’m sure you can do this just by studying her video and paying close attention to the grain of the meat. The point and flat are separate muscles with fat in between them and their grains run essentially at right angles to one another. With the marbling in a prime brisket, you can’t miss what direction the grain runs.

[Henrik]

I don’t, but it’s easy to separate, you can just follow the big deckle of fat that separates them. And yes, when it comes to dry flats, the biggest factor by far is meat quality. Get prime if you can, it really helps. But also a long hold wrapped in foil.

[ecowper]

I just separated point and flat on a 15 lb Prime brisket so that I could turn the brisket into 3 separate meals. I left a bit of point on the flat, cut the flat in half. So, now I have a point, a flat, and a flat with little point. Each chunk weighs about 4 lbs ..... I trimmed the brisket pretty aggressively.

Current plan is that I am going to do the flat/point chunk as a traditional brisket cook, the flat only will get turned into Pho, and the point will get turned into pastrami.

This is the second time I've done this. Last time I did burnt ends for a party, Ropa Viejas and Boeuf á la Mode. With choice Tri-Tip running 8-10 bucks a pound and Costco brisket more like 4.50 a pound, this makes a ton of sense to me.

[ecowper]

Prior to that first brisket I broke up as I mentioned, I always cooked the packers whole. this is pretty new for me, but I like the outcomes.

[jfmorris]

This is an approach I've taken with full packers several times lately, since I don't need a 15 pound hunk of beef for two people, but we can manage a 4 to 5 pound hunk, since with shrinkage, it ends up being several days of meals for the two of us. I end up with the point, and two hunks of flat. I vacuum seal and freeze them separately for future cooks.

[Donw]

Do it all the time. Many times I separately Sous Vide the flat and then add it to the smoker along side the point so both finish at the same time.

[Santamarina]

I frequently cook packers…but never whole. I run a vertical offset and it isn’t wide enough for a full packer. I’ve always cut them in half, but typically keep the point connected to its half of the flat.

This allows me to pull the flat-only piece if it’s done before the point, and I’ve never had the flat under the point dry out.

The only time I separate the point from flat is if I’m using it for another purpose…say, using the flat for pot roast or birria and using the point to grind for burgers.

Final note: I’ve only cooked Prime brisket (thank you Costco!), so I’m sure the extra marbling keeps the flat moist.

[Huskee]

What I do is act like I'm going to separate them, and trim that thick band of fat out between the two, then leave it attached at the end, just before full separation, and cook it whole. It helps speed the cook up by removing that insulating layer. I also sprinkle salt and seasonings in that middle layer. I have separated them to cook before, and it makes perfect sense to do so I agree. But I prefer, for show when company is over, to have the full brisket intact for slicing.

[Michael_in_TX]

Wow yall....I feel like I am the last person on earth to know that this is commonplace! I may seriously try this for my next brisket cook.

[Steve R.]

I have done this probably more times than I have cooked them intact. If you like bark and a somewhat faster cook, this is a good option.

[Skinsfan1311]

Wow yall....I feel like I am the last person on earth to know that this is commonplace! I may seriously try this for my next brisket cook.

You're not alone. I've never done that...but I will the next time!

[STEbbq]

I do it 9/10 except if the brisket starting weight is around 10 pounds then it is too small to separate IMO.

I like 13-15 pounds ideally to start with for this reason.

[ecowper]

Do you prefer point or flat for pastrami?

[STEbbq]

ecowper I think most people like the flat, but our family has consistently voted for the point. I ask them that pretty much every time I do it and that’s what I get. To be clear, both flat and point are excellent, but I guess I do the point a little bit better.

[ecowper]

STEbbq thanks, good info.

[Mosca]

I used to always do it, then I left one whole and it was the best brisket I’ve ever made, bar none. So, 🤷🏻♂️?

[ecowper]

Oh, I love a whole packer. Nothing better. BUt I also like getting 3 meals or so out of a packer :-)

[JLR]

I've done it a couple times, but honestly prefer to cook it whole.Separating the flat and point speeds up the cooking but I've never been satisfied with the rendered fat. My head tells me that rendered fat is only a temperature thing, but my experience tells me time also plays a critical role. I think a brisket needs the extra cooking time to achieve the optimal fat rendering and the best flavor.

[Oak Smoke]

I like cooking whole briskets, but wouldn’t hesitate to separate one if I wanted to. I’ve mentioned injecting things with Knox gelatin, brisket flat is perfect for it. Gelatin is made from animal collagen. That’s what is needed to make a flat more like a chuck roast. The roast has all the connective tissue that breaks down into collagen when we cook it. Try injecting half of a flat and seeing how it compares to the uninjected half. I use one of those pistol grip syringes that you get from a veterinarian with a meat injection needle and set it for about half a CC to a squeeze. You can do too much. I also haven’t tried to add any flavor with the injection so I know the improvement was from the gelatin.

[Clawbear57]

I've only smoked one brisket and it was a packer. It came out good so I'll try that again before trying to separate one.