No fat cap?

[omnipotence20]

I shall brave the pitchforks and torches to ask the masses for their thoughts on this one.

Has anyone tried cooking a brisket with the fat cap completely taken off? We know that fat doesn't penetrate meat so we don't need to cook it fat side up and as long as we smoked it while in a pan to retain the juices, would we even need to worry about having the fat cap on at all?

[Jerod Broussard]

I've done it pretty much off. What I do now is get it down to about 1/8" and bare in spots. Even the fat vein b/n the two muscles gets down to almost nothing.

[bbantel]

I know some folks here have trimmed all the fat off. I'd still keep 1/8-1/4" if ti were me. Fat is flavor, you just don't want so much guests/you cut it all away, leaving precious rub on the plate.

Last brisket I forgot to trim the connecting fat, wish I had. Esp now that I have that Rapala knife. My goodness, that makes trimming painfully easy. I like my $$ knives, but honestly, they suck at trimming fat caps.

Brisket is still one of those things I haven't gotten the hang of yet. Guess I gotta practice more.

[David Parrish]

I like 1/8" of fat cap. The fat tastes great. Too much fat and it's like too much icing on a cupcake, but the right amount of fat cap gives the brisket a nice flavor. The fat doesn't melt into the meat, but it does get happy with the rub.

[PaulstheRibList]

I've been separating point and flat and leaving 1/8 inch (with some bare spots...oops). Like it! I keep getting distracted in the cook and having to leave the house, so haven't gotten that perfect ending temp in the last 4 attempts. None of the guests said anything buy, Wow! Oh well, I'll just keep practicing!

[Virginia Dave]

I did a small (2lb.) flat yesterday with no fat cap at all. Dry brined and rubbed with Big Bad Beef Rub. Turned out really moist and tender and VERY flavorful!

[Papa Bob]

that really looks great!

[Tuff's Smokin' Grill]

I've smoked everything from lean flats to whole 14 lb packers recently, and the flat always seems consistent as long as you're hitting temps. I've been smoking 4 to 6 packers at my restaurant a day since we opened. I season only with salt and pepper and trim very little because I have been crunched for time until I can get more employees. I heavily season the bottom side where there is little fat and hit the top with some salt and pepper too. I am considering separating before smoking and smoking flats for brisket slices and corning the point for corned beef/pastrami. The only problem I have found with going flat only is the ridiculous price increase compared to packers.

[Jerod Broussard]

How is the business going??

You the one with the Fast Eddy or something similar made in Ponca City, OK??

[Jerod Broussard]

The only problem I have found with going flat only is the ridiculous price increase compared to packers.

Yeh, they really want you to know they paid someone to cut that muscle off.

The burnt ends from the point make the full packer more than worth it....

[Tuff's Smokin' Grill]

Business has been amazing so far! We have served thousands of meals in a little over 2 weeks. I have sold out of pork and brisket on numerous occasions. I only smoke fresh... no cooking ahead of time and reheating, so when I'm out that's it. Fortunately, many customers have commented that the burgers are the best they've ever had. Yes, by the way, I am using a FEC 120. I have had some very interesting results with the brisket wrapped vs. unwrapped and how I hold the meat as well.

[omnipotence20]

Ok, so I finally got around to giving this a shot. I went and got a small flat to experiment on and trimmed every bit of fat off of it. I salted it the night before and let it come to room temp before hitting it with some pepper and putting it on my weber. I set a full water pan underneath and another full pan over the coals and used a single large chunk of oak for smoke. It seemed to have a lot of juice still inside it so I didn't wrap it until it hit an internal temperature of 160. I hit it with some apple cider vinegar, wrapped it in aluminum foil and then continued to cook it till it hit 203 internal. I let it rest for an hour before slicing.

I have to say, this is one of the better briskets I've made. I didn't really miss the fat and the texas style rub and smoke were delicious.

[The Burn]

Sure looks yummy

[DWCowles]

I haven't done a brisket this year yet but looking at these pics makes me want to do one soon.