Thanksgiving Brisket Questions

[PBCDad]

Hey all,
Mainly due to this site, my cooking has gotten so good that my mother-in-law has put me in charge of the main course for Thanksgiving, however the in-laws aren't crazy about turkey. I've decided to do a brisket (for only my second time), so I picked up a 13lb prime packer yesterday at Costco. A couple quick questions:

• If I cook the whole thing at once I'm afraid much of it would go to waste, so I'm thinking of cutting it. Most logical place is separating the point from the flat and just cooking the flat, but is there anything wrong with, say, cutting it right below the bottom of the point and just cooking a part of the flat? Will it be drier than normal with a cut edge exposed, or will the point and piece-of-flat not cook as well when I get to it in a couple weeks?
• If I freeze part of it, should I salt it before freezing? Reasoning is that it dry-brines and thaws at the same time...
• Another option would be to cook the whole thing and freeze what we don't need, but does cooked brisket freeze okay?
• I've heard the rule of 1/2 lb uncooked per person for pulled pork for estimating how much to cook, does that hold for brisket as well? We've got 6 adults, one teen, and two kids if that makes a difference.

Thanks everyone for your help.

[EdF]

Last time I did brisket, I portioned a pound uncooked, which gave a yield of about 40%. That would be about right for grown and hungry man.

It freezes well after cooking, especially if you can vacuum seal it.

Salting before freezing the raw piece makes sense to me.

[smokinfatties]

If you have a 13lb packer, once trimmed will give you 9-10lbs. After cooked 6-7lbs i'd say so I personally would cook the entire thing. You will likely have leftovers but they are great for sandwiches and all kinds of other things. I tried trimming up an 11lb packer from costco and it was a fail. If it were 20+ lbs i would say to separate it.

Separating will cut down cooking time

salting before freezing is OK

[fzxdoc]

I agree. Cook the whole thing. Leftover brisket makes great chili. You could cut the leftovers into chunks for chili, vacuum seal and freeze. Then when you're in the mood for chili, you're good to go. With a 13 pounder, you may only have enough leftovers for a couple of sammies, depending on how well trimmed (or not) that Costco brisket is.

Kathryn

[PBCDad]

Thanks everyone. I trimmed it last night and I'd guess I had 4 or so pounds of trim. I'm planning on smoking both the flat and the point at the same time, sticking the point in the freezer for me, and taking the flat for T-day. So I'll have to figure out how to graciously ask for leftovers from the flat

I made the Texas Mop Sauce last night and it tasted pretty good right off the stove (possibly too much kick for my in-laws but we'll see), but I ended up with much less yield than expected. I halved the recipe, but even after adding an additional cup of broth and stick-blending the veggies, I only came out with around a cup and a half of liquid. Is that similar to other's experiences? How many use the sauce with brisket?

[TexasMike]

I have used the mop sauce with brisket in the past and it turned out great! Even after cutting the recipe in half I had 2 - 2 1/2 cups, so I'm not sure what happened with yours. It's tasty stuff!

[fzxdoc]

I always have a bunch, too, when I make the Texas Mop Sauce. I love, love, love it with brisket.

I'm not sure a flat from a 9 lb trimmed packer is enough for 6 adults, a teen and some kids, but then I'm the Queen of Over Estimation when it comes to having food for friends and family gatherings. I always have too much. Better that way than too little. There's a fair amount of shrinkage as that brisket cooks.

Let the others have the leftovers, if any. You can always make more; they can't.


Kathryn