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Separating a brisket

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    Separating a brisket

    How do you separate the point and the flat of a brisket?.

    I have read where some folks cut along the fat line and separate the point meat from the flat meat. You get one piece that is just point meat and one piece that is just flat.

    Others go from the bottom of the flat up to where the point meat is significant and cut across the brisket at that point. You end up with one piece that is just flat meat and one piece that is a combination of point and flat.

    #2
    Carefully, with a sharp knife! Start with the point towards you. Begin to whittle away at the big block of fat between the flat (on top) and the point underneath. You want to keep fat on the flat side, so cut into the meat on the point side. This is important when the point gets thin. I always completely separate the point and the flat. Sometimes during this process, you'll want to flip the brisket over because it will be easier to cut and fold the point away from the flat as you go. After separating (or before, doesn't really matter), trim the "skin" looking stuff off the outside of the point and clean the fat off the top of the flat. After separating, trim the fat on the flat to about 1/4 to 3/8 inches. I trim all the fat off the point, there's lots of intramuscular fat so no outside fat is really necessary.

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      #3
      I'm a visual person and do a lot better when I can see something like this being done.

      These are two really good videos from Butcher BBQ.





      good luck!

      Comment


        #4
        Nice videos, thanks Nate.

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          #5
          It's not hard either way. The technique you choose would depend on why you are wanting to separate. I don't separate them so I don't use either one!

          Comment


            #6
            I have a large group to feed and promised them some good brisket. I have had good success with my pellet smoker and whole brisket and following the amazing ribs recipes. I am fortunate to have a son-in-law with a feed lot so when they take an animal to the abattoir I get the briskets. However this last time the butcher separated the point and flat and I tried to smoke a flat and it was two thin and lean and results where not terrific (still good but not great). I now have a sous vide and was thinking that would maybe help with the the flats I have left. Does anyone know if I should smoke for a couple of hours and then put in sous vide for 24 hours or sous vide first and then finish with the smoker. Any help is appreciated.

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            • EdF
              EdF commented
              Editing a comment
              I've done pork butt by smoking a few hours first, the doing SV, then searing with a torch - it came out pretty good. But based on what I'm reading lately, I'd probably do the SV first, chill with ice, then smoke for maybe 5 hours last. For bark.

            #7
            I will often trim a lot of the fat between flat and point, but still leave them connected. I start the process just like CandySueQ described, but stop when the point gets thinner, leaving them connected. This allows me to leave that 1/4 inch ish on each side, but no big hunks of fat inbetween, so every portion of every slice, just about, gets put on someones plate!

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