Rant: I trimmed my brisket fat the wrong way for 12 years

Had a buddy from Kansas City come over last Saturday to help with a cook. He watched me trim the fat cap and just stopped me. Said I was taking off too much from the point end. I always thought you trim it even all the way across. He showed me to leave a thicker layer near the flat so it bastes itself while it cooks. All my briskets have been dry on one side this whole time and I never knew why. Anyone else figure out they've been doing a basic step wrong for years?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant56915d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah that’s exactly what happened to my buddy Mike, @joseph_lewis92. He trimmed brisket the same way for like eight years straight, always taking the fat down to a quarter inch across the whole thing. Then he went to a competition in Lockhart and some old timer watched him and just shook his head. Said he was drying out the flat before it even hit the smoker. Mike switched to leaving that thicker cap on the flat side and suddenly his briskets went from okay to actually good. He told me it felt weird at first like you’re leaving too much fat but the meat comes out way more moist. I still mess with my trim now and then but that one change made a huge difference for him.

joseph_lewis9215d ago

Dude that explains so much. I used to wonder why my flats were always shoe leather while the point was perfect. KC guy sounds like he knows his stuff.