Brisket question: Best way to seperate the point and the flat?


 
D

dean

TVWBB Pro
I have done many briskets, flats and packers. I sometimes can not figure where on the meat is the proper spot to slice because it is so "black" with smoke and bark! Any advice would be appreciated!
 
There is a fairly thick fat seam that separates the two. They connect at an angle. Even dark with smoke, the seam is thick enough to be seen or at least felt. If you wish, separate a bit before smoking so that after smoking you know right where to continue.
See this.
 
I have seen people insert toothpicks to mark the grain and the point before smoking. Never tried it (my 2 attempts at brisket failed for many more reasons than not being able to slice). I would make sure to use the wood ones, not the colored toothpicks.
 
The pictures help a lot but any gurus out there with a video camera and a tripod who could do a 4 or 5 minute piece on how to properly slice a brisket and separate the point and flat? I've looked on YouTube on a number of occasions but it's never been clearly shown, start-to-finish.
 
I put my point back on after my flat is tender, for a couple of hours. So I always separate the point. I always cook packers as they tend to be less per pound than flats.

I put on vinyl gloves so the hot fat doesn't burn so bad. I take a long knife and start at the end where the fat between the flat and point is quite thick. Just start cutting slowly and pull up the point as you cut, with the flat down. I think Kevin's Idea is a good one that I will do next time. Take and cut in the fat a couple of inches before putting on the smoker. As you get closer to the middle of the flat the fat seam gets thinner and it gets harder so take small cuts as you get farther in. Once you get started it is pretty easy to follow the seam of fat.

I haven't made brisket in a while. maybe I can get my wife to record the next time I make one.
 
Assuming you cook a brisket long enough, once you get it started, you might even be able to cut between the flat and the point with the back of the knife.
 
I am the one that started this post. Anyway, Is their any downside to separating the brisket BEFORE rubbing and cooking?
 
The conventional wisdom is that the point will help keep the flat from drying out, and I buy that, especially since I've read so many accounts of folks ending up with dry flats when not starting off with whole briskets. However, the only flats I've ever cooked myself were bought at a steep discount and cooked HH with foiling once the IT of the meat was 160*.
 
I agree.... Seriously!?!

Forget all the knife tricks to seperating the point from the flat. Just put your gloved hand in there and push it. Your fingers will simply find the right way through. If it's tender enough then it won't take hardly any effort at all.

I love to show people that trick. They are always floored to see just how easy it is.

Russ
 
Dean -

I have separated the flat from the point prior to rub and cook. I also remove a bunch of the fat cap. That fits into a process that I use in which I smoke between 250 deg F and 275 deg F until I get a nice looking color/bark and then I transfer the point and the flat into their own foil pans with 1/2 can of Coke in each pan (not too much or the brisket can begin to taste like roast).

I believe that other comp cooks do this as well. I know that Daren Warth of Iowa Smokey D's stated on a BBQ round table that he separated the point from the flat and he is injecting his briskets. He foils his brisket together and adds a mix of a bottle Worst Sauce and PBR to the foil that contains the point and flat).

I don't think that I would try it without adding any additional moisture to the brisket during the cooking process.
 
Originally posted by Russ Sylvester:
I agree.... Seriously!?!

Forget all the knife tricks to seperating the point from the flat. Just put your gloved hand in there and push it. Your fingers will simply find the right way through. If it's tender enough then it won't take hardly any effort at all.

I love to show people that trick. They are always floored to see just how easy it is.

Russ
Click to expand...

Yep, it sure is easy...after cooking a 14.75 pounder for 16 hours last night. That brisket was STUBBORN, but after finally getting tender, separating it like Russ describes was a piece of cake. Just wear adequate gloves.
 
Agreed. When properly cooked to tender, they separate very easily. I do high heat for briskets, and almost always packers, and it's never a problem to get the two parts separated. Point normally goes back on for another 45 mins or so to get burnt ends, as they are always a big hit.

As for the point keeping the flat moist, that's not really the case. They are basically two different pieces of meat, joined with connective tissue. The fat from one doesn't get absorbed by the other. Kevin can articulate this WAY better than me, but that's the very very basic explanation.
 
Originally posted by K Kruger:
There is a fairly thick fat seam that separates the two. They connect at an angle. Even dark with smoke, the seam is thick enough to be seen or at least felt. If you wish, separate a bit before smoking so that after smoking you know right where to continue.
See this.
Click to expand...

Originally posted by Steve Whiting:
This site really helped me in identifying the Point from the Flat. Click on the first set of pictures for an upclose view.
Click to expand...

Great links! They'll come in handy when I do my first one.
 
a 14.75 pounder for 16 hours last night.
Click to expand...
And I cooked one of the same size yesterday afternoon, on a kettle, in a bit over 4...
icon_smile.gif

Not a burnt end fan so no separation.
 
I'm with Kevin. I slice and eat the point.Only separate it to slice it and you can pretty much pull it off the flat when it's done.
 
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