Brisket ?


 
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Darrell Hill

TVWBB Member
Where I live we seldom see anything other than full size briskets (point and flat joined by fat). Since there there's only myself and my wife, we seldom prepare a brisket unless company for dinner is planned. Has anyone tried separating the point from the flat before cooking and cooking one piece while freezing the other. I have never heard of the point being sold separately. There are some differences in the point and flat portions, but is there enough differences to make a point portion so much less desirable that you wouldn't want to separate it from the flat and cook each of them separately?

I know it might be easier to smoke the brisket as one, but then I have frozen, cooked, brisket. I'm wondering if cooking the two sections separately wouldn't allow better/different cooking times and methods based on the thicker/thinner cuts of the brisket.
 
I prefer to cook briskets whole ,when done remove the point and carve the flat. The point can be pulled or chopped and add some apple juice or sauce and freeze. The point can be used for pulled beef sandwiches or chili for example at a later time. You may want to freeze in a number of small packages for single use rather freezing it all in one package.
The fat from the point does help keep the flat moist if you are going to cook without using foil. There are other ways to achieve a moist flat so you need to pick a method and work on it until you get the results you want.
Jim
 
Hi hl and welcome!

I learned to cook flats whole, and like Jim said, the biggest advantage is the point will help to keep the flat moist.

However, the last few years I have been separating them before cooking and freezing the point...just like you mentioned. I use the flat and the point for 2 different meats...the flat for a more "formal" dinner with guests and the point for beef sammiches. I then cook the point up when I am doing a pork butt..they both take around 2 hrs./lb. and many times will weigh about the same.

So, yes, you can indeed do it that way. Just be careful when cooking that flat...it is more prone to drying out when separated.
 
Stogie/Jim,

A couple questions regarding cooking the flat...

Have you ever cooked the point over the flat (like you would with a pork butt)?

If I were to lay some bacon strips across the flat, would that baste it enough to keep it from drying out or would I have to add more strips once those cooked?
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Mark WAR EAGLE!!
 
The point is over a large portion of flat and leaving them together works well, you may want to consider cooking fat side down for half of the cook to keep the bottom of the brisket from drying out, it has been working well for me.
Jim
 
Jim,
I plan on smoking 2 butts(7lbs each)tonight around 10-11pm, and then adding a brisket flat(7lbs) around 6am on the lower grate. There is a 1/8-1/4 inch fat cap on one side of the brisket. I have heard that the butts on top will baste the brisket below. If this is true, should I start the brisket with the fat cap faced down like you just mentioned?
Any advice would be appreciated.
 
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