Briskets:flat, regular, what internal?

[jeff lowe]

I had an unusual thing (I think) that happened when I cooked a brisket last weekend. It was a 5 pound brisket and I'm not sure if it was a flat or a regular but it looked kind of strange the way it was cut. One end had a very thick piece of fat the other had kind of the meat inbetween two pieces of fat. Also the thicker end was kind of severed.

Anyway, I cooked it for 10 hours until 170 deg., wrapped in foil with worchestershire sauce and some rice wine vinegar and put it back until 185. Took it out and wrapped in a towel for about two hours.

I cut it and tried it and the meaty end was kind of dry but the end that was smaller and encased with fat was very juicy and much more flavorful.

It was like I was eating two different pieces of meat. Help me out here so I can make my future briskets to come out like the smaller end one which was delicious!!

 

[Guest]

Hi Jeff,

I think it's safe to say that you had a half of brisket, as the smallest whole packer trimmed briskets I see are about 8 pounds. It sounds most like the point, the flat is very lean with fat on one side only. The point typically has a layer of fat in the middle of the brisket and is thicker on the end. The best advice I can give is to try to get whole packer trimmed briskets that are about the same width across the flat end. This will give you the best chance of having it come out tender.

Doug W.