Butchering a Brisket


 
J

Jimbo M.

TVWBB Fan
I did my first brisket for ISD. It was an 11# whole brisket that I cooked untrimmed. When it came out 14.5 hours later, it had an internal temp of 184 (180 - 188 at various places). I foiled it and dropped it into a cooler for an hour or so.

Having not ever butchered a brisket, I was surprised to find some things:
a) the difference in the meat between the point and the flat;
b) the incredible amount of fat that was on this brisket;
c) how tender and juicy the meat turned out.

Now for my questions:
1) Is it normal to have so much fat on the brisket cut? I mean, I had the John Goodman of briskets here. There was easily 2 - 3# of fat that I removed from the bottom and between the point and flat.
2) How do you guys de-fat the meat? Do you separate the point & flat and then de-fat? I found the backside of my chef's knife did a good job of removing the fat without tearing the meat, but is there a better way?

I searched through the older discussion threads (hint: don't search for brisket) but didn't find anything regarding my questions. If I am rehashing an issue, please feel free to point me to the thread.
 
My family would KILL me if I dared lay a hand on one iota of that glorious fat. It tastes FANTASTIC. I sneak and cut off only the really hard stuff, but I don't lay a finger on the rest of that wondrous stuff. I've read with horror how others scrape the beautifully soft layer of fat off the brisket after it's cooked. <fainting>

Nothing like reheating some nice slices of brisket the next day until that fat is just glistening. Like straight butter, baby!

Leave that fat alone....! If you must trim, then save the fat in the freezer for the unhappy occasion when you find a brisket that's been trimmed to within an inch of its life. Or maybe you'll have an occasion to do a venison roast or something lean that would just ADORE being draped in that fat.
 
Sounds like a great brisket!

Yes, the point is fattier, more striated, and hence has a different texture. Many people return the point to the cooker and cook it longer to render more fat, then pull it like pork. I prefer to rest the brisket whole, remove the point, remove the fatcap from the flat (using a filet knife) and slice it thin against the grain on the bias with a slicing knife. The point I save for making chili later, or braising with hot chilies to pull for enchiladas, or similar.

Your back-of-knife approach is good--whatever works for you and leaves the meat intact.

Some people like to separate the pont from the flat before cooking and/or trim the packer ahead of time. I do neither, preferring the soft fat from the point to render in to the flat nearest it; this area, to me, yields the choicest slices for serving.

Congrats on your cook.
 
Susan/Kevin,

Thanks for the replies. I love the idea about shaving and saving the fat. While it is wonderful in flavor, I think I could hear my arteries hardening just looking at it. But, using it on other cooks is a great idea (like reheating?). I should have asked yesterday.

I'm probably going to pull/chop the point (kudos for the enchiladas idea!). It has really good flavor, but stringy comes to mind. Maybe I didn't cook it long enough???

Anyway, thanks again for the info.

Maybe we could talk Chris into a brisket video that shows some cutlery techniques for a whole brisket? You guys are quite experienced, but I know a rookie like me can use all the help, advice, and how-to's. These forum discussions have made things better and easier for me.
 
Jimbo, you can always scrape it off at the end after it's cooked. But once you taste it, you'll want to eat every bite! Unless yer a Jack Sprat type, I reckon. I was terrified of fat and gravy and stuff like that when I was a (very skinny) little kid. Man, the stuff I missed out on!

Leftover brisket or pulled pork makes FANTASTIC enchiladas! I usually first make it into green chili (to make green chili burros) and then turn that into enchiladas. Stogie I think has a FANTASTIC enchilada recipe in the pork section. Velvety enchilada sauce. Absolutely unbelievable.
 
Susan,

I did cook it untrimmed, but I had expected more of the fat cap to have rendered. Maybe I didn't cook it long enough, but it was definitely tender and tasty.

The cooked fat was sooooo soft that it almost wiped off.

Could that fat be used as a saute fat for onions, like before a bean cook or maybe a soup? I'd think it would impart a smokey, beefy flavor, but maybe not?

Just put a read on the Kevin Taylor's recipe. It's definitely on the table some time this week!!!
 
If it's tender and tasty, it sounds like a winner to me!

Excellent question about the use of that gorgeous cooked fat. Definitely worth a try in the way you suggested, methinks!
 
I would be concerned that the fat had already broken down and would burn or taste burned. Maybe if I cut it with grapeseed oil to boost the smoke point? Guess I'll have to give it a whirl to see.
 
Jimbo--

If you have soft fat left you can continue to render it--usually--and use it as you described (mixing with grapeseed is an excellent idea, chop the beef fat small--you can render what you can out of it then remove it , if you wish, before adding the onions or whatever). You can also toss large pieces into beans/soup/whatever to lend a little flavor as they cook, removing them later.
 
I'll slice the point off and put it back on for another 4-6 hours. The fat renders almost completely leaving the meat with a "fried" greasy texture that is incredibly rich- there's never enough to share!
 
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