Cooking Brisket Flat and Point Separately


 
K

Kyle L

New member
I purchased a cryo'd brisket about a week or so ago and froze it, and have since thawed it and it is in the fridge. I bought it with the intention to make dry cured pastrami (want to cure for 7 days) but failed to thoroughly read the recipe that says to only use the flat of the brisket. I do not want to waste the point so what can I/ should I do with it and how long can I keep it out of the cryo?
Thanks in advance.
 
Sure you can do them separately, lots of folks do. Not what I would do, I’m a do the whole rascal and get the group together to over eat!
Not sure of your whole process though, brought it home, froze it and thawed it now, what? Have you separated point from flat, if still trying to sort out what to do?
From what I see is you HAVE separated, do the point all by itself and cure the flat then finish the project.
I think you are making more work for yourself, relax pal, it will all be just fine.
 
I haven't done this but I think it will work. Cure the entire Brisket. From the flat you'll get lean slices and from the point luscious fat slices. You get a lot more Pastrami that way. I hope someone with more experience jumps in on this.
 
I have not separated them yet, the meat is still in the cryo. I am sorting out what to do, this is the recipe I inted to use (https://www.virtualweberbullet.com/pastrami-dry-cured/) I guess the concern is, per the article, that the cure won't make its way all the way through the point. This line was taken from the article,

"I do not recommend using a whole brisket. The thickness of a whole brisket requires that a liquid curing solution be injected every 1″ or so throughout the entire brisket, in order for the meat to cure all the way through. This is easily done in a factory using specialized equipment, but it’s a hassle to do in the kitchen using a single cooking syringe. By using a brisket flat, you can use the dry cure method described below and avoid having to inject the meat altogether."
 
If you have not separated them yet, do so. Pastrami the flat, smoke the point, have two delightful feasts, what’s the problem?
Just do it.
 
Just separate them.

Tie point up into a roast to cook by itself so its no thin areas

165 isnt hot enough for final temp...it will be tough...tough..when delis like katz do that, they steam them to finish so they fall apart. If your going to steam a few hrs......then go for it.

I pulled one at 165, cut off piece to check....very tough

I took first one to 203, too far, was crumbling to slice. The cure tenderizes it a little.

Last one took to 195...sliced 1/16" -3/32 thk on slicer...still held together ok..fat still there...but tender enough.. could have been a little more tender. Really is a balancing act to get right
 
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I think you got two choices. Separate them and cure both. It wouldn't be that much harder. Or separate and make burnt ends out of the point.
 
Dustin Dorsey said:
I think you got two choices. Separate them and cure both. It wouldn't be that much harder. Or separate and make burnt ends out of the point.
Click to expand...

I like lean Pastrami so I would take Dustin's option 2. If you've never made burnt ends this is the perfect circumstance in order to start.
 
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