Flats Marinade


 
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Chris Barnes

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I've cooked packer cut briskets but this weekend I'm going to cook 2 flats for the first time. Besides the Bacon that Jim suggests, does anyone have comments about the value or results of using a marinade. I have a soy sauce and Dr. Pepper marinade that I'm thinking of trying

Thanks, Chris B
 
Marinades take time to work on beef (couple of days is great). I've been using wet rubs and the results have been very good (suggested by a member back in Oct), use my rub and worch. sauce.
Sacrificing a pork butt above the flats is always a good idea.
Good luck
Jim
 
I gotta agree with Jim......I no longer fool with marinades. There have been numerous studies that show a marinade will only penetrate to 5 mm. Now, that is OK for thinner cuts of meats but for a brisket, not much help.

I have found the secret to doing flats..that's all I cook anymore....is to trim enough of the fat cap off so that when done cooking, there is none left. This will allow the rubs to be carried down into the meat. Believe me..that takes practice...many a brisket has been sacrificed to the chili and baked beans Gods.

If you don't trim enough, the rubs stay on top of the fat cap and when you cut that fat away before serving..off comes the flavor!

They will cook up at 1 hour per pound. I learned that the hard way. Also, you need to rest those things for a couple of hours...double wrap in foil, wrap in towel and then place in empty cooler. Not to worry...mine was still too hot to touch after 2 hours!

At least that is my method....it got me a 3rd place last weekend in brisket.

Stogie
 
Stogie!!

Third Place in Brisket!! That is great!! How did you do in other categories.

I am doing the Redhook competition this weekend up in Seattle with Jim Minion and others. Wish me luck on cooking only the second leg of lamb of my life

Dale

p.s. looks like late july or early august before I get settled in Chicago. Will be anxious to get out on the bbq circuit with you midwestern folks
 
I have a question. I did a flat this weekend and after it reached 190 internal temp, I put it in cooler for a couple of hours in the sun. When I took it out, most of the juice had run out of it. although the taste was there ( Dandy Dallas from Smoke and Spice ) it was a bit tough and dry. What happened? any tips to keep it moist?
 
One of the problems with cooking flats is they can dry out easier than whole briskets.
The finishing temp of 190? may have been to high for that brisket. Moisture in a finished brisket is related to the breakdown of fat and collegen, if the brisket is not pulled at the right time and allowed to cook to long the brisket will dry out. Finishing temp for a brisket can be from 185 to 205? depending on the brisket in question. Part of the art is pulling it at the right time.
Jim
 
Thanks for all of the help. I will give the wet rub and extra trimming a shot this weekend. I guess my goals are to high. Searching for that Gates and Fiorellas Jack Stack brisket taste that I love here in KC.

Chris
 
Thanks Jim. By what you`re saying, the other half of that brisket I bought should be different and more moist. BTW, I've been using your method on firing up the WSM and, now that I got it down, I can keep the smoker to 225-240 lid temp for hours on end. Thank you very much for that.
 
Hey Dale!!

We had a great contest!! Took 6th in ribs and 6th in pork...only 5 points from Grand Champ!! Our chicken kept us from the championship. Scored horrible on that. Total of 29 cookers from 7 states.

It is always nice to make 3 trips to the stage and bring home a little money!

Sure could use you in Michigan July 20 and 21...looks like my partner Tim won't be around for that one. I cook too much food to eat alone!

Good luck at Redhook!! Just follow Jim's lead and you will garner some hardware!

Stogie
 
Stogie wrote:

" I have found the secret to doing flats....is to trim enough of the fat cap off so that when done cooking, there is none left"

Fat cap on a flat? I though the problem was there typically is not a fat cap on flat-only cuts. The ones I buy cyrovaced at BJ's have very little fat. The whole Brisket on the other hand typically does have the full one-inch fat cap.

Do you get a special cut?

Thanks,

Chris.
 
Hi Chris!

All the flats I have bought have a pretty good thick fat cap on them. I buy cryovaced packages as well. You may want to try one with just a little fat on it...it may be enough to keep it moist.

I always trim mine pretty close anyway. The one we had this weekend didn't need much trimming as the cap was pretty thin.

Remember, these will cook much quicker than a full brisket so you do not need a lot of fat on it.

Hope this helps!

Stogie
 
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