RichPB (richlife)
TVWBB Wizard
Thanks. One question, Rich: I would think that since the point is only one side of the brisket, that the far end of the flat could still be in jeopardy of drying out. Right?
All the packers they had were HUGE, and it was only the two of us. So, I decided to try the flat. If I do one again, I am definitely following your idea to cover it in bacon...my homemade bacon.I'll keep my eye out for a smaller packer and maybe next time invite the nieces and their boyfriends over. Just wanted to have one under my belt. It was a learning experience, and a good one at that. Thanks for the encouragement and the information!
You're right about that -- the end of the flat is more prone to dryness. And on a packer, it is often significantly thinner. I've had maybe 10% of my packer briskets come out a little dry, but most of my guests said it wasn't as bad as I seemed to think. (Nice people!) But that is one reason I've never done a flat only.
When I choose a packer, my first look is at total weight, then I want to find one that is at least (plus/minus) 1" thick at the end. Finally, I consider the thickness of the fat cap -- that may help me pick one over another as I don't find a super thick fat cap to be helpful. (Some places may have only one or two packers to choose from. Be prepared to walk away if you can't find what you want, or ask if there are others stored away. I found that only a local butcher -- had smaller (10-12 lbs) packers. Walmart consistently has 14 -18 lb whoppers and only occasionally a smaller one. Costco has recently been my best bet. Out of about 20 packers in the cooler, all were 12-14 lb. Also, our local Costco only recently started providing packers and all are marked "USDA Prime Beef". One time I also found a few packers at Target.)