Serving Brisket


 
Steve Whiting

Steve Whiting

TVWBB All-Star
Fairly new to the wonderful world of BBQ, I have a question regarding Brisket. I have seen pictures and read topics on this forum regarding the serving of a nicely smoked brisket. I have learned that you slice the flat against the grain and you can chop or pull the point if you wish. My question is this. If making BBQ sandwiches and brisket tacos is my goal, can I chop and/or pull the the whole thing, including the flat? I just want to smother it in sauce and let everyone pile it in their french roll or tort.
 
Steve,

There are very few things that the bbq police will bust you on
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. Chopping a flat does not fall into that category. Hey, it's your Q, you can serve it anyway you want. What I might suggest, is to separate the point and let it cook longer to build up a little more bark (very tasty) and then hold off on the sauce - serve it on the side. Let the guests decide if they want more or less sauce; let the wonderful flavor of the meat come out.
 
I like to separate the point from the done flat - slice the flat against the grain, then slice the point, also against the grain.

Present them separately, label the flat as LEAN and label the point as JUICY.

Anything left over goes for sandwiches or gets chopped for beans, etc.

Very little you can do wrong unless you boil it - in which case you have Boiled Beef which is good too
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I'm with the other guys.
I'm picturing your meal in my head, and I see a couple of slices of brisket laying in a tortilla, with onion and maters, but I don't see any BBQ sauce.
Leave the sauce on the side and let your guests decide. I alwas like to have a couple of different kinds of sauce. Variety, ya know?
 
If you are looking to shred most of it consider doing a couple of chuck roasts or buy a chuck roll and cut it into a size that suits your needs, freezing the rest. I did my first chuck roll last weekend and I'm sold on them now.
 
I second the suggestion by Chris. Chuck makes fantastic pulled beef…..taste of brisket, texture of pulled pork.
 
Steve, What happens to meat when you chop it all up then add sauce to it is this. When first done it's fine, but in a very short time all the sauce gets sucked into the meat and then you have this big pile of dried meat that now needs more sauce. Add more sauce and wow, where did it all go. Before you know it all your tasting is BBQ sauce.
Same goes if you ever cut up your whole steak and then started eating it, you'll have noticed this. When you first start eating it's fine but by the time you get about 1/2 through it's really getting dry. Well by the time you get to the end it's like eating dry cardborad. Same goes for brisket. I never slice it all up at once. I just slice as needed and whatever is left over gets put into the fridge whole.
As the others have said slice, chop, or pull the meat and let the people eating decide on how much, and which sauce they want. I always have at least 2 different kinds to choose from.
As Chris said, Chuck rolls or roasts are great for pulled beef sammies and for beef tacos. Here's a thread on beef tacos form Rath.
 
Great advice Guys. I will NOT add the BBQ sauce upfront but rather let my guests do it to their hearts content. I have never cooked a Chuck Roll but it sounds interesting-I must give it a try! I dont eat pork but all I have read on this forum from you guys praising it has inspired my desire for pulled beef. Cant wait for the weekend
 
Hey Steve noted your on the west coast. Brisket is not good taco meat.

Chuck roast though should be a superior meat choice as well as tri tip and skirt steak. In fact if I didn't enter bbq contest every now and then I see no reason to cook a brisket. It's one tough cut that needs tender care. It even costs more than tri tip once you consider all the fat that you remove.

No disrespect to the brisket fans, but there's better cuts of meat to cook and cheaper if you consider the fat content.

John
 
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