Slicing brisket from the middle?

[J Hasselberger]

So what does anyone think about slicing brisket starting in the middle, rather than at the end? A chef once told me that when you get a steak, start to slice it from the middle -- that's the best part -- rather than from either end. I'm just guessing that the same rationale might be good for brisket. Also, the thin end of the flat is easily overdone, so as the nastiest part of the meat, it gets served last.

I started slicing from the middle -- approximately where the flat and point come together -- a couple of briskets ago and I haven't made a definitive decision whether or not I think it's better. It's somewhat convenient for a smallish group of guests. For example, if a guest wants a lean piece, slice it from the flat side. If they want a fatty piece, slice it from the point side. and so on.

If the entire brisket isn't consumed, you have a nice flat bit and a nice point bit to wrap separately. Any one else do this and do you have an opinion?

Jeff

 

[Dustin Dorsey]

So what does anyone think about slicing brisket starting in the middle, rather than at the end? A chef once told me that when you get a steak, start to slice it from the middle -- that's the best part -- rather than from either end. I'm just guessing that the same rationale might be good for brisket. Also, the thin end of the flat is easily overdone, so as the nastiest part of the meat, it gets served last.

I started slicing from the middle -- approximately where the flat and point come together -- a couple of briskets ago and I haven't made a definitive decision whether or not I think it's better. It's somewhat convenient for a smallish group of guests. For example, if a guest wants a lean piece, slice it from the flat side. If they want a fatty piece, slice it from the point side. and so on.

If the entire brisket isn't consumed, you have a nice flat bit and a nice point bit to wrap separately. Any one else do this and do you have an opinion?

Jeff

I've seen them do that at Lockhart Smokehouse in Dallas. I generally to take a few slices off the flat and then cut it like you say. Then I cut the fat end perpendicular to that cut as you see in the Franklin book. This keeps you from having a point sliced with the grain. You won't be exact but your slices will be a pretty good compromise between cutting the flat and point against the grain. Generally with your fatty slices you have some point meat and some lean meat. At least that's what I see in most good Texas joints.

 

[J Hasselberger]

Dustin, forgot to write that I turn the point end perpendicular and then slice it ala Franklin. Sometimes I may take a slice or two before turning it, but that's my general practice.

I have one resting in the cooler as I write. I got a 12lb. Prime packer from H-E-B and trimmed off 2lbs. of excess fat and lopped 1lb. off the skinny end so that it'll fit in an 18.5 WSM. It weighs 5lb.14oz. after cooking. It's very tender and only reached 190 internal. (I find that Prime briskets are probe-tender well under 200). We will see how tasty it is in a couple of hours. I might take some photos of the slicing for documentation. If they're any good, I'll share.

Other interesting bits: I put it on at 1:00a.m. at 225, wanting to stretch out the cook. Guests are coming at 6:30 and I wanted to rest it for at least 3 hours. Sure enough, it was probe tender at 3:30. So that's 14-1/2 hours for a 9-pounder at 225. Only one load of charcoal and about 5 chunks of pecan and hickory.

Jeff

 

[Dustin Dorsey]

Boy am I jealous. I've got a choice in the freezer and a new source for primes. I probably won't cook one til the 4th. I usually throw a barbecue for my birthday in late July. I'll probably make some sausage and cook a brisket.

 

[J Hasselberger]

Dustin, Back east, I had to perform a sex act on my butcher just to get a packer -- the only things available were flats. The grade was "commercial" which I think means "good enough for dumb Yankees." If you can get Prime, don't hesitate for a minute -- you won't regret it. The difference in brisket is night and day. With Prime, you make a fire, throw it on, then take it off when it probes tender. Tonight's brisket was insanely good. Everyone wanted fatty, so I rotated the point and did the recommended 3/8" slice. I also gave everyone a couple of burnt ends. Everyone stuffed themselves.

Cook details: I dry brined with a light dusting of kosher salt for about 6 hours, uncovered on a rack in the fridge. I added a bit more salt and quite a lot of cracked pepper after spraying the brisket with just a light coating of water. I let it sit on the counter for about 90 minutes while I tended to the fire. Once the WSM settled at around 230, I put it on fat down. I used an iGrill2 to monitor the grate and the thick part of the flat. I slept for about 3 hours and the temp had dropped to around 200, so I opened some vents and went back to sleep. At around 9:00a it was at 225 and humming along. I kept it below 240 for the entire cook. It had stalled at around 4:30am (the great thing about the iGrill is that it gives you a chart of temperature along a timeline) at about 155. I didn't reach 165 until around noon. At 3:00p it was in the high 180s and probed tender, but I let it go until 3:30. I put it on the kitchen counter until it read about 175 internal and then wrapped it in a cooler that had been sitting in the Central Texas sun. At a little after 7:00p it was still hot and I began to slice, right across the middle about where the point and flat meet. I didn't slice anything off the flat (that will be tacos, quesadillas, grilled cheese and anything else we can think of, for the coming weekend).

I put out regular Salt Lick sauce (really great on brisket) along with Franklin Texas and Espresso sauces from H-E-B (they are both great). My fave was about a 50/50 mix of the Texas and Espresso sauces.

Our guests are wine drinkers (so are we) so for the first time, I had wine with barbecue. The Barranca (Rhone blend) from Kuhlman Cellars in Hye, Texas was the big hit. Really, really good with barbecue. It might be very hard to find, since Kuhlman is very small, but it was terrific. I was surprised at how good the wine went with the brisket. I'm not giving up on beer, but this experience changed my head on the subject.

Looking forward to brisket and eggs tomorrow morning.

Jeff