To cut or not to cut (brisket).


 
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Tim M

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Sorry if this has been asked a thousand times. I searched the forum but did not find a clear answer.

I am cooking an 11lb. brisket on my WSM this weekend. Is there any big advantage to cooking it whole as opposed to cutting it? I smoked a 10lb. recently and cut it into a 4lb point and 5lb flat. After 10 hours both parts turned out fantastic and I didn't have to worry about an all night smoke.
 
Some folks maintain that a whole brisket will be more moist than a separated one, but I always have difficulty getting both the point and flat to get to the same level of tenderness without drying out the flat. I've also seen some folks post about cutting them apart, then putting the point back on top of the flat to baste it during cooking, then removing the flat when it's tender and keeping the point in for a while longer until done. I say do it whichever way you're most comfortable with. I like using 5-6lb cryovac flats from Sam's as long as they're thick and relatively even - they seem to tenderize very nicely after 1.5-2 hours a pound without getting dry on me. Just some thoughts - have fun!
 
Tim-

That's the cool thing about this hobby, you get to do what you want, and, it even sometimes turns out great! /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif You can't break any BBQ rules because there aren't any. All the stuff the Chris has been kind enough to put up here on this site is great for helping you learn the cooker and explore it's capabilities, but once you have the basics down, then you get the fun part.....tinkering. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

I usually cook mine whole because I'm too lazy to cut the point off the flat before I cook it (it's much easier to do after the flat is cooked, at which point one swipe of the knife removes the point, which I put back on for another few hours.)

I don't much worry about the all night cooks since the WSM does the work while I sleep, but there are times I want brisket and don't get around to it the night before, so maybe I'll try it your way sometime and see how it works for me.

Cheers,
R
 
Why not go ahead and cut them apart if you like, then lay all the trimmed fat (there will definitely be fat to spare if you have an untrimmed whole brisket) on top of the point and I bet it will all work out famously.
 
Ok I'll bite. Show me the brisket, show me the point, show me the flat. I picked up my 1st briskat last weekend and want to do it right.
 
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