brisket question

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c14james35

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Apr 5, 2014
214
29
Hey everyone I am smoking my first brisket this sunday. Has anyone heard of cutting the fat cap off and using it on the top rack of the smoker to drip down on there meat? I have the char griller with SFB  and it has a upper warming rack above the main grill?
 
While there are more people that have more experience than I do, I have never heard of that. I leave my on, use a good dry rub, and spritz during the smoking process with a mixture of juices. Towards the end, I start preparing a good au jus and i then when i start slicing it or pulling it apart, I use some of the smoked and seasoned fat and other small parts that fall off to use in the au jus.
 
I am by no means an expert, and I'm sure everyone has their own opinions. My experience has shown that it depends on the thickness of the fat cap. Anything more than 1/4" won't render all the way and anything less (give or take) and the meat may potentially dry out. I think internal temperature should be used as a guideline. You can get a brisket up to 200 in three hours but that doesn't mean it will be tender. As long as you keep the smoker temp around 225-250 and the meat as far away from the fire as possible, you should be able to use the rule of 1 hour 15 minutes per pound. But a brisket is done when it's done, and the probe goes in with almost no resistance. Hope this helps.
 
I tried uploading pics of my brisket before and after prepping and seasoning but its not uploading from my phone
 
I was actually invited to a friends house for a 4th weekend so I could help smoke her first brisket. When I arrived late Friday evening she had already cut all the fat off and had it on the grill. Me, I never cut fat off a butt or a brisket, its just extra work I figure for little or no returns but to each their own.

We recovered the larger pieces of fat removed and laid on top of the brisket. It was edible but no where near as good as I usually get. The only advantage I can see to removing the fat is to allow the seasoning penetration in the meat. Seasoning can't penetrate fat. BUT with no more penetration that you get with beef spices I just don't understand it.

I guess its how you are brought up. We didn't trim the fat off food, we fought over it. The fat and the protein hold all the best flavor in food. We cut it off wanting to be healthy? My Pop said, if you wanted to be healthy get up off your arse and go outside and do something useful.

Anyway, like I said to each their own.

"But a brisket is done when it's done, and the probe goes in with almost no resistance."~ Gunny

    
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Depends upon what you are looking for.

If you bag and tag, most will pull at 190 and allow it to rest where it will normally continue the temperature  rise to in excess of 200 degrees.

If you are doing old school low and slow I usually wait until I am ready to pull it, but I really like that 203 IT. Remember no matter which way if the meat is still rising and you think it finished it will continue to raise in temp some.

Make sure and allow the meat to set and cool. Two hours is not too long. If you try cutting it hot even properly cut across the gain with a surgically sharp knife, it will fall all over the place. Seriously I never heard of pulled brisket until I can here. But Myron, calls it pulled to.  Kinda like blackened fish I guess..LOL

Cool, allow to redistribute, cool allows meat to cut, beside who wants to burn their mouth? Let that nice rendered fat recongeal a little.
 
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