newbie question about brisket

[solar]

When I go to buy one, at say Sam's Club, do I look for a brisket or is it called by another name?

 

[tybo6]

I used to cut meat at sam's club here in oklahoma city,.....It is called brisket...They usually put it out in a cryovac pack,or packers trim..Either way it is a whole untrimmed brisket....To me thats the only way to buy brisket.They get it in a box,...usually bout four to six of em in a box and throw em in a counter to sell to us.Then ifin ya wanna talk to the butcher that is there he is gonna try and tell ya that it is some special somethin or another cause its cryovac,d....Just tell em ya wanna a whole brisket and they will give it to ya...

 

[solar]

Thanks

 

[abelman]

Or, you can buy a flat which is already trimmed and the fat cap is unerneath so you can't always see it. I almost always do flats as I don't like point as much. If you get a packer, you'll get the point and the flat combined.

Here's a flat:



Also, here's a good pictoral of what a packer looks like and the difference between a flat and a point.

http://www.azbbqa.net/articles/brisket-trim.htm

Lastly, points are generally pulled and flat's are generally sliced. Here's a sliced flat, but I do them very thin on a meat slicer:

 

[solar]

That's some really good info, do I need to do all this trimming before I smoke it?

 

[babyback]

It all depends on how much fat you like on your meat. Some of the fat will render off, and you can trim off some of the excess after cooking before you slice. I try to trim the fat down to between 1/4 and 1/2 inch. You don't have to separate the point and flat unless you want to. This can also be done after cooking.

 

[bertjo44]

I didn't trim the last one I did, it was pretty lean. I picked this one up at Wal*Mart last week on sale for $1.67/lb. Plan on injecting and rubbing it tonight, that will give it about 36 hrs to take on the seasonings. Gettin excited!

 

[solar]

Since this will be my first attempt at a brisket, I think I'll leave all the fat on, and use SmokyOkie's method of cooking it in a aluminum pan. I love the idea of holding on to the drippings for beans and gravy.

I have a nice container of bacon fat in the fridge, nothing better than a pan fried hamburger cooked in bacon fat.

 

[vlap]

Here is the path my first brisket smoke took. I tell ya it was tasty. Enjoy the smoke. Oh yes. I got that brisket at Oneco meats.
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ad.php?t=10108

Picts on pages 1,4 and 5

Just be ready for that plateau and don't worry when the temp drops. Just pop another beer and relax.

 

[solar]

I'm good there, my whole Saturday is going to consist of smoking brisket, beer, and if I get an early enough start time, catching the Rays game, there's no hurry up for me that day.

That brisket you made looked great, at what temp did you pull it, and did you let it rest in a cooler or just on the counter?

 

[vlap]

I think I rested it in the off oven for 15-30 min....