# Brisket point and flat separation question



## bbqbeginner (Nov 27, 2015)

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__ bbqbeginner
__ Nov 27, 2015


















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__ bbqbeginner
__ Nov 27, 2015






So I picked this up tonight on a whim at Costco. Had the bright idea to separate the point and flat precook to reduce cook time, but I end up not taking the whole point off. Thought it would give me more bark too with the increase surface area. 













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__ bbqbeginner
__ Nov 27, 2015


















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__ bbqbeginner
__ Nov 27, 2015


















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__ bbqbeginner
__ Nov 27, 2015






As you can see, my butchering skills still need some work. So I'm left with this pretty good size flat with a bit of the point still attached and a small point separated. . Point is in the plastic wrap above. So how do I cook this thing? My plan is to just cook what remains of the point and flat w/point separate and just monitor temps. I do plan on foiling so perhaps when I foil I can just cut off the remaining flap of point at that time since guessing it should be done before the flat given how thin it is. Probably shouldn't have separated but not much I can do now. Point wouldn't have been that big even if it was whole.


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## bbqbeginner (Nov 28, 2015)

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__ bbqbeginner
__ Nov 28, 2015






Went on around 130ish. Shooting for 200-225 range. Went with fuse method in my 22 WSM wth Stubb's briquettes and mix of Apple/cherry chunks. No water in water pan as its 28 degrees outside and had issues keeping temps up even using minion method for turkey on Thursday.  Did same injection I did last time. Mix of beef broth low sodium no msg, garlic/onion powder, some cayenne, and Lea & Perrins worcestershire sauce. Half and half salt & pepper rub with some A1 sauce on the outside. I let temp in WSM get to 200 degrees and put meat on. Took about an hour. And had meat sitting out while it was heating up. Temp is currently at 196 after with all cents wide open. IT temp is climbing. Not too windy out currently. Will definitely be a low and slow kinda. I'm going to have Maverick set to 225 Hi Temp. Think I'll just go to bed and rely on weather/fuse method to regulate my temp and use Maverick alert if it goes above 225. Will update with pics later in the AM.


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## aggie94 (Nov 28, 2015)

So how did it turn out?


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## bbqbeginner (Nov 28, 2015)

Aggie94 said:


> So how did it turn out?



IT temp is around 150. Bark hasn't quite set up the way I'd like it to yet so probably won't foil for awhile yet probably.


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## hamrhead1971 (Nov 28, 2015)

I would wait until you hit the stall to foil.  To get a good bark, remove from the foil when the IT hits 190 and finish unfoiled.


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## bbqbeginner (Nov 28, 2015)

hamrhead1971 said:


> I would wait until you hit the stall to foil.  To get a good bark, remove from the foil when the IT hits 190 and finish unfoiled.



Thanks! Yeah I haven't foiled yet. Just woke up. Temp is at 162. If it doesn't move up in the next half hour I will foil.


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## hamrhead1971 (Nov 28, 2015)

bbqbeginner said:


> Thanks! Yeah I haven't foiled yet. Just woke up. Temp is at 162. If it doesn't move up in the next half hour I will foil.


At 162 you should be in the stall.  I would go ahead and foil now as the stall can last 2-3 hrs when left unfoiled.  Just remember that foiling will soften up your bark.  That's the reason you want to remove the foil for at least the last hour.


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## bbqbeginner (Nov 28, 2015)

hamrhead1971 said:


> At 162 you should be in the stall.  I would go ahead and foil now as the stall can last 2-3 hrs when left unfoiled.  Just remember that foiling will soften up your bark.  That's the reason you want to remove the foil for at least the last hour.



You were correct about the stall. About 5 minutes or so after I posted IT temp dropped to 160. 













image.jpeg



__ bbqbeginner
__ Nov 28, 2015


















image.jpeg



__ bbqbeginner
__ Nov 28, 2015






I foiled and out them back on. Added some more charcoal to my fuse to keep it burning. Bark wasn't quite where I'd like but I think I will try to remove foil at 190 and take it the rest of the way unfoiled. It was a little softer than my last brisket at foiling, not sure why, maybe I used too much A1 this time. I didn't add any foil juices so maybe that will help keep the bark from softening up as bad. 

Can anyone point me to a good burnt end recipe? I've got some Stubb's original BBQ sauce on hand and plenty of spices. I love this Stubb's BBQ sauce. Might need to try and make a clone of it though as it gets a little pricey. Also like using Stubb's briquettes, although they seem to take a little more effort to get going even with my propane torch from Harbor Freight. Probably because it has less filler than the blue stuff. 













image.jpeg



__ bbqbeginner
__ Nov 28, 2015






Here's a pic of my pride and joy in action. Haven't named her yet. Only mod so far is Cajun Bandit door and latch. Have some nomex gasket but haven't installed yet. 













image.jpeg



__ bbqbeginner
__ Nov 28, 2015


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## hamrhead1971 (Nov 28, 2015)

Burnt ends are basically twice smoked chunks of brisket. Most common method is to smoke a full packer brisket, once the brisket is done you slice the point (thick) section of the brisket off of the flat (thin) section of the brisket. The point is actually kind of like a layer on top of one end of the brisket (think layer cake). There is a "vein" of fat that seperates the two portions, and once a brisket is cooked you can cut along that fat layer with little to no effort. The cut is roughly at a 20-30 degree downard angle starting near the middle of the brisket and working back towards the thicker part - if you probe around with a butter knife you will find where the cut area starts. There are some pictures of people doing this, but even with the pictures it is kind of hard to understand untill you have done it once.

OK... once you have the flat and point seperate, the flat is usually wrapped in foil and put into a cooler to rest. Take the point, trim off the fat (easy to do once it is cooked), then cut the meat into 2" square chunks. Dust the chunks with more rub, then toss them with some BBQ sauce and place them in a single layer on a pan (disposable foil pans work great). Then put them back into the smoker for 2-3 hrs. and let em get nice and dark (the look almost burnt). Pull them out and enjoy what some of us refer to as "Man Candy" - they truelly are a super tastey treat!


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## dukeburger (Nov 28, 2015)

Did someone say burnt ends?


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## bbqbeginner (Nov 28, 2015)

image.jpeg



__ bbqbeginner
__ Nov 28, 2015






Burnt ends turned out delicious. Think I dried out the flat. Unwrapped at 190 and then took ir to IT temp was up to 203. Rested for about 2 hours in foil in cooler with towels. There was barely any foil juices when I took it out to cut. Still edible and good flavor. Just missing that tenderness and juiciness.


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## dukeburger (Nov 28, 2015)

Burnt ends look like a success. Those look damn tasty


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## bbqbeginner (Nov 29, 2015)

DukeBurger said:


> Burnt ends look like a success. Those look damn tasty :drool
> [/quote
> 
> Thanks! The burnt ends were very good. I just threw some salt/pepper and brown sugar on them with some Stubb's BBQ sauce. Went back on smoker for 2 hours.
> ...


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## hamrhead1971 (Nov 29, 2015)

There are different ways to check for it being done.  Some cook to an IT of 195-200 and some use the toothpick test.  When the toothpick slides in with little resistance it's done.  I personally pull mine at 200, wrap and place in an ice chest for two hours.


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## bbqbeginner (Nov 29, 2015)

hamrhead1971 said:


> There are different ways to check for it being done.  Some cook to an IT of 195-200 and some use the toothpick test.  When the toothpick slides in with little resistance it's done.  I personally pull mine at 200, wrap and place in an ice chest for two hours.



I did probe test at 190 and 195 but just wasn't quite there. Figured 203 would've done. Guess lesson is to trust feel and not temp.


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## chefbuba (Dec 6, 2015)

bbqbeginner said:


> You were correct about the stall. About 5 minutes or so after I posted IT temp dropped to 160.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


My Costco carries Stubb's in the spring/summer, it's two 32oz bottles for about $6. I try to grab one or two every time I go and stockpile it. They ran out early this year I only have 4 bottles left to last me until spring time.


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## bbqbeginner (Dec 6, 2015)

chefbuba said:


> My Costco carries Stubb's in the spring/summer, it's two 32oz bottles for about $6. I try to grab one or two every time I go and stockpile it. They ran out early this year I only have 4 bottles left to last me until spring time.


Thanks for the heads up! I'm up in Wisconsin so not sure if Costco stocks that up here, but I will be sure to look. Just picked up a nice 8lb choice flat from there that I'm going to be doing next Saturday.


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## chefbuba (Dec 6, 2015)

I did a whole packer on my MES couple months ago, I was very pleased with it.













brisket.jpg



__ chefbuba
__ Dec 6, 2015


















brisket2.jpg



__ chefbuba
__ Dec 6, 2015


















brisket4.jpg



__ chefbuba
__ Dec 6, 2015


















brisket5.jpg



__ chefbuba
__ Dec 6, 2015


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## bbqbeginner (Dec 6, 2015)

chefbuba said:


> I did a whole packer on my MES couple months ago, I was very pleased with it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Looks tasty! How do you like the MES? Do you find it gives enough smoke flavor? I prefer a heavier smoke flavor on my BBQ. I have a WSM and temps have been harder to control now that temperatures have started to drop. I was looking into electric/gas/pellet to have something to use during winter. Also thinking about picking up a DigiQ or CyberQ. These would probably be a next winter purchase though so I've got some time to sort it out. Also thought about selling the Weber 3-burner gasser and Weber kettle and picking up a ceramic for grilling and smoking as well. I love the capacity in the WSM though so probably would still want to keep that as well.


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## chefbuba (Dec 7, 2015)

I like it so far, much easier than stoking the wood burner all day for a butt or ribs. Turn it on, set the time and temp, hit the start button and your good to go. I have been using the AMNPS so no need to keep adding chips. Just have to check every once in a while that it's still lit. That brisket had plenty of smoke on it.


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## bbqbeginner (Nov 27, 2015)

image.jpeg



__ bbqbeginner
__ Nov 27, 2015


















image.jpeg



__ bbqbeginner
__ Nov 27, 2015






So I picked this up tonight on a whim at Costco. Had the bright idea to separate the point and flat precook to reduce cook time, but I end up not taking the whole point off. Thought it would give me more bark too with the increase surface area. 













image.jpeg



__ bbqbeginner
__ Nov 27, 2015


















image.jpeg



__ bbqbeginner
__ Nov 27, 2015


















image.jpeg



__ bbqbeginner
__ Nov 27, 2015






As you can see, my butchering skills still need some work. So I'm left with this pretty good size flat with a bit of the point still attached and a small point separated. . Point is in the plastic wrap above. So how do I cook this thing? My plan is to just cook what remains of the point and flat w/point separate and just monitor temps. I do plan on foiling so perhaps when I foil I can just cut off the remaining flap of point at that time since guessing it should be done before the flat given how thin it is. Probably shouldn't have separated but not much I can do now. Point wouldn't have been that big even if it was whole.


----------



## bbqbeginner (Nov 28, 2015)

image.jpeg



__ bbqbeginner
__ Nov 28, 2015






Went on around 130ish. Shooting for 200-225 range. Went with fuse method in my 22 WSM wth Stubb's briquettes and mix of Apple/cherry chunks. No water in water pan as its 28 degrees outside and had issues keeping temps up even using minion method for turkey on Thursday.  Did same injection I did last time. Mix of beef broth low sodium no msg, garlic/onion powder, some cayenne, and Lea & Perrins worcestershire sauce. Half and half salt & pepper rub with some A1 sauce on the outside. I let temp in WSM get to 200 degrees and put meat on. Took about an hour. And had meat sitting out while it was heating up. Temp is currently at 196 after with all cents wide open. IT temp is climbing. Not too windy out currently. Will definitely be a low and slow kinda. I'm going to have Maverick set to 225 Hi Temp. Think I'll just go to bed and rely on weather/fuse method to regulate my temp and use Maverick alert if it goes above 225. Will update with pics later in the AM.


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## aggie94 (Nov 28, 2015)

So how did it turn out?


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## bbqbeginner (Nov 28, 2015)

Aggie94 said:


> So how did it turn out?



IT temp is around 150. Bark hasn't quite set up the way I'd like it to yet so probably won't foil for awhile yet probably.


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## hamrhead1971 (Nov 28, 2015)

I would wait until you hit the stall to foil.  To get a good bark, remove from the foil when the IT hits 190 and finish unfoiled.


----------



## bbqbeginner (Nov 28, 2015)

hamrhead1971 said:


> I would wait until you hit the stall to foil.  To get a good bark, remove from the foil when the IT hits 190 and finish unfoiled.



Thanks! Yeah I haven't foiled yet. Just woke up. Temp is at 162. If it doesn't move up in the next half hour I will foil.


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## hamrhead1971 (Nov 28, 2015)

bbqbeginner said:


> Thanks! Yeah I haven't foiled yet. Just woke up. Temp is at 162. If it doesn't move up in the next half hour I will foil.


At 162 you should be in the stall.  I would go ahead and foil now as the stall can last 2-3 hrs when left unfoiled.  Just remember that foiling will soften up your bark.  That's the reason you want to remove the foil for at least the last hour.


----------



## bbqbeginner (Nov 28, 2015)

hamrhead1971 said:


> At 162 you should be in the stall.  I would go ahead and foil now as the stall can last 2-3 hrs when left unfoiled.  Just remember that foiling will soften up your bark.  That's the reason you want to remove the foil for at least the last hour.



You were correct about the stall. About 5 minutes or so after I posted IT temp dropped to 160. 













image.jpeg



__ bbqbeginner
__ Nov 28, 2015


















image.jpeg



__ bbqbeginner
__ Nov 28, 2015






I foiled and out them back on. Added some more charcoal to my fuse to keep it burning. Bark wasn't quite where I'd like but I think I will try to remove foil at 190 and take it the rest of the way unfoiled. It was a little softer than my last brisket at foiling, not sure why, maybe I used too much A1 this time. I didn't add any foil juices so maybe that will help keep the bark from softening up as bad. 

Can anyone point me to a good burnt end recipe? I've got some Stubb's original BBQ sauce on hand and plenty of spices. I love this Stubb's BBQ sauce. Might need to try and make a clone of it though as it gets a little pricey. Also like using Stubb's briquettes, although they seem to take a little more effort to get going even with my propane torch from Harbor Freight. Probably because it has less filler than the blue stuff. 













image.jpeg



__ bbqbeginner
__ Nov 28, 2015






Here's a pic of my pride and joy in action. Haven't named her yet. Only mod so far is Cajun Bandit door and latch. Have some nomex gasket but haven't installed yet. 













image.jpeg



__ bbqbeginner
__ Nov 28, 2015


----------



## hamrhead1971 (Nov 28, 2015)

Burnt ends are basically twice smoked chunks of brisket. Most common method is to smoke a full packer brisket, once the brisket is done you slice the point (thick) section of the brisket off of the flat (thin) section of the brisket. The point is actually kind of like a layer on top of one end of the brisket (think layer cake). There is a "vein" of fat that seperates the two portions, and once a brisket is cooked you can cut along that fat layer with little to no effort. The cut is roughly at a 20-30 degree downard angle starting near the middle of the brisket and working back towards the thicker part - if you probe around with a butter knife you will find where the cut area starts. There are some pictures of people doing this, but even with the pictures it is kind of hard to understand untill you have done it once.

OK... once you have the flat and point seperate, the flat is usually wrapped in foil and put into a cooler to rest. Take the point, trim off the fat (easy to do once it is cooked), then cut the meat into 2" square chunks. Dust the chunks with more rub, then toss them with some BBQ sauce and place them in a single layer on a pan (disposable foil pans work great). Then put them back into the smoker for 2-3 hrs. and let em get nice and dark (the look almost burnt). Pull them out and enjoy what some of us refer to as "Man Candy" - they truelly are a super tastey treat!


----------



## dukeburger (Nov 28, 2015)

Did someone say burnt ends?


----------



## bbqbeginner (Nov 28, 2015)

image.jpeg



__ bbqbeginner
__ Nov 28, 2015






Burnt ends turned out delicious. Think I dried out the flat. Unwrapped at 190 and then took ir to IT temp was up to 203. Rested for about 2 hours in foil in cooler with towels. There was barely any foil juices when I took it out to cut. Still edible and good flavor. Just missing that tenderness and juiciness.


----------



## dukeburger (Nov 28, 2015)

Burnt ends look like a success. Those look damn tasty


----------



## bbqbeginner (Nov 29, 2015)

DukeBurger said:


> Burnt ends look like a success. Those look damn tasty :drool
> [/quote
> 
> Thanks! The burnt ends were very good. I just threw some salt/pepper and brown sugar on them with some Stubb's BBQ sauce. Went back on smoker for 2 hours.
> ...


----------



## hamrhead1971 (Nov 29, 2015)

There are different ways to check for it being done.  Some cook to an IT of 195-200 and some use the toothpick test.  When the toothpick slides in with little resistance it's done.  I personally pull mine at 200, wrap and place in an ice chest for two hours.


----------



## bbqbeginner (Nov 29, 2015)

hamrhead1971 said:


> There are different ways to check for it being done.  Some cook to an IT of 195-200 and some use the toothpick test.  When the toothpick slides in with little resistance it's done.  I personally pull mine at 200, wrap and place in an ice chest for two hours.



I did probe test at 190 and 195 but just wasn't quite there. Figured 203 would've done. Guess lesson is to trust feel and not temp.


----------



## chefbuba (Dec 6, 2015)

bbqbeginner said:


> You were correct about the stall. About 5 minutes or so after I posted IT temp dropped to 160.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


My Costco carries Stubb's in the spring/summer, it's two 32oz bottles for about $6. I try to grab one or two every time I go and stockpile it. They ran out early this year I only have 4 bottles left to last me until spring time.


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## bbqbeginner (Dec 6, 2015)

chefbuba said:


> My Costco carries Stubb's in the spring/summer, it's two 32oz bottles for about $6. I try to grab one or two every time I go and stockpile it. They ran out early this year I only have 4 bottles left to last me until spring time.


Thanks for the heads up! I'm up in Wisconsin so not sure if Costco stocks that up here, but I will be sure to look. Just picked up a nice 8lb choice flat from there that I'm going to be doing next Saturday.


----------



## chefbuba (Dec 6, 2015)

I did a whole packer on my MES couple months ago, I was very pleased with it.













brisket.jpg



__ chefbuba
__ Dec 6, 2015


















brisket2.jpg



__ chefbuba
__ Dec 6, 2015


















brisket4.jpg



__ chefbuba
__ Dec 6, 2015


















brisket5.jpg



__ chefbuba
__ Dec 6, 2015


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## bbqbeginner (Dec 6, 2015)

chefbuba said:


> I did a whole packer on my MES couple months ago, I was very pleased with it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Looks tasty! How do you like the MES? Do you find it gives enough smoke flavor? I prefer a heavier smoke flavor on my BBQ. I have a WSM and temps have been harder to control now that temperatures have started to drop. I was looking into electric/gas/pellet to have something to use during winter. Also thinking about picking up a DigiQ or CyberQ. These would probably be a next winter purchase though so I've got some time to sort it out. Also thought about selling the Weber 3-burner gasser and Weber kettle and picking up a ceramic for grilling and smoking as well. I love the capacity in the WSM though so probably would still want to keep that as well.


----------



## chefbuba (Dec 7, 2015)

I like it so far, much easier than stoking the wood burner all day for a butt or ribs. Turn it on, set the time and temp, hit the start button and your good to go. I have been using the AMNPS so no need to keep adding chips. Just have to check every once in a while that it's still lit. That brisket had plenty of smoke on it.


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