# My Brisket Flat Trimming Approach Explained - QView



## tallbm (Apr 27, 2019)

Well I have had a number of private messages where people ask for more info about what I do when I trim away the thin Flat portion of a brisket I smoke.  So today I figured I would just post about it with plenty of pics so it becomes easier to understand vs when I just go "blah blah blah trim flat away, blah blah do other things with it, blah blah blah" 

Beware long post ahead, but it is informative!

*My Brisket Smoking and Trimming Approach*
Here is a simple summary of how I smoke a brisket:

Hot and Fast at 275F smoker temp
Nekkid smoke all the way (no foil, no paper wrap for me)
Fat side up
No Messing with the meat while cooking - I don't spritz, rotate, massage, caress, etc. while it is cooking
Temp with 3 probes and pull when Tenderness testing tells me brisket is tender/done (I stab the brisket all over with a bamboo skewer and when little to no resistance occurs the tenderness test is passed!)
Temp probe placement that works best is center most, thickest part of the brisket Flat... the Point is always tender WAAAAAAY before the Flat
I season with SPOG - no marinading, injecting, mustard coating, no mandatory resting before smoking etc. 
Brisket sits in a silicon mat lined crisper tray and the tray sits on top of a foil pan to catch drippings and more!
Finally, I trim my briskets much like Aaron Franklin

Ok with that out of the way let's get to the point.
I trim my brisket very much like Aaron Franklin does which includes removing the thin portion of the flat in a specific way.
Why do I do this? 
-Because the thin portion of the flat (for me and my smoking method) just burns up and becomes inedible. 
-Also I dislike that good meat going to waste so I make sure it gets put to good use

Here is the diagram I always show when I recommend trimming the thin portion of the Flat away in a specific nature:







The image shows that when trimming in this fashion the goal is to leave the Brisket packer in a shape where the flat meat is close to being uniformly thick all over to avoid the then end burning up while the rest of the brisket cooks.
Additionally it leaves the brisket in a "round'ish" shape as any corners or straggling pieces of meat catch air and dry out more than round edges which allow air to flow nicely over/around the meat.

Here are two briskets where the first is untrimmed and the left hand side shows the super dark and charcoal crusty thin portion of the flat.  That meat was inedible, wasted, and that portion of the brisket was carved away. 
BRISKET 1 untrimmed:












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Brisket 2, flat trimmed to avoid wasting meat, right hand side is flat:












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*Trimmed Flat Meat Uses*
After recommending that trimming approach I then follow it up with my approach to using that good trimmed away meat!

In short you can:

save for a great roast
grind for great burger meat or use in sausage grind
cube up for stew meat
make "burnt ends" from it in the smoker
When I mention to "make burnt ends" with the meat people seem to get very interested.
Intentionally making burnt ends is nothing more than taking a piece of meat, smoking it, cubing it up, saucing it, and returning it for the finishing smoke.

It seems the burnt end trend is to separate and use the Point of the brisket 
I think the Point is the best part of the brisket but if people prefer to make burnt ends out of it then I'm cool with whatever makes them happy.
With all that said, people make pork belly burnt ends, chuck roast burnt ends, etc. so you can do it with all kinds of meat INCLUDING using a brisket Flat meat that was trimmed away 

I'm not nuts for burnt ends and when I eat them it is because they actually came off my brisket rather than me intentionally engineering burnt ends.  A nice feature of doing a naked brisket is that I will naturally get a small portion of burnt ends on the brisket itself.

HOWEVER, people love the burnt ends so much that I have come to repurpose the trimmed away brisket Flat meat to be somewhat engineered burnt ends.... or chopped/shredded brisket.

My approach is to take all good meat trimmed from my brisket, roll/fold it up, and throw it on a small bed of fat in the foil pan that sits under my brisket inside the smoker.

Here is a visual of my Brisket-> on silicon mat lined crisper tray-> on foil pan-> which all sits on the smoker rack in the smoker:












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Here is the trimmed Flat meat rolled/folded up in the foil pan (on a small bed of fat) that was under the brisket the ENTIRE smoke and was touching the bottom of the crisper rack where you see the white spot:












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__ tallbm
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I personally don't like fooling with the meat in the smoker if I don't have to so I don't. 
Because of this, the meat in the pan either turns out as burnt ends or it turns out as super tender meat ideal for shredding/chopping and making sandwiches (my preference).

If you don't have any issues playing with the meat in the smoker while it is cooking you can really dial in this trimmed Flat meat to become burnt ends with all the methods where people pull the meat, cube the meat, sauce the meat, return the meat, massage the meat, dance around the meat while chanting, etc. 

Again I don't like fooling with the meat in the smoker AND I don't like it to go to waste so I have this method to throw it in the pan and let the chips fall where they may when the smoke is done hahaha.

In today's case I have like a half burnt end, half shredded/chopped piece of meat that came out of the pan.  So everyone wins today! 













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I take that meat and throw it in the foil with my brisket (double foil wrapped), wrap with 3 bath towels, and then rest until meal time (usually 3-4 hours until meal time because I time these pretty well).

*Conclusion*
If you ever see me mention trimming the brisket in this manner and re-purposing the trimmed away Flat meat to become burnt ends, you know I'm not pulling your leg and that it is totally doable!

I hope this super long post was helpful for those who see me mention this stuff all the time in the brisket advice threads that pop up.  Enjoy!


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## SmokinAl (Apr 28, 2019)

Great thread!!
Thank you for taking the time to write & post this!!
Al


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## tallbm (Apr 28, 2019)

SmokinAl said:


> Great thread!!
> Thank you for taking the time to write & post this!!
> Al



No prob Al.  
I hope it sheds some light on what I always mention and helps some of our fellow brisket smokers out.  Something can be learned for me almost every time a brisket is smoked :)


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## BB-que (Apr 29, 2019)

tallbm said:


> Well I have had a number of private messages where people ask for more info about what I do when I trim away the thin Flat portion of a brisket I smoke.  So today I figured I would just post about it with plenty of pics so it becomes easier to understand vs when I just go "blah blah blah trim flat away, blah blah do other things with it, blah blah blah"
> 
> Beware long post ahead, but it is informative!
> 
> ...


Great post.  I’ve smoked 2 briskets on a rack above a foil pan and in both I’ve had little to no drippings.  Both 15ln prime Packers.  I can’t figure that out


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## tallbm (Apr 30, 2019)

BB-que said:


> Great post.  I’ve smoked 2 briskets on a rack above a foil pan and in both I’ve had little to no drippings.  Both 15ln prime Packers.  I can’t figure that out



Yeah I've had that happen as well.  Since I throw the folded/rolled up good meat in the foil pan under the brisket I kind of rig the game when it comes to catching fat and drippings.
The MES element is generating heat not to far from my foil pan so what I do is I take the super stringy trimmed fat from my brisket and lay it down like a bed that I then place the folded up meat upon.  This protects the folded up meat some and also generates some rendered fat in the pan to additionally protect the meat in the pan.
I will often also throw the hard deckle fat or any extra fat in the pan as needed to ensure I don't end up with a dry empty foil pan and turn my good folded up meat into charcoal hahaha.

Sometimes I get burnt ends from the meat (less amount of fat/drippings), sometimes I get just fall apart chopped/shredded meat (on the higher end of fat/drippings), sometimes I get a combo of both (not too much, not to little fat/drippings in the pan).

Since I don't like to mess with the meat once it is in the smoker I just let let the cook surprise me with what I get in the end from that meat in the pan


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## gmc2003 (May 1, 2019)

Good post It will help out allot of folks with trimming questions.

Point for sure
Chris


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## muskyjunky (May 2, 2019)

Thanks for idea of not only trimming but the meat above foil pan . I think that is something I will try next time .


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## tallbm (May 2, 2019)

muskyjunky said:


> Thanks for idea of not only trimming but the meat above foil pan . I think that is something I will try next time .



I'm glad it helps!  I use a specific sized set of crisper baskets with the vertical handles that fit perfectly in the MES40.  They make adding and removing meat a breeze and also make setting on trays really simple as well.

Nothing sucks more than loosing food right out of the smoker to a dirt floor/ground because of a tender meat fall apart or clumsy drop situation.  The crisper baskets solve that for me nicely as well :)


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## chef jimmyj (May 2, 2019)

Nicely written Tutorial...JJ


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## chilerelleno (Jun 11, 2019)

Excellent tutorial!
Very nicely composed with good pics.
*Like!*


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## tallbm (Jun 11, 2019)

chef jimmyj said:


> Nicely written Tutorial...JJ





chilerelleno said:


> Excellent tutorial!
> Very nicely composed with good pics.
> *Like!*



Thanks guys!
I figured it would be helpful to have this post made so I could point people to it as I try to explain trimming up a brisket and the fact that the good flat meat CAN be turned into burnt ends or something useful rather than going to waste if/when it is left on the brisket :)


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## EdP (Jun 12, 2019)

tallbm said:


> Thanks guys!
> I figured it would be helpful to have this post made so I could point people to it as I try to explain trimming up a brisket and the fact that the good flat meat CAN be turned into burnt ends or something useful rather than going to waste if/when it is left on the brisket :)




I'm doing a brisket/burnt endz on the 4th with your recommendations here, gonna sink a layup


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## petehalsted (Jun 13, 2019)

Thanks for sharing, I actually had those crisper baskets saved in my Amazon account for my MES 30, but then I got the All-Star, and haven't felt as much of a need for them. But after seeing your setup I might just have to pull the pin on one. I do the same basic setup but use 2 grates. Which puts my catching pan a little closer to direct heat coming from the all-star baffle than I would like.

I also like your bed of fat in the pan. I usually put a couple of cups of broth in the pan to get things started. If you try with a naked pan, the drippings burnup/evaporate in the pan, until there is enough liquid to prevent it, my broth prevents that, but I am thinking your fat bed is probably even better.

Why the QMatz in the crisper pan? Cleanup or ?


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## tallbm (Jun 13, 2019)

EdP said:


> I'm doing a brisket/burnt endz on the 4th with your recommendations here, gonna sink a layup



I'm sure they will be awesome!  You don't have to do my pan setup to make the burnt ends though.  My approach is motivated by not fooling around with the meat and if I get burn ends I get em, if not I'm fine with that extra meat being chopped bbq brisket  

Just take that good trimmed meat and do burnt ends anyway you normally would.  You got this!




petehalsted said:


> Thanks for sharing, I actually had those crisper baskets saved in my Amazon account for my MES 30, but then I got the All-Star, and haven't felt as much of a need for them. But after seeing your setup I might just have to pull the pin on one. I do the same basic setup but use 2 grates. Which puts my catching pan a little closer to direct heat coming from the all-star baffle than I would like.
> 
> I also like your bed of fat in the pan. I usually put a couple of cups of broth in the pan to get things started. If you try with a naked pan, the drippings burnup/evaporate in the pan, until there is enough liquid to prevent it, my broth prevents that, but I am thinking your fat bed is probably even better.
> 
> Why the QMatz in the crisper pan? Cleanup or ?



Yeah I have had plenty of briskets leave no liquid due to evaperation and being close to the burner so I rig the game with a few pieces of fat 

I used to do the setup with two racks like you mention.  After loosing some meat to the floor due to it breaking up when pulling off the rack with tongs, I looked for a better way to prevent that situation and found those crisper baskets that perfectly fit in my MES and have handles. Also when trying to use foil pans I've lost meat where the pan just couldn't handle the weight and buckled :( 
With the crisper baskets I pull the whole basket, put it on the tray, and don't have to worry about dropping meat on the floor... as long as I don't trip or something hahaha.

The tray that comes with the baskets is a "nice to have" as well.  I put the meat in the basket, basket on the tray, and season.  Excess seasoning falls on the tray and not all over my counter!  The tray is nice to carry the basket to and from the smoker as well without burning my hands or dripping juices anywhere.  A total win win!

As for the Q-Mats.  They do two things for me:

1. Yep they make clean up a bit easier since nothing really sticks to them like it would on the racks or the crisper basket
2. They keep the meat from setting into the little crisper grate square and then sticking to the crisper basket when pulling the meat off the basket.  With the Q-Mats I'm preventing crust/bark and meat from pulling away from the brisket and being left behind when you really want that good stuff to be on your brisket slices.  I don't like having a partially mangled brisket because stuff was sticking to racks or the crisper basket hahaha.  

I already have the Q-Mats so using them to keep things simple was as good and simple evolution of my setup.

One final benefit of the crisper baskets is that it keeps me from dirtying up 2 smoker racks at a time so I can do more smokes without depending on a dish washing cycle lol.  A silly as it sounds, it is a huge time saver.
I found that when I wanted to smoke that I would only have 1 clean rack ready to go but needed 2 clean racks for anything that involved a pan (briskets, pork butts, etc.).
With the baskets (I bought 2 of them hahaha) I only have to dirty 1 rack at a time.  I now can get more smokes in because I dirty less smoker racks and less frequently :)

I hope all this info helps and I don't think you will regret getting the crisper baskets.  I also use them in the oven with q-mats on frozen hot wings I buy from from the store :D


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## EdP (Jun 13, 2019)

tallbm said:


> I'm sure they will be awesome!  You don't have to do my pan setup to make the burnt ends though.  My approach is motivated by not fooling around with the meat and if I get burn ends I get em, if not I'm fine with that extra meat being chopped bbq brisket
> 
> Just take that good trimmed meat and do burnt ends anyway you normally would.  You got this!



I've separated the point and flat on my 2 brisket cooks, and was planning to do this one in one piece (and with foil on the ends).  The trimming makes a lot of sense, and won't get wasted.


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## tallbm (Jun 13, 2019)

EdP said:


> I've separated the point and flat on my 2 brisket cooks, and was planning to do this one in one piece (and with foil on the ends).  The trimming makes a lot of sense, and won't get wasted.



I look forward to the post of your cook! :)


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## schlotz (Jul 27, 2019)

So, do I have this right? The thinner trimmed portion remains in the pan for the entire smoke. If it was still attached it would have burn up and been inedible but, detached in the pan with added fat trimmings plus drippings and regardless of being smoked for the same amount of time as the brisket it turns out very edible.


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## tallbm (Jul 28, 2019)

schlotz said:


> So, do I have this right? The thinner trimmed portion remains in the pan for the entire smoke. If it was still attached it would have burn up and been inedible but, detached in the pan with added fat trimmings plus drippings and regardless of being smoked for the same amount of time as the brisket it turns out very edible.



Yep that is the gist of it.
The fat trimmings they will render down into pure liquid fat. That keeps the folded/rolled up flat meat in the pan from drying out and burning up.
It comes out very edible as either fall apart brisket, burnt ends (where it may not have been sitting in much rendered fat), or a combination of both :D


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## Winterrider (Jul 29, 2019)

Do You have a link to which crisper racks you purchased for MES 40?


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## tallbm (Jul 29, 2019)

Winterrider said:


> Do You have a link to which crisper racks you purchased for MES 40?



Here is the exact one: 
8.9 x 11.9 inch basket and notice that the handles stick upwards rather than outwards.  I bought 2 of them and I use the "grate" q-mats on it to assist with clean up since things like to stick in the little holes against the wire of the basket :)

I hope this info helps! :)


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## Winterrider (Jul 29, 2019)

tallbm said:


> Here is the exact one:



Thank you kind sir...


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## tallbm (Jul 30, 2019)

Richard Foster said:


> Looks good.



Thanks!  I mention this trimming and repurposing of the flat quite often.  Figured some visuals and detailed explanations would help folks that encounter the issue :)


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## toffey1984 (Jun 19, 2021)

I have used this technique twice now and have had great success! Getting ready to do a third for a party next weekend. I'm very excited to share some great brisket with friends. Thank you for the in depth method that really works! 

Mel


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## tallbm (Jun 27, 2021)

toffey1984 said:


> I have used this technique twice now and have had great success! Getting ready to do a third for a party next weekend. I'm very excited to share some great brisket with friends. Thank you for the in depth method that really works!
> 
> Mel
> 
> ...



Hi there and welcome!!

That looks AWESOME!!!!!! 
I'm glad this post helped you out so much. These briskets come out sooooo good and as you confirmed, this approach is consistent. Honestly I think it is pretty simple and almost foolproof.

I can't wait to hear about how your family and friends enjoy that next brisket you make!!! :D


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