How much fat do you remove from your brisket?

NJ_BBQ · July 2016

I had a successful brisket cook yesterday but the flat was slightly dry, though it still tasted great. I've since gone through lots brisket related postings with pics and noticed some folks barely trim away any of the fat from the flat and others trim it to having 80% meat showing.

I'd appreciate seeing pics of others trimmed brisket (without rub preferably) to see how much fat I should keep next time.

onedbguru · July 2016

The more fat, the more flavor. First, I try to get brisket that hasn't been trimmed or barely trimmed. Some stores trim way too much fat on most cuts of meat. Typically on a brisket there is an outer "hard" fat that I will trim off down to that "creamy, soft" white fat and will leave as much as possible on the brisket. I don't have a current pic.

westernbbq · July 2016

Just square it up a bit and trim the outermost corner of the hard fat off. I leave the rest of it alone. I trimmed way too much off of the memorial day brisket cook and got good, but not spectacular results. Too much trimmed off fat is partially to blame. The next one i dis, a prime packer from costco, turned out great as i trimmed less off and left the thin layer on the flat completely alone

HondaHawk · July 2016

Here's mine. Bit of a hack job, but I've had the best luck going this route (I used to get very little off...inexperience). I do inject to avoid dryness.

This went on at 2am. Temp in dome got away from me at 295 around 430. It got to 160 then wrapped in butcher paper. I can report back.

gdenby · July 2016

For some reason, the meat cutting guide says to remove almost all fat. The standard stuff I find at the market hardly has any. My 1st attempt, I made the major mistake of trimming even more off. Tho' I haven't ever been too happy w. any I've done, the portions around the fat seem between the point and flat are always the best.

I've found a butcher that leaves more fat on, but the overall price charged has put me off so far.

lousubcap · July 2016

The cop-out answer for me is "It depends". Each cut is different so each prep work is an individual thing. I generally follow the Aaron Franklin guide of leaving around 1/4" or so of hard fat on the flat and remove a good bit of the hard fat from the point and the interconnecting seam.
Sometimes it's 2-3 lbs, others 1-2 lbs (starting with about an 11-14 lb cut).
Bottom-line no black and white rule/guidance here. FWIW-

Mayberry · July 2016

I only do 2-3 briskets per year, but have had really good results. Honestly, I always watch this video before trimming as a guide. Hasn't let me down so far:

https://youtu.be/VmTzdMHu5KU

HondaHawk · July 2016

Mayberry said:

I only do 2-3 briskets per year, but have had really good results. Honestly, I always watch this video before trimming as a guide. Hasn't let me down so far: https://youtu.be/VmTzdMHu5KU

Dude is a wizard.

Another video series that I enjoy on YouTube is

https://youtu.be/KZbNHkedL0Q

I was shocked to see he separated the point from the flat (and they use pellets), but it works well.

evie1370 · July 2016

I leave no less than a 1/4 inch of fat on mine. Agree with the above, many briskets are already over-trimmed. If in doubt leave it on! Brisket is a tough cut so you want to make sure you leave enough fat for the cooking process.

How much fat do you remove from your brisket?

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