Do butchers cut brisket different for BBQ?

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ThePerfectBeard

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I just got a whole packer from my butcher and asked him to separate the point and flat with no trimming. It looks like he cut the damn thing in half :twitch:... Is that right? Am I supposed to ask for some kind of BBQ cut?

I thought it would be similar to the 45 degree separation you get when you cook both parts together. Is there a way to fix this if it's wrong?
 
That is typical, not right. When you ask most butchers to separate point from flat, they will section it across the flat, where the point and flat meet. They will not separate the muscles themselves.

Incidentally, terms such as point, deckle and flat actually mean very little to a trained butcher. They mean something to BBQ folks. Separation of the pectoralis superficialis and deep pectoralis will get you farther.
 
No there is no BBQ cut. Sounds like he hacked the brisket in half, you could have done that yourself.

You should have just cooked it whole. You know what they say, "If you want something done right sometimes you just have to do it yourself"... LOL
 
So he actually ended up cutting the flat into two pieces, leaving the thickest part attached to the point? It sounds like he clearly misunderstood what you were asking for but you can still separate the remaining flat from the point and cook it separately, along with the other piece of flat.:-D
 
landarc said:
That is typical, not right. When you ask most butchers to separate point from flat, they will section it across the flat, where the point and flat meet. They will not separate the muscles themselves.

Incidentally, terms such as point, deckle and flat actually mean very little to a trained butcher. They mean something to BBQ folks. Separation of the pectoralis superficialis and deep pectoralis will get you farther.
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Ya that's what he did, cut it in half. Son of a... $60 piece of meat. I hope it still turns out ok. I guess I'll go at it with a knife tonight and see if I can't salvage this.
 
grind the flat half for burger and just cook the point section.

Ive sliced a 22lb corned beef brisket in half lengthwise just because I didnt need 22lbs of corned beef. Ive also sliced briskets in half the long way to A-B test rubs.

your meat isnt ruined. your meat prons just wont look as textbook
 
Untraceable said:
grind the flat half for burger and just cook the point section.

Ive sliced a 22lb corned beef brisket in half lengthwise just because I didnt need 22lbs of corned beef. Ive also sliced briskets in half the long way to A-B test rubs.

your meat isnt ruined. your meat prons just wont look as textbook
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It's not necessarily ruined, but it's going to effect the cook time. That's what I'm worried about. This was for a party and I don't want to F it up. Luckily the guy really just cares about burnt ends.

Any idea how long a 1/2 brisket flat will take at 275?
 
Sounds like a "nose off" brisket flat. Personally if I was gonna cook just a flat that's the way to trim them. The thin layer of the point will keep the flat as moist as if it was whole.:grin:
 
ThePerfectBeard said:
It's not necessarily ruined, but it's going to effect the cook time. That's what I'm worried about. This was for a party and I don't want to F it up. Luckily the guy really just cares about burnt ends.

Any idea how long a 1/2 brisket flat will take at 275?
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how much does it weigh?
 
At 275°F, unwrapped, you are looking at 35 to 40 minutes per pound, for a 13 pound whole packer, I would expect an 8 hour cook. For two 6 pound sections, more like 5 hours or so. And then allow for resting.

Those are approximates, always go by feel.
 
ThePerfectBeard said:
It's not necessarily ruined, but it's going to effect the cook time. That's what I'm worried about. This was for a party and I don't want to F it up. Luckily the guy really just cares about burnt ends.

Any idea how long a 1/2 brisket flat will take at 275?
Click to expand...
Thickness of the meat will actually determine the cooking time but I would just give it about 3 hours of smoke, wrap it and then start probing it for tenderness at the 4 hour mark, continuing to do so every 1/2 hour until it's ready to come off for a nice 1 - 2 hour rest. If you wrap with foil be sure to vent the foil after you pull the meat off the pit and allow the IT to come down to the 150-160 range to keep it from over cooking and then reseal the foil for the remainder of the rest period.:-D
 
landarc said:
At 275°F, unwrapped, you are looking at 35 to 40 minutes per pound, for a 13 pound whole packer, I would expect an 8 hour cook. For two 6 pound sections, more like 5 hours or so. And then allow for resting.

Those are approximates, always go by feel.
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Awesome, thanks man!
 
It will still be good. This happened to me once. I was doing a wedding and the groom requested brisket, but he only wanted points. I called the butcher (who is a good guy, I use him all the time still) and asked if I could get the same price on points as packers, and he said sure, he would just sell all the flats no prob. So I ordered 150 pounds of brisket points. When I went to pick them up it was obvious that he did not cut through the fat seam. What he (or his assistants) had done was put the packers on the meat saw and just cut the point off straight cut. So obviously I got part of the flat and fat seam under the point. Lesson learned. Although many butchers know their cuts they don't always know bbq. I ended up trimming a ton of fat that day, total pain....points turned out great though.
 
This happened to me once also.... When I did it. I had a small vertical smoker and didn't know any better. It turned out fine if I recall.
 
legendaryhog said:
It will still be good. This happened to me once. I was doing a wedding and the groom requested brisket, but he only wanted points. I called the butcher (who is a good guy, I use him all the time still) and asked if I could get the same price on points as packers, and he said sure, he would just sell all the flats no prob. So I ordered 150 pounds of brisket points. When I went to pick them up it was obvious that he did not cut through the fat seam. What he (or his assistants) had done was put the packers on the meat saw and just cut the point off straight cut. So obviously I got part of the flat and fat seam under the point. Lesson learned. Although many butchers know their cuts they don't always know bbq. I ended up trimming a ton of fat that day, total pain....points turned out great though.
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This makes me feel a little bit better. Unfortunately it came at your expense.

Is it possible for anyone to find a picture of the fat seem so I know where to separate the point from the flat without screwing this up further?
 
SmittyJonz said:
WHERE'S THE PICS ? Why did you want him to Butcher it anyways?
Click to expand...

I'll take pictures when I get home from work around 10:30.

I'm doing brisket for my fantasy football league's championship on Sunday. They gave me $100 to get stuff to bbq and the only stipulation was that I make burnt ends. I figure this way I can get much more rub on the point and get a better crust. I also only have one WSM so this maximizes space for my moinks and cuts down on cook time.

My next brisket I was going to leave whole and cook as suggested by Bludawg and another in my previous thread.
 
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