Brisket turning question

Boat-n-BBQ

Boat-n-BBQ

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This is a noob question, so try and be gentle LoL

When trimming your brisket for turn-in do most of you “leave the fat cap on” the flat and just slice across the grain? I’m new to comp and turn in boxes, but I always figured the fat cap got trimmed off prior to slicing. That’s how I’ve been trimming my briskets for a while and just thought it was a given..

I’ve recently seen brisket turn-ins and the slices still had the fat on the bottom. I thought that was both odd and unappealing! Am I way of base? Is this normal?
 
Last edited:
Boat-n-BBQ said:
This is a noob question, so try and be gentle LoL

When trimming your brisket for turning do most of you “leave the fat cap on” the flat and just slice across the grain? I’m new to comp and turn in boxes, but I always figured the fat cap got trimmed off prior to slicing. That’s how I’ve been trimming my briskets for a while and just thought it was a given..

I’ve recently seen brisket turn-ins and the slices still had the fat on the bottom. I thought that was both odd and unappealing! Am I way of base? Is this normal?
Click to expand...

"When trimming your brisket for turning" what is turning?
 
I trim off the fat before turn-in. Others may do something else but I've always trimmed the fat off before slicing.
 
I am interested in the responses on this one as well...I usually just slice mine and leave em on there, but lately I have been trimming them down quite a bit more (ala myron's method)
 
I'm a new team, so I don't really know crap and I admit it :-? I will prob be trimming off the fat cap. That's how I learned and it seem right to me.
 
I trim it prior to cooking. Fat doesn't absorb smoke, only the meat. Likewise with the rub. The flavors of the rub will just sit on top of the fat, but with a good slather and little to no surface fat the rub will actually pull down into the muscle fibers. In a good cooker, you don't really lose anything by pretrimming the fat - imo - and you get a better end result.
 
We trim the fat away before slicing. The fat has typically rendered down to where you can wipe it away with the side of your thumb, but we also gently scrape away remaining fat with the back edge of the knife.
 
Southern Home Boy said:
I trim it prior to cooking. Fat doesn't absorb smoke, only the meat. Likewise with the rub. The flavors of the rub will just sit on top of the fat, but with a good slather and little to no surface fat the rub will actually pull down into the muscle fibers. In a good cooker, you don't really lose anything by pretrimming the fat - imo - and you get a better end result.
Click to expand...
Thank for the input, I’ve never tried that.
BurntFinger_Jason said:
We trim the fat away before slicing. The fat has typically rendered down to where you can wipe it away with the side of your thumb, but we also gently scrape away remaining fat with the back edge of the knife.
Click to expand...
Ditto, this is just what I do. Thanks Jason, just wanted to know if I was way off base.
 
As a contrast to Southern Home Boy, I actually leave the entire fat cap intact. I cook briskets with the fat side down, so the only trimming I do is to remove all the silver skin and small fatty piece from the top side. It will make for a better final appearance if your rub can adhere directly to the meat.
 
Southern Home Boy said:
I trim it prior to cooking. Fat doesn't absorb smoke, only the meat. Likewise with the rub. The flavors of the rub will just sit on top of the fat, but with a good slather and little to no surface fat the rub will actually pull down into the muscle fibers. In a good cooker, you don't really lose anything by pretrimming the fat - imo - and you get a better end result.
Click to expand...

Most cooks leave the fat cap on and put it in the smoker fat side down to protect the brisket from any direct heat.
 
I guess I'm one of the strange ones (yea, like that's news :crazy:) but I not only split the point from the flat, I also trim both caps down to about 1/4 inch prior to cooking.

As for slicing, I slice across the grain and put the slices in my box with what ever fat that is remaining (usually not much more than 1/8 inch) down. I just figure that since fat transfers flavor in the mouth this helps.
 
Divemaster said:
I guess I'm one of the strange ones (yea, like that's news :crazy:) but I not only split the point from the flat, I also trim both caps down to about 1/4 inch prior to cooking.

As for slicing, I slice across the grain and put the slices in my box with what ever fat that is remaining (usually not much more than 1/8 inch) down. I just figure that since fat transfers flavor in the mouth this helps.
Click to expand...


Jeff, are you saying to separate the point and flat prior to cooking?
 
fat cap - trim it down to about 1/4" maybee less.

On the meat side - i take everying I can off, the fat, the light membrane.
 
Jacked UP BBQ said:
I do not take the fat off at all prior to cooking. We do however take it all off prior to turn ins.
Click to expand...

Ditto. With fat up, we use a flat wooden spatula? to scrape the fat
off, the flip it to slice it.

I'm not a KCBS judge, but I'm sure they have some rule that if it's presented that they must
eat it (not the greenery, but the meat), ala. have to bit the skin presented on chicken. If fat
comes through on the beef, assuming the judge you have really doesn't care for fat, they cannot
trim it off to bite it. I think the odds are greater that turning in a brisket with fat on it will lower
your score rather than increase the score....
 
Lake Dogs said:
Ditto. With fat up, we use a flat wooden spatula? to scrape the fat
off, the flip it to slice it.

I'm not a KCBS judge, but I'm sure they have some rule that if it's presented that they must
eat it (not the greenery, but the meat), ala. have to bit the skin presented on chicken. If fat
comes through on the beef, assuming the judge you have really doesn't care for fat, they cannot
trim it off to bite it. I think the odds are greater that turning in a brisket with fat on it will lower
your score rather than increase the score....
Click to expand...

I believe judges can use their own discretion about whether or not they eat skin, fat etc.
I have the certification - but I don't consider myself a judge so I could be wrong here
 
Divemaster said:
I guess I'm one of the strange ones (yea, like that's news :crazy:) but I not only split the point from the flat, I also trim both caps down to about 1/4 inch prior to cooking.

As for slicing, I slice across the grain and put the slices in my box with what ever fat that is remaining (usually not much more than 1/8 inch) down. I just figure that since fat transfers flavor in the mouth this helps.
Click to expand...

chambersuac said:
Jeff, are you saying to separate the point and flat prior to cooking?
Click to expand...
That's what I'm saying...

monty3777 said:
I believe judges can use their own discretion about whether or not they eat skin, fat etc.
I have the certification - but I don't consider myself a judge so I could be wrong here
Click to expand...
That is my understanding as well...
 
monty3777 said:
I believe judges can use their own discretion about whether or not they eat skin, fat etc.
I have the certification - but I don't consider myself a judge so I could be wrong here
Click to expand...

That is correct, Monty. There is no KCBS rule that defines how much or what parts of an entry must be eaten. The chicken rule only says a judge must taste the skin, but there is no stipulation it must be consumed.

It is not uncommon for brisket entries at a KCBS contest to have fat attached to the slice in my experience. Some judges will eat it, others will remove it. While it is debatable whether or not leaving a small amount of fat (1/16 to 1/8 inch strip) helps or hurts your taste score, it is generally accepted that for presentation purposes it is best not to have fat visible.

If you prefer to leave some fat on your slices, there are simple solutions: either trim it off the front slice in the box or conceal it with a bit of garnish.
 
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