MMMM.. BRISKET..
The BBQ BRETHREN FORUMS.  



Our Homepage Donation to Forum Overhead Welocme Merchandise Associations Purchase Subscription Amazon Affiliate
Go Back   The BBQ BRETHREN FORUMS. > Discussion Area > Q-talk

Notices

Q-talk *ON TOPIC ONLY* QUALITY ON TOPIC discussion of Backyard BBQ, grilling, equipment and outdoor cookin' . ** Other cooking techniques are welcomed for when your cookin' in the kitchen. Post your hints, tips, tricks & techniques, success, failures, but stay on topic and watch for that hijacking.


Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 03-04-2013, 08:32 PM   #1
Q-Dat
Babbling Farker
 
Join Date: 12-03-08
Location: Pearl River LA
Default The Raw Brisket Flop Test For Tenderness

Legit strategy or much ado about nothing?

I suspect it makes a difference, but wanted to see what the brethren think.
Q-Dat is offline   Reply With Quote




Old 03-04-2013, 08:39 PM   #2
landarc
somebody shut me the fark up.
 
Join Date: 06-26-09
Location: sAn leAnDRo, CA
Default

I do it, but, I do have some questions about it.

For instance, if there is a fat cap of some thickness, it is less flexible. A floppy raw brisket might also mean a thin flat.
__________________
[COLOR=DarkGreen][COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]me: I don't drink anymore

Yelonutz: me either, but, then again, I don't drink any less
[/SIZE][/COLOR][/COLOR][SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed]
[COLOR=Pink]SSS[/COLOR]
[/COLOR][/SIZE]
landarc is offline   Reply With Quote


Old 03-04-2013, 08:59 PM   #3
Q-Dat
Babbling Farker
 
Join Date: 12-03-08
Location: Pearl River LA
Default Re: The Raw Brisket Flop Test For Tenderness

Quote:
Originally Posted by landarc View Post
I do it, but, I do have some questions about it.

For instance, if there is a fat cap of some thickness, it is less flexible. A floppy raw brisket might also mean a thin flat.
See I have actually abandoned the flop test as of late for more of a squeeze test. In a supermarket display case of briskets you can poke or squeeze the meat and feel undeniable differences in muscle firmness and density.

Flopping can be affected as you said by fat cap thickness and the thickness of the flat. I also suspect that the tightness of the cryo pack can affect it.
Q-Dat is offline   Reply With Quote


Thanks from:--->
Old 03-04-2013, 09:00 PM   #4
El Ropo
Quintessential Chatty Farker
 
El Ropo's Avatar
 
Join Date: 10-06-10
Location: Austin, TX
Name/Nickname : Roger
Default

I would think a tender brisket with an unusually thick flat might not pass a flop test.
__________________
22.5" WSM nicknamed Fuel Hog! Rescued 22.5" OTS. 18.5" OTS. SJS Mini-WSM. Building UDS ver 2.0. HEB briqs (rebranded Royal Oak). Pecan/Hickory/Cherry/Apple/Peach woods.

2016 Fuji Absolute 2.0 LE (for burning off all the great BBQ)
El Ropo is offline   Reply With Quote


Old 03-04-2013, 09:12 PM   #5
BBQ Bandit
Babbling Farker
 
BBQ Bandit's Avatar
 
Join Date: 02-15-08
Location: Harrisburg, PA
Default

Never had much success bending it while still in the cryovac.
Wound up buying basing on size, trim, and marbling.
__________________
Custom Klose Backyard Chef... of Snot, and a 22.5 WSM

Former smokers;
Lang 84 Deluxe kitchen, Lang 60 Mobile - The Damsel II, Lang 48 Patio - The Damsel, Bubba Keg Grill - RIP, Double Barrel Smoker and a BSKD
BBQ Bandit is offline   Reply With Quote


Old 03-04-2013, 09:34 PM   #6
Happy Hapgood
somebody shut me the fark up.

 
Happy Hapgood's Avatar
 
Join Date: 03-17-12
Location: Shreveport, Louisiana
Name/Nickname : Mike
Default

I'm into grade. Night and day. Prime = No. Choice = Yes.

Alot of time and effort involved in my world to do a good brisket. Bigabyte has a killer thread on the subject. But to me, it all starts with the quality of the cut.

I'm sure there are folks here that can make any cut tender but I can not. Choice has the marbling as Bandit says.
__________________
Cooking Equipment:
Weber WSM, Weber GA, Weber Spirit E-310, Weber 22" OTG
Charbroil Oilless Turkey Fryer
Wife LuzziAnn 1956 model.
Ink Bird IBBQ 4T Wi-Fi Temp Monitor, Superfast LSU Purple Thermapen & ThermaPop, Party Q
Ink Bird Sous Vide, HF Flame Thower

My Motto these days is "Low Stress, Low Drag".

The Artist Formally Known as Toast


Happy Hapgood is offline   Reply With Quote


Old 03-04-2013, 10:25 PM   #7
Bludawg
somebody shut me the fark up.
 
Bludawg's Avatar
 
Join Date: 07-04-09
Location: Jonesboro,Tx
Default

In my experience I don't think it makes much difference, When I pick out my briskets I look for a blunt point and uniform thickness end to end. I will pick a choice over a select all things being equal.if the price is roughly the same. To be honest some of the best briskets I have cooked have been select. Grading on a brisket don't mean much because cows are graded between the 4th & 5th rib, the more the cow moves around the leaner the brisket is going to be(marbling) because that muscle is exercised more than the muscles where it is graded.
__________________
I'm a Proxy Vegetarian> Cows eat grass & I eat cows.
Bludawg is offline   Reply With Quote


Thanks from:--->
Old 03-04-2013, 11:07 PM   #8
bigabyte
somebody shut me the fark up.
 
bigabyte's Avatar
 
Join Date: 05-10-06
Location: Overland Fark, KS
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by landarc View Post
I do it, but, I do have some questions about it.

For instance, if there is a fat cap of some thickness, it is less flexible. A floppy raw brisket might also mean a thin flat.
This. The test is legit, but a thick fat cap will make even a tender brisket appear rigid while in cryo. All that said however, any brisket floppy in cry is tender, guaranteed. Another "gotcha" is how tightly wrapped in cryo it is. It is possible for even a floppy brisket to appear rigid depending on the factor of how tightly "sucked in" it is. Hope that makes sense. When all is said and done though...if it is in cryo, and is floppy, it's tender. But a lot of the unfloppy ones MIGHT also be tender.

So pick the one that looks best to you. Not floppiness.

Make sense yet? Confused yet?

Good!
__________________
Asshattatron Farkanaut, CGCFO
Chief Galactic Crockpot Foil Officer
Certified MOINK Baller & IMBAS Certified MOINK Ball Judge #0003 - Are you MOINK Certified?
Sole recipient of the Silverfinger and fingerlickin Awards!

Don't forget about the Throwdown Thingies!
The Secret Squirrel Society doesn't exist - Zero Club



Duh.
bigabyte is offline   Reply With Quote


2 members found this post helpful.
Thanks from: --->
Old 03-05-2013, 12:06 AM   #9
Q-Dat
Babbling Farker
 
Join Date: 12-03-08
Location: Pearl River LA
Default Re: The Raw Brisket Flop Test For Tenderness

Quote:
Originally Posted by bigabyte View Post
This. The test is legit, but a thick fat cap will make even a tender brisket appear rigid while in cryo. All that said however, any brisket floppy in cry is tender, guaranteed. Another "gotcha" is how tightly wrapped in cryo it is. It is possible for even a floppy brisket to appear rigid depending on the factor of how tightly "sucked in" it is. Hope that makes sense. When all is said and done though...if it is in cryo, and is floppy, it's tender. But a lot of the unfloppy ones MIGHT also be tender.

So pick the one that looks best to you. Not floppiness.

Make sense yet? Confused yet?

Good!
I do think the squeeze/poke test I mentioned above gets around some of the flaws of the flop/bend test.
Q-Dat is offline   Reply With Quote


Old 03-05-2013, 12:49 AM   #10
landarc
somebody shut me the fark up.
 
Join Date: 06-26-09
Location: sAn leAnDRo, CA
Default

I note that this is in Q-talk and not Comp. For backyard cooking I think you can choose just about any brisket and have a reasonable chance at getting a good brisket out of your efforts. To that end, I buy Choice if its there, but, it doesn't worry me to buy Select as Bludawg pointed out, the grading is not too important. If the cryovac is loose, I will do a flop test and a close visual check for a nice thick flat. If it is tight, I poke at it. In the end, it's a guess.

I will say, that the store makes a difference. Over the past two years, I feel that Cash and Carry has provided me with the better packers once the cooking is done
__________________
[COLOR=DarkGreen][COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]me: I don't drink anymore

Yelonutz: me either, but, then again, I don't drink any less
[/SIZE][/COLOR][/COLOR][SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed]
[COLOR=Pink]SSS[/COLOR]
[/COLOR][/SIZE]
landarc is offline   Reply With Quote


Old 03-05-2013, 11:32 AM   #11
hmbrewr
Knows what a fatty is.
 
Join Date: 07-13-10
Location: Modesto Ca.
Default

X2 on Cash and Carry. Smart & Final also. I think they are owned by the same parent company. But I'm not positive. Never had a bad one from either place.
hmbrewr is offline   Reply With Quote


Old 03-05-2013, 12:22 PM   #12
Q-Dat
Babbling Farker
 
Join Date: 12-03-08
Location: Pearl River LA
Default Re: The Raw Brisket Flop Test For Tenderness

I know this. With all of the fat that I have had to trim off of packers lately, I am really questioning how much money I am actually saving vs buying trimmed packers like CAB
Q-Dat is offline   Reply With Quote


Old 03-05-2013, 02:03 PM   #13
SDAR
Quintessential Chatty Farker
 
Join Date: 09-20-11
Location: Ohio
Name/Nickname : Allen
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Toast View Post
I'm into grade. Night and day. Prime = No. Choice = Yes.

Alot of time and effort involved in my world to do a good brisket. Bigabyte has a killer thread on the subject. But to me, it all starts with the quality of the cut.

I'm sure there are folks here that can make any cut tender but I can not. Choice has the marbling as Bandit says.
Prime = No? over Choice?

I guess I don't understand this if marbling matters. I've been buying some primes and man are they good! I say this even if the grade is at the ribs...seems like the chance for true marbling goes up significantly.
SDAR is offline   Reply With Quote


Old 03-05-2013, 02:18 PM   #14
jmoney7269
Banned
 
jmoney7269's Avatar
 
Join Date: 02-07-11
Location: brenham, texas
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Toast View Post
I'm into grade. Night and day. Prime = No. Choice = Yes.

Alot of time and effort involved in my world to do a good brisket. Bigabyte has a killer thread on the subject. But to me, it all starts with the quality of the cut.

I'm sure there are folks here that can make any cut tender but I can not. Choice has the marbling as Bandit says.
I never had much luck with primes either. Not even the strube brand wagyu. I like the. CAB national packers 16-18 lbs
jmoney7269 is offline   Reply With Quote


Old 03-05-2013, 02:21 PM   #15
Haveuseen1?
Full Fledged Farker
 
Join Date: 08-10-12
Location: North Alabama
Default

It seems around here that all of the stores carry EXCEL brand briskets. Kroger, Publix, Star Market, Wal Mart, Sams, all carry EXCEL brand briskets. You can find Select, Choice and Prime. That being said, around here I am not sure it would make any difference where you bought one. You would have to determine what grade, and finally which brisket you feel is the best. I dont put much faith in the flop method, and I'm not sure I would put much faith in the squeeze method. Kroger freezes their briskets, and all of them might. So if you squeezed one that had not fully thawed out you might think it was firmer than one that had fully thawed. I look at the size, shape, and marble. Then I pick what I believe is the best available. If I were to cook one that I thought was questionable from the start, I would bet I would be more critical of that one.
Haveuseen1? is offline   Reply With Quote


Reply

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


Forum Custom Search: Enter your Search text below. GOOGLE will search ONLY the BBQ Brethren Forum.
Custom search MAY not work(no display box) in some configurations of Internet Explorer. Please use compliant version of Firefox or Chrome.







All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:10 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
2003 -2012 © BBQ-Brethren Inc. All rights reserved. All Content and Flaming Pig Logo are registered and protected under U.S and International Copyright and Trademarks. Content Within this Website Is Property of BBQ Brethren Inc. Reproduction or alteration is strictly prohibited.
no new posts