Trimming brisket

eagle697 said:

I have seen several threads that mention pre-trimming brisket before it is cooked so it fits the box better without trimming after you cook. Do you just trim off the sides or cut with the grain so the slices will go against it? any pics, links or help greatly appreciated.

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CivilWarBBQ said:

We use disposable cutting boards at contests that have a rule printed on them. Makes it a snap to ensure your brisket will fit the box!

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MilitantSquatter said:

I've not done it this way as I trim pretty aggressively from all sides, but I understand what you are saying... If you only cut straight up/down you mightl end up making the brisket narrower but only really end up potentially trimming small portions of the flat slices that will go in the box.

You really have to look at each brisket differently and assess which way the grain in running and ideally where your slices are going to come from..

Then.. if you want to be like Sledneck, bust out a 1" x 30' Stanley Fat Max tape measure and find the sweet spot picture frame section and measure approximately the width of that area and cut it down to approximately the size of the turn in box width...

if you do this, just be sure to account for and borders you may have in the box from garnish, and if you position slices horizontally or diagonally and

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BBQNUTT said:

So when you trim a brisket do you just trim it to fit the box or do you also trim the thickness of the meat to make each slice as rectangular as possible?

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HeSmellsLikeSmoke said:

Anyone have a rule of thumb of how much to allow for cooking shrinkage for the length of the slice?

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