Cutting brisket in half for cook?

[TexasGuppie]

"We're gonna need a bigger boat..."
Richard Dreyfuss as he contemplated how he was gonna fit that fish in his smoker.

Ken (always tryin' to help)

 

[ThomEmery]

Dont cut em If you REALLY had to the thick end or point is where your Burnt ends are coming from so that would be the end The Flat I used to cut the corner off exposes the grain to fit in the WSM The BDS folds em as well as the Klose

 

[kcquer]

where in the brisket do i put the temp probe?

I always put the probe in the portion of the flat that lies under the point. Make sure you don't get the probe in the fat layer between the two, but in the flat itself.

I don't know how familiar you are with the parts of a whole brisket, but in case you're not.... the point is a wedge shaped cut that overlaps the flat. Once cooked, you should cut the flat and point apart so you can see how the parts are oriented. When cooked, separating the two cuts is easy, along the edge, you'll find a crease of fat, using a dull knife (this will cut only the fat and not the meat of either cut) cut into the fat layer that divides the two, as long as you're cutting fat you're doing it right. Keep in mind that the point is wedge shaped and the edge that overlays the flat tapers to a very thin end. The flat should be sliced across the grain, the point is best chopped into cubes that are commonly called burnt ends.

Happy Eating!!!

 

[bbqinNC]

FWIW it is worth, I have done 3 briskets now, and I have cut all three of them in half. This allows me to pull the flat half off before the point half. What the folks are saying is true though, it will shrink up quite a bit....., just like George when he got out of the water.

 

[RichardF]

hang them...

 

[Jorge]

If you have an empty tomato juice can etc. drape the brisket over that. After there as been enough shrinkage feel free to remove ( punch holes in it if you are worried about the smoke not getting to that part of the meat). Worked well enough for the 18 lb. brisket I used it on. If you have a rib rack as kcquer suggested that is preferable to allow more smoke etc..