My brisket trim used to be a total hack job until I watched a class in Kansas City

For years, I'd just cut off the big fat cap and call it good... leaving way too much on and getting these tough, greasy slices. I was at a class in Kansas City about six months ago, and the instructor spent a full hour just on trimming. He showed us how to find the seam between the flat and the point to separate that deckle fat, and to really round off the edges so they don't burn. I tried it his way on my next cook, and it added maybe 45 minutes to my prep, but wow. The smoke got into the meat better, the fat rendered way more, and I finally got those clean, bendy slices you see in pictures. Has anyone else had a single tip that totally fixed a part of your process you didn't even know was broken?

3 comments

3 Comments

cameronb521mo ago

That Franklin Barbecue trimming video on YouTube changed my whole approach to the fat cap.

andrew7781mo agoMost Upvoted

Ever wonder if that super thin trim he does only works because of his specific smokers and the crazy amount of humidity in his pits? I tried it once on my old offset and the meat dried out way too fast... it felt like the fat cap was all that was left to protect it. Maybe the method needs to match your own gear and weather, not just the video.

mark_cooper19d ago

@andrew778 makes a good point about gear matching the method. The thing nobody talks about though is your wood choice and how wet it is. If you're running something like hickory or oak that burns hot and clean, that thin trim works fine because the bark isn't fighting you. But running a wetter wood like pecan or fruitwood that steams more, you actually want that extra fat cap to buffer against the cleaner, faster burn. I saw a noticeable difference when I switched from apple to post oak on my trim job. Totally changed how the bark set too.