By Christie Vanover | Revealed March 16, 2023 | Final Up to date March 16, 2023
Award-winning pitmaster Christie Vanover shares the best way to separate a brisket level and flat on this step-by-step picture + video tutorial.
That is the approach that she has been utilizing for years to compete and win on the competitors BBQ circuit.
Why it’s best to separate the brisket flat from the purpose
A complete packer brisket is made up of the flat muscle and the purpose muscle. The flat reduce is a leaner piece of beef; whereas the purpose reduce comprises much more marbling and better fats content material.
Whilst you can cook dinner a brisket entire, it’s acceptable (and my choice) to cook dinner the 2 totally different muscular tissues individually. I all the time separate once I’m smoking a higher-graded brisket.
If you happen to maintain the meat brisket collectively, you run the danger of drying out the brisket flat earlier than you get all the brisket level marbling to render. To keep away from this, pitmasters cook dinner at decrease temperatures.
I, alternatively, prefer to cook dinner my brisket hot and fast at temperatures starting from 275-325F levels, particularly once I’m smoking wagyu-grade beef for BBQ competitions.
If you happen to’d prefer to maintain your complete brisket entire, comply with this How to Trim a Brisket tutorial. In any other case, comply with alongside as I present you the best way to separate the brisket flat from the purpose.
PRO TIP: This text walks you thru the separation course of all the best way to a contest brisket trim. If you happen to’re smoking a brisket in your yard, you don’t must be as aggressive on the trim. I’ll clarify the stopping level within the steps under.
Tools wanted to trim a brisket
- Knife Sharpener: Earlier than you begin trimming your brisket, sharpen your knives. I take advantage of an F. Dick Rapid Steel Action knife sharpener. I realized about it from my buddy Richard Fergola, a world-champion pitmaster.
- Butcher’s Knife: For me, the very best knife for trimming brisket is my Cutco Butcher’s Knife. The arched, pointed blade permits me the dexterity to work with the meat, and it’s hefty sufficient to deal with the large chunks of fats.
- Boning or Fillet Knife: For my secondary knife, I take advantage of the Cutco Boning Knife. This knife permits me to do the extra detailed trimming like eradicating the membrane from the flat.
- Massive Chopping Board: Be sure to have a cutting board that’s giant sufficient to deal with a brisket. One that’s 16 x 20 inches often works. I take advantage of disposable reducing boards which have a grid sample on them. The grid features a heart sq. that represents the scale of a contest turn-in-box.
- Pan or Bowl: Lastly, you’ll want a sheet pan or a few bowls the place you’ll place your trimmings.
- Scissors: If you happen to’re trimming a contest brisket, you’ll desire a good pair of scissors to trim the perimeters.
Deciding on a contest brisket
If you happen to’re following this tutorial since you’re all for competitors barbecue, I like to recommend cooking the highest-grade brisket your finances permits.
The brisket I cooked once I took fifth place on the earth at The Jack was a Snake River Farms Wagyu Gold Brisket weighing in at round 20 kilos.
This close-up image reveals the extent of marbling you get with a Wagyu gold-grade brisket.
The way to separate the brisket level from the flat
Be certain your brisket is as chilly as doable, however not frozen. Begin by eradicating the brisket from the packaging. Discard any liquid and pat it dry with a number of paper towels.
Within the footage under, the flat muscle is on the left. It’s laying on prime of the purpose muscle, which is on the proper.
Use the butcher knife to trim away the aspect edges and the sting close to the purpose finish of the brisket. Then, take away the surplus onerous fats resting on prime of the purpose meat.
There’s a fats seam that runs between the flat and level muscular tissues. Use your knife to attain the fats seam. That’s your information for the separation.
Observe that information gently along with your knife. Proceed slicing between the 2 muscular tissues making an attempt to remain throughout the fats. If you happen to begin to expose pink meat, decelerate and modify as wanted.
It helps should you raise the flat portion along with your non-cutting hand whereas slicing with the opposite.
You wish to keep away from reducing into the flat muscle, so do your finest to maintain your knife nearer to the purpose. If a number of the level muscle finally ends up on the flat aspect, that’s okay.
Congratulations. You might have efficiently separated the purpose from the flat.
If you can be smoking this brisket in your yard, take away the underside fats layer from every muscle in order that it’s just one/4 inch thick.
Take away the silver pores and skin from the flat muscle and take away the surplus onerous fats from the highest of the purpose muscle.
There is no such thing as a must trim any extra aggressively than this. If nevertheless, you’re smoking brisket for a BBQ competitors, maintain studying.
Video: Separating the flat from the purpose
Trimming a brisket flat for competitors BBQ
When delivering competitors BBQ, pitmasters are required to place six items of brisket in a 9-inch styrofoam field. We will flip in six slices from the flat, six cubes from the purpose or a mix of each.
We solely cook dinner as a lot brisket as we have to to create the proper brisket slices and cubes. That focus offers us probably the most management.
We’re allowed to trim our competitors meat earlier than we arrive on the cook dinner website. We simply can’t season it or inject it in any means.
I’m going to start out with the flat muscle, since slices are the commonest entry.
You need your brisket slices to be so long as doable, in order that they fill the field. For this reason I take advantage of this particular reducing board. It reveals me the scale of the field.
Begin by eradicating the proper nook, slicing it in opposition to the grain. That is the aspect that was not related to the purpose.
Subsequent, take away the aspect the place the meat is fairly skinny.
Flip the brisket round, and sq. up the opposite aspect. This time, you might be reducing the aspect that the purpose muscle was related to.
Once more, you wish to slice in opposition to the grain as a result of this may assist information you when reducing your cooked brisket slices.
Subsequent, sq. up the highest and backside sides, in order that the brisket is simply in regards to the width of the field. Then, sq. up the proper and left edges once more to make it as uniform as doable.
Now that the meat is squared up, it’s time to take away the surplus fats cap on the underside.
If in case you have a very giant layer of fats like pictured under, merely slice that off. Then, flip the brisket over.
Use your knife to take away the surplus fats, making an attempt to not reduce into any pink meat.
If you happen to see some pink meat uncovered, like what’s pictured on the proper, it should seemingly be from the purpose muscle. That is what was left over through the separation. It’s okay if that’s uncovered as a result of there may be nonetheless a skinny layer of fats beneath it.
PRO TIP: Save the fats trimmings to make Beef Tallow. I take advantage of tallow in my brisket wrap and to make biscuits and pie crust. It’s additionally nice for cooking up smash burgers.
Flip the brisket again over to take away any extra silver pores and skin that rests on the meat.
Use a pointy fillet knife. Pierce the knife tip below the silver pores and skin. Then, raise the brisket with one hand as you slide the knife down. These trimmings can all be discarded.
For the ultimate step, (and that is non-obligatory) take a pair of scissors to wash up the perimeters.
Wrap the trimmed flat part of the brisket tightly in plastic wrap and place it within the fridge or freezer, till you’re prepared to go to the competitors.
Trimming a brisket level for competitors BBQ
The brisket level is the a part of the brisket burnt ends come from. These are sq. nuggets of beef which are rendered down and coated with barbecue sauce.
I often flip in burnt ends throughout competitions, however many pitmasters don’t, as a result of they’re straightforward to mess up should you don’t render the fats and connective tissue correctly.
Right here is the untrimmed brisket level that we faraway from the flat.
If you happen to check out the purpose from the aspect, you’ll see that the meat within the center is surrounded by two layers of fats.
The highest layer is the intramuscular fats seam that was resting between the flat and level muscular tissues. This complete thick layer of layer must be eliminated.
For the underside layer of fats that continues to be, flip the muscle over and trim it so it’s solely about 1/4-inch thick.
For competitors barbecue, look is vital. A part of look contains uniformity and the purpose muscle just isn’t uniform.
Lay the meat flat and have a look at its thickness. One aspect could have a hump. Take your knife and take away that hump so the complete piece of meat is pretty even.
It will assist guarantee your whole burnt ends are the identical peak.
Then, similar to we did with the flat muscle, sq. up the perimeters and trim away any extra fats or silver pores and skin from the highest.
The ultimate brisket trim outcomes
As soon as your competitors brisket is absolutely trimmed, it’s best to have a superbly formed flat and level muscle together with a number of trimmings that can be utilized to make beef tallow and floor brisket.
Dice these trimmings up and freeze them till you’re prepared to make use of them at a later date.
Now you’re able to smoke your brisket. You possibly can comply with my No-Fail Way to Make Smoked Brisket, which is a gradual and low methodology or my Hot and Fast Brisket cooking course of.
Video: Competitors Brisket Trimming
GCG Professional Pitmaster Suggestions
- Begin with a chilly brisket
- Use a pointy knife and resharpen it all through the trimming course of
- Use the fats seam as your information to separate the flat and level
- End with a light-weight trim for a yard cook dinner or an aggressive trim for competitors BBQ
Regularly Requested Questions
A full packer brisket comprises two brisket muscular tissues with totally different quantities of marbling. Separating the flat from the purpose lets you higher management the evenness of how they cook dinner.
It additionally reduces cooking time somewhat bit since you’re beginning with smaller items.
It’s finest to trim brisket when the meat is chilly. This makes it extra sturdy and permits your knife to glide simply alongside the meat and fats. If the meat sits at room temperature for too lengthy, it turns into too delicate.
Don’t throw your brisket trimmings away. You paid for them. Save the meat trimmings to make ground brisket and save the fats trimmings to make beef tallow.
