Grizzly'sBBQ

Brisket

The brisket comes from the chest area of the cow. Although every meat animal has a "brisket", the term is most commonly used to refer to beef or sometimes veal. A whole brisket is comprised of two separate and distinct muscles; the lean "Flat Cut" and the fattier "Point" or "Deckle". The fat "veins" which run through the meat is called "Marbling". The thick fatty plate on one side is called the "Fat Cap" and there will also be a layer of fat between the Flat and the Point. If you look closely you will also notice that the grain of the Flat runs different then that of the Point. A whole untrimmed brisket containing both the Point and the Flat is usually called a "Packers Cut".

How to Pick out a good brisket

If you are looking to BBQ and smoke a brisket there are a few things you should keep in mind.

• Fat is VERY important when you are cooking "Low and Slow". Even though those nice looking highly trimmed Flats look very appealing, avoid them, unless you want to cook it in a crockpot, stove or by the "Hot and Fast" method.

• Although an untrimmed packer has quite a bit more fat on it, you will find that they are also quite a bit cheaper in price. It also gives you the opportunity to trim as much or as little of the fat you want.

• Remember what I said earlier....when cooking low and slow, fat is our friend. It will provide the wonderful flavor we are looking for and more importantly it will provide the moisture needed to keep the meat from drying out over several hours of cooking.

• Choose a cut of meat with nice marbling through out. You should have at least a 1/2" fat cap, anything more then that can be trimmed off.

• While trimming the fat, trim only along the surface. Do not dig down and gouge out deep pockets of fat. If the very tip of the point is fairly thin, cut it off since it will burn anyway.

• The vast majority of the fat, especially in the marbling will melt off during the long cook.

• Be aware of the USDA grading scale of meat:

Grades are based on the amount of marbling in the meat and the age of the animal. Marbling is the flecks and streaks of white fat you find distributed throughout the meat. In general, the higher the degree of marbling, the more tender, juicy, and flavorable the meat will be. Consequently, higher grade meats come at a higher cost. Age also plays in an important part. Beef is best in flavor and texture when cattle are between 18 and 24 months old, so the grading favors younger animals. The top 3 distinct grades of beef recognized by the USDA. In order of descending quality they are:

• Prime
• Choice
• Select