Brisket...finding the grain after cooking
shipwreck
that sometimes it sweeps lengthwise, but also at an angle. Does
anyone else have this issue?
After cooking, is there an easy test to find the grain so I can keep
cutting across it?
Jesse Skeens
i just finished my first brisket. whats the reason for cutting across the
grain?
Danny Hardesty
"shipwreck" <rpm...@ix.netcom.com> wrote in message
news:n7ngkvsong2g5boaj...@4ax.com...
The meat cutters at one barbecue joint I frequent in Austin, Texas (Rudy's)
cut off the fat cap as they slice a brisket to feed the customer. Try that
as then you will easily see which way the grain runs in the meat.
Danny Hardesty
Edwin Pawlowski
"Jesse Skeens" <med...@cfl.rr.com> wrote in message
>
> i just finished my first brisket. whats the reason for cutting across the
> grain?
>
>
If you cut with the grain, the meat will be stringy and chewy. People cut
beef that way to make jerky, but not for normal eating.
Brisket take a little more attention to keep cutting across the grain. I
tart at a corner of the flat. When I get to the point I remove it and cut as
needed on it. FYI, the flat is one muscle, the point is another that is
attached to it at an angle, thus the grain problems.
Ed
George B. Ross
If you lay out your hunk of meat with the point away from you
and the bare end of the flat towards you, you will see the
sides are about parallel. Look at the edge closest to you.
One corner will stick out towards you a little more than the
other corner. If you start carving by cutting this corner
off at a 45 degree angle, you will be pretty close to cutting
across the grain for the flat. If you have trouble finding
this corner after smoking, try clipping the corner before
putting the rub on your brisket so you will have a better
idea where to start.
The brisket I get (Excel cryovac) tend to be this way. Yours
may vary.
My personal preference for carving a brisket is as follows.
Note: I cook with the fat cap up, and rarely trim any of the
fat cap as it comes from the store.
After letting the meat rest for 45-60 minutes I lay it out
fat cap up on a jelly roll pan. I have 3 containers arranged
around the pan and the carving board. One for the slices,
one for fat and other discard, and one for the ugly bits that
are good for sandwiches, chili, tacos, etc.
I can usually spot the dividing layer of fat between the
point and the flat by eye as a little crevice running the
length of the brisket on the side. If not, probe the side
with a knife until you locate a soft section that the knife
easily penetrates. Slide a large chef's knife in and
stop/retreat when you feel resistance. Keep probing the fat
division with the knife until the point is completely
separated from the flat. The point can then be removed in one
piece and set aside for later carving. Do this by lifting
the point up slightly with the knife, slide the flat onto a
carving board, leaving the point to rest in the pan. The fat
layer makes this easier than it sounds.
The flat will still have some fat on the non-point end and
extra trimmings on the point end that may have gotten missed
when removing the point. Trim the fat and extra bits off the
flat to leave a slab of meat that is somewhat rectangular in
shape and about 1 to 1.5 inches in thickness. You can safely
ignore the bottom of the flat, as there is nothing to trim
there.
Find the starting corner as described above and start cutting
at a 45 degree angle. I usually trim the corner while the
brisket is still on the smoker. After checking for fork
tender, I will slice the corner off to see the smoke ring and
test flavor and moistness. That little corner is a slice of
heaven; crispy (always), juicy (usually), smokey (always) all
in one. If you did a good job removing the fat from the
flat, you can see the grain (long strands) of the flat and
cut across the grain for the entire length of the flat.
Carve the flat in slices that best suit the level of
tenderness and moistness for this particular beast. Thinner
for tougher, thicker for more tender. You want slices that
hold together, but can be cut with the side of a fork.
Now turn your attention to the point. It is a bit harder to
carve nicely as the grain runs funny and it is likely to be
very juicy. Flip it over to expose the side where the flat
was removed. Trim any of the remaining fat that divided the
flat from the point. You may find a section that calls to be
carved off and sliced separately. After trimming, flip the
point back to the fat cap side. I just follow my nose here
and probe with the knife at first to find fatty sections
under the rub/crust. Once the fat is removed, you will have
another slab of meat that is juicier than the flat and will
probably need to be sliced a little thicker in order to hold
together. Again, if you have done a good job removing the
fat, the grain of the meat can be easily seen. Follow the
grain and slice across it as best as you can.
This procedure leaves me with a pan of nice slices (flat and
point), a large bowl of fat scraps, and a smaller bowl of
ugly bits (crispy pieces from flat, fatty pieces from point).
--
George B. Ross is grossOB...@ionasoftware.com
remove the obvious bit for email
Why is it that being a good boy and being good at being
a boy don't require the same set of skills? - anonymous
shipwreck
<amo...@columbus.rr.com> wrote:
>
>ok here is a little cheat thing that I tell new people to cooking brisket..
>
>While the meat is raw an you can see the grain of the meat... take two tooth
>picks and line up the grain of the meat
>as tho you where going to cut it along the line between the two tooth
>picks...
>
>Cook the meat an then cut across the tooth picks an there you go perfect
>slice
George and David,
Thanks for the help guys. Very discriptive...I'll definitly try a bit
of both. George, you should make a demo video and sell it.
Thanks again ya'll.
Gary
Louis Cohen
know where to slice when it is done.
If you forget, guess, make one slice, and if you guess wrong, use that slice
in beans or chili.
If you cook a packer-cut brisket, the grain in the point will be different
from the flat. If a slice goes wrong, well, it's just one slice.
--
Regards
Louis Cohen
Living la vida loca at N37° 43' 7.9" W122° 8' 42.8"
"shipwreck" <rpm...@ix.netcom.com> wrote in message
news:n7ngkvsong2g5boaj...@4ax.com...
CHL
> The meat cutters at one barbecue joint I frequent in Austin, Texas (Rudy's)
> cut off the fat cap as they slice a brisket to feed the customer. Try that
> as then you will easily see which way the grain runs in the meat.
Ahh..... My personal favorite! Rudy's.... BBQ at a gas station...
Been to Austin many times and I think it's better than the County Line
or the Salt Lick.
Danny Hardesty
"CHL" <le...@excite.com> wrote in message
news:9de8f6cb.03082...@posting.google.com...
Rudys briskets are great, the only beef, so to speak, that I have with them
is that their dipping sauce is too peppery for my tastes. However, it is far
superior to the junk dipping sauce Cooper's offers in Llano. Another great
brisket joint in Austin is Texas Rib-King, up at 183 and Burnet Road. The
Rib-King's dipping sauce is excellent too, not too mild or intrusive, just
right.
I thought about taking my personal home-made dipping sauce to Rudys or
Coopers but that might be a little much.
Danny Hardesty
Jack Sloan
>
> "CHL sauce is too peppery for my tastes. However, it is far
> superior to the junk dipping sauce Cooper's offers in Llano.
Well, there ya go. That's why they make chocolate and vanilla...I like the
vinegary sauce at Coopers better than any of the places you mention (though
I haven't been to ribking).
Jack
F.G. Whitfurrows
I decided after this morning that the way to do it is to slice it nicely til
ya get frustrated then just start butcherin' the hell outta the gawl darned
thing cause its just gonna get et anyway!
But I may feel differently tomorrow.
--
Fosco Gamgee Whitfurrows
and his 6" boner
Brick
Amen
Brick