Pro tip: Stop trimming your brisket fat down to 1/4 inch before you even smoke it

I keep seeing competition videos where people shave that fat cap down to nothing before the meat even hits the smoker. I get that you want a good bark, but going that thin right away means you've got no buffer when that fat starts rendering. I learned this the hard way at a local comp in Austin last June, my brisket came out dry on one side because I trimmed too aggressive. Now I leave it at a solid half inch, let it cook for 4 hours, then trim off the excess after the fat has softened up and you can actually see where it's gonna go. Has anyone else switched to a two-stage trim like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

robin8363d ago

That thing about leaving a half inch and trimming after 4 hours - honestly, you're cooking the fat off first before you even see where it's at. Tbh, the fat cap doesn't really start rendering until internal temp hits around 160-170, so four hours in you might just be trimming cold fat that hasn't changed much yet. I made that mistake at a competition in Fort Worth last fall, trimmed too early and lost my buffer exactly like you said. Instead of time, I wait until the brisket hits 175 internal, then I go in and knock off whatever's loose. Ngl, that two-stage method works way better if you go by temp not the clock.

troyp373d ago

Whoa wait, you actually wait until 175 internal before trimming? That's wild to me, @robin836! I mean, I get the logic behind it, but damn, that's a long time to just let it ride without touching it. I would be nervous the fat cap would just slide off or something if I waited that long. My method of 4 hours is purely a guess based on when I think the fat has started to soften, but hearing you go by temp makes total sense now. I'm definitely going to try that next weekend, I hate when I shave too much off and end up with a dry edge. The buffer is everything, man, you can't get it back once it's gone.