A Guide To Smoking A Brisket

The problem most people have with brisket is that it’s a tough cut of meat. This makes it perfect for low and slow cooking. Selecting the right brisket from the butcher shop and preparing it properly will set you up for success well before you even fire up your smoker.

Meat selection is everything. If you want an outstanding brisket you have to start with quality meat. Understanding the different grades of meat, what to look for, and how to select the perfect cut is a crucial part of producing great-tasting brisket. 

You will want to start with at least a choice grade. Choice grade has good marbling (fat) in the meat. Fat adds flavor and helps keep the brisket moist during the cooking process. The fat also helps the meat stay nice and tender.

Tips for Selecting a Brisket

• Buying a whole packer brisket lets you have full control over the trimming process.
• When selecting your brisket look for marbling in the meat and a thick flat so the leaner part will cook at almost the same rate as the larger point.
• Look for USDA Choice, Prime or Certified Angus Beef
• Look for meat that is hormone and antibiotic free and certified natural and humane

The Three Most Common Beef Grades (from highest to lowest level of marbling)

• Prime – Highest quality and most intramuscular fat or marbling
• Choice – Most widely available, less marbling than prime
• Select – Leanest of the commonly available grades, not as juicy or tender

Parts of a Brisket

There are essentially 4 parts to an intact, whole brisket:

• Flat Cut

One end of your brisket is thinner and flatter than the other, with a more uniform square edge. This is the flat cut of your brisket.

The flat cut of the brisket is made up of the deep pectoral muscle known as the pectoralis profundi. It is a rectangular piece of meat and is the most common cut to see in the meat aisle. It’s often labeled as “brisket” when sold on its own.

The flat cut is larger than the point and makes up most of a whole brisket. It is a popular choice because it cooks up evenly without much fuss. It’s very easy to cut attractive slices from a brisket flat, and the meat delivers a tasty amount of bark along the edges of the slices.

Since the flat cut is thinner and less fatty than the point, it usually reaches its ideal temperature sooner. It’s also a more uniform shape than the irregular point cut, which makes for a nicer presentation.

The downside to the flat cut is that the meat is leaner and has less fat marbled throughout than the point cut. It is easier to overcook, and if you smoke it for too long it may resemble brisket jerky. That’s one reason I prefer to trim my briskets at home, so there’s enough fat cap remaining to keep my flat cut moist.

• Point Cut

The other end of your brisket is smaller, rounded and up to several inches thicker than the flat end. This is the point cut of your brisket.

The irregular point cut is made up of the pectoralis superficialis muscles. The point partially overlaps the flat cut, and they are separated by a thick layer of fat and connective tissue called the deckle.

Contrary to the rumors on the Internet, the point cut IS NOT the deckle (see below)!

Even when trimmed, the point cut has a lot more fat than the flat cut and often cooks up incredibly juicy. It is a harder cut to smoke evenly because it varies from a half-inch up to several inches in thickness. It usually takes longer to cook than the flat, which can be tough when you’re making an entire brisket.

When smoking a whole brisket, folks often pull the brisket when the flat cut reaches the ideal temperature. Then they separate the point cut and return it to the smoker to finish cooking solo.

This is a great way to balance the needs of the different cuts without cooking them entirely apart and helps the flat cut stay juicier. If you toss your point cut back onto your smoker you can turn it into another BBQ favorite- burnt ends!

• The Fat Cap

When you look at a packer brisket, you’ll see one side is covered in a deep layer of fat. This is the fat cap of the brisket. This cap covers the meat from the flat cut all the way to the point. The fat cap is typically about an inch or so thick.

The fat cap is made up of both soft and hard fats, which react differently to the heat inside the smoker. The soft fat may render out if the layer isn’t too thick, but the hard fat never does.

You’ll want to trim the fat cap of your brisket to between ¼ and ⅛ of an inch in thickness and remove most of the hard fat from the point end. This will leave your brisket enough fat to stay moist and juicy without preventing the bark from developing.

• The Deckle

If you follow the line of fat dividing the flat and point cuts on an untrimmed brisket, you’ll eventually come to a big swirl of fat and cartilage. This is the deckle.

The deckle is the part that anchors the brisket to the rib cage of the steer. It is a thick layer of fat and tissue that divides the flat and point cuts and holds them together. It does not render out in the smoker, so you definitely want to trim it away.

Once removed, your brisket will lie flatter and the point end won’t be quite as thick as it was. This will help your brisket cook evenly in your smoker and makes it very easy to separate the cuts at the end of the smoking session.

Nearly all packer briskets sold in the US are deckle-free or “whole brisket deckle-off.” So you likely won’t even have to bother trimming it away. If you happen to buy a packer with the deckle still intact, definitely trim it out.