The fat cap

[GM Platter]

When smoking an untrimmed packer brisket, how much of the fat cap do y'all trim off?

I've tried it a number of ways - from basically leaving it to cutting out so much of it I separated the point from the flat.

I did not like the results of leaving the fat cap virtually untrimmed - meat too spongy. When I separated the point from the flat - too dry.

The last go around I trimmed most of the cap and left the point on top of the flat. That seemed to work out pretty well.

I'm thinking by leaving too much fat it inhibits the quality smoke ring that I'm looking for.

 

[Brisketexan]

I don't trim it at all. Not one bit. I have never had the meat be "too spongy" -- the meat on the point is supposed to be softer, and more moist, than the meat on the flat.

The only downside of not trimming is that when I trim that fat off when I'm carving, it takes a lot of good bark and seasoning with it. But there's still plenty of bark and seasoning left on the meat, and the smoke flavor is perfect (even if a portion of the smoke ring is no longer visible -- that's a visual thing, not a flavor issue).

I leave mine the hell alone. I season it. I smoke it. I carve it. I eat it.

 

[Texas007]

NONE. Do not touch it. that is what renders and flavors, and moistens the brisket as it renders during smoking. Place it on your smoker fat cap up so it runs throught the meat as it liquifies.

 

[MirrOlure]

I "third" leaving it in tact.

If you must trim, leave at least a solid coating of the fat (i.e. don't cut all the way through to the meat).

As for the cap, after slicing a few choice slabs for consumption, I typicaly cut it in chunks and give them about three taps in the food processor and end up with an endless supply of chopped beef anyway.

 

[NCAAFBALLROX]

Leave every microsopic bit of fat on there for the smoking portion of your endeavor & when you take it off the 'rest', you can do a fat removal @ that time.

The trick: Get a rubber tipped spatula (like for scraping batter) & use this to get the fat off... you won't damage the meat but you can scrape to your heart's content for a leaner "serve" vs. a fatter display.

 

[hornian]

Yeah, I don't trim it at all either.

But really, after Brisket spoke, we could have pretty much just locked the thread.

 

[NCAAFBALLROX]

In reply to:

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[UTEE]

Not that my opinion is at all necessary after the above, but yes, leave it. Leave it all. It's especially important for "non-wrappers" like me.

It seems like sometimes people really try to make barbecue into something mysterious and difficult, but brisket truly is the easiest cut of meat in the world to cook-- the less you mess with it, the better it tastes.

Meat, rub, smoke, deliciousness.

 

[Luke Duke]

I have smoked hundreds of briskets and I have never removed one molecule of fat prior to cooking.

 

[judgroybeanbag]

There's a reason for the phrase 'smoke a fatty'.

 

[hornFANtastic]

do not trim it one bit

 

[Summerof79]

no trim

 

[netslave]

I'm just going to say trim it because I've never smoked a brisket and I wanted to go against what everyone's saying.

 

[Steel Shank]

Leave it be. After you've smoked the brisket, then trim it off. Stuff the fat cap in a chicken, then put then chicken in a watermelon and smoke it. When the chicken-in-a-watermelon is done, throw it away and eat the brisket.

 

[mcmike1492]

Agreed!

 

[Blain]

The fat cap is not the reason for not having a smoke ring. You need to look elsewhere.

 

[flaco]

NO TRIM AT ALL.

 

[Son of a Son]

Ya know fellas, I know this is sacrelidge, but I have to go outside of Brisket on this one. I buy briskets buy the case, and you can't be as selective that way. Because of this, I will trim down the "hard chunks" of fat. I leave most of the fat intact, but I usually will loose anywhere from 1/2 to 1 full pound of fat before I am smoke ready.

The harder chunks will never render, and you can lose a lot of bark. I F'ING HATE TO LOSE THE CRISPY GOODNESS. You put all that time into the smoker, damnit, save as much as you can.

 

[UTEE]

I often say that people try to make BBQ far more difficult and mysterious than it needs to be. The brisket is one of the most forgiving cuts of meat in the world. So in other words, if you find a method that works for you, then you should keep on doing it. If you find that trimming out some of the fat cap works best for you, then you should continue.

At the same time, leaving it there doesn't do any harm at all. None. And in my opinion, trimming it before-hand requires more work than trimming it afterwards, when it practically melts off under the knife.

So you should do whatever works for you, and at the end of the day the taste is what matters most.