How To Slice A Brisket

The act of slicing a brisket is an essential element of the smoking process. Brisket is one of the best meats to smoke, as we all know. Brisket is certainly amazing when cooked to perfection.

How to Slice a Brisket

However, one misstep and your perfectly smoked brisket will be ruined. Knowing how to slice a brisket properly, on the other hand, will result in soft, flavorful meat.

Read onto find out everything you need to know about slicing brisket for your next delicious meal.

The Main Parts Of A Brisket

Brisket is a beef steak made from the lower section of the rib cage of a cow. It’s commonly cooked on a low heat setting or in a slow cooker. Barbecue sauce is frequently served with brisket.

The tip and the flat are the two portions of the brisket. The thickest part of the brisket is called the point. The flat is slender in comparison to the point.

A layer of fat sits on top of the briskets as well. The fat cap is the name given to this covering of fat. When you cook brisket, the fat melts away, allowing the leaner meat to cook faster.

What To Look Out For

Brisket should be moist and red. You should aim to have around 100 grams of meat per person you’re cooking for.

Collect Your Supplies

Gathering your resources is an important aspect of the procedure, whether you’re carving a brisket or grilling a tomahawk steak.

To correctly slice a brisket, you only need a few materials. You’ll need a cutting board, a towel, a knife, and a serving dish to slice the brisket.

Knife For Brisket

Knives are essential when it comes to slicing brisket. Slicing knives for brisket should be long and sharp. A serrated knife is ideal for slicing brisket.

A serrated edge knife with tiny ridged teeth, on the other hand, should not be purchased. Choose a serrated knife with a smooth surface.

A serrated knife glides into the flesh, shredding it but not destroying it. Furthermore, it is long enough to span the entire length of the meat.

Finally, you should buy a smooth serrated knife with a length of at least 14 inches. It should also be sharp and nice to hold.

The main disadvantage to cutting a brisket using a serrated knife is that it will be difficult to sharpen the blade because it has a serrated edge rather than a flat edge.

Allow The Brisket To Rest

Allow the meat to rest whether you’re preparing ribs or a steak. Remove the brisket from the grill once it reaches a temperature of 195-205 degrees and let it rest for at least one hour.

You may even rest your brisket for up to three hours.

All the lovely juices in your brisket will be wasted if you slice it right after it comes out of the barbecue.

Allowing the brisket to rest, on the other hand, allows the juices to be dispersed throughout the meat, rather than ending up on your cutting board.

Cutting Against The Grain

Cutting against the grain makes the meat tough. Brisket is full of meat fibers that run parallel to each other.

When you cut against the grain, you’re cutting across them. This means your knife needs to be sharp.

Remove The Fat Cap

Remove the fat before cooking. You can also trim away some fat after cooking if any is left over. However, a little fat can make your brisket taste so much better! Briskets should be placed fat-side down when smoking them.

This helps to prevent the fat from burning off too. You want to avoid this because if you do burn off too much of the fat, then the meat won’t taste as tender. Also, the fat helps to add flavor to the meat.

Trim The Flat

The fat should be removed from both sides of the brisket. Smaller pockets of fat should be removed from the underside of the briskets.

How to Slice a Brisket

This prevents them from being a barrier between the meat and smoke flavors.

Remove The Dividing Fat

The strips of fat should be trimmed off the brisket. You should also cut off any excess fat from the edges. This will help to make sure that your brisket stays intact throughout cooking.

Find The Grain Direction

Brisket is a tough cut of beef that needs to be trimmed before cooking. To get tender cuts, you must remove fat and connective tissue.

A whole brisket may contain both points and flats, so you might want to separate them first. Use your knife to follow the grain on the flat and the point.

Try to trim off as much fat as possible without removing too much muscle.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Do You Do With Overcooked Brisket?

The internal temperature of beef brisket should be at least 195 degrees. Even if the meat is overcooked, it can be used to make chili, stew, or Shepherd’s pie.

You may also make burned ends with the point, which are crispy brisket cubes coated in barbecue sauce.

Can You Slice A Whole Packer Brisket?

Slicing a whole brisket might be frightening, and the way you slice it has an impact on the final taste. So don’t waste a costly piece of meat that you’ve been working on for hours.

Can I Reheat Brisket In The Oven?

You can preheat brisket in the oven but only if you follow sone simple rules. Preheat the oven to 325 °F. Double wrap meat in foil.

Let sit for 20-30 minutes. Roast brisket in the oven for 1 hour if it’s whole, or 20 minutes if already sliced. 

Two layers ensure that any holes in the first one are covered. Holes left by the meat can be filled with water and then sealed with plastic wrap.

Any drippings from the meat can be used as gravy later. If there isn’t enough liquid from the brisket, beef broth can be poured over the bottom of the pan before placing the brisket in the oven. 

Depending on the size of the brisket, it should take about 1 hour in the oven to heat back up again if it’s whole,

and when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Remember, you’re not cooking brisket, you’re reheating it.

How Long Should You Rest Brisket After Slicing?

Allow the cooked brisket to rest for 20 to 24 hours before slicing. Allow the meat to rest for at least 20 minutes after cooking to keep the juices in the flesh.

Wait until the brisket is cold the next day to chop it if you want very thin slices. Using a large serrated knife, slice the brisket.

What Are The Best Woods For Smoking Brisket?

Oak

Oak has a long, hot burner, which is perfect for large cuts that need a lot of time to cook. Oak smoke has a medium potency, so it doesn’t overpower the flavor of the meat.

Hickory

Hickory makes your bacon taste more like pork than beef.

Pecan

Pecans are delicious nuts, but they’re also very sweet. You should mix them with another nut or fruit that’s less sweet

Maple

Maple syrup is made from maple sap, and it’s a sweet liquid used by cooks to make sauces and desserts. It’s also used as an ingredient in beer, wine, and cocktails.

Final Thoughts

Have A Delicious Brisket!

If you follow the suggestions and techniques we outlined above, you’ll be able to slice brisket correctly and end

up with those incredibly delicate thin strips of beef you crave. You’ll get neatly cut brisket using this procedure.

Once again, make sure you can easily distinguish between the two parts of the brisket, have everything you’ll need

(knife, cutting board, serving dish) before you start cutting, and wait until you’re ready to eat before you start cutting!

John Rinder
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