I used to trim brisket fat down to a quarter inch, now I leave a full half inch.

For years at my shop in Boise, I followed the old school rule of a quarter inch fat cap. Last fall, a pitmaster from Texas told me he needs a thicker layer for his smokers to protect the meat. I tried it on the next five briskets I prepped, and every customer said the meat was way more juicy. Has anyone else switched up their trim for a specific cooking style?

2 comments

2 Comments

miaa416d ago

My buddy runs a food truck and had the same exact talk with a guy from Kansas City. He always trimmed super lean too, until he watched this guy leave a thicker cap for his offset. He tried it on his next batch, and the bark got way better without drying out the flat. Said it was like a built-in buffer for his hotter spots. Now he swears by the extra fat, says it renders into the meat more.

rowan2626d ago

Oh man, @miaa41, that totally reminds me of my friend's dad. He used to trim all the fat off his ribs, said it was "healthier." Then he went to a cook-off and saw everyone leaving a good fat layer. He tried it, and his next rack was way more juicy and had that sticky bark he could never get before. He felt so silly for all those years of dry ribs.