HOW TO SLICE A
PACKER BRISKETContinue cooking until the internal
temperature is 200°F and the meat is
tender enough to pierce with a gloved
finger or wooden spoon handle, an
additional 1 to 2 hours, or as needed.
(You’ll need to unwrap the brisket to
check it.)Smoke the brisket until the
internal temperature reaches
175°F, 10 to 14 hours. Tightly wrap
the brisket in butcher paper and
continue smoking until the internal
temperature reaches 200°F and the
meat is tender enough to pierce with
a gloved finger or wooden spoon
handle—another 2 to 4 hours, a total
of 12 to 18 hours, depending on the
size of the brisket. Let the wrapped
brisket rest in the cooler for IV2 to 2
hours before slicing (see sidebar).Because of its unique
anatomical structure, with the
grain of the deckle running
at roughly a 60 degree angle
to the grain of the fiat (and
separated by a layer of fat),
brisket requires a special
slicing technique. 5.^ Transfer^ the^ wrapped^ brisket^ to^
an insulated cooler and let rest for
1 to 2 hours. Unwrap the brisket and
transfer to a cutting board. (Discard
the bacon slices if using.) Pour any
juices that accumulated in the butcher
paper into a bowl.- Holding the blade of a slicing
knife parallel to the cutting
board, cut the deckle off the
flat.
2. Scrape off the excess fat
from the bottom of the deckle
and the top of the flat.
Smoking a small, lean center-cut
brisket flat: Perhaps the only brisket
your supermarket sells is a center-
cut section of the flat weighing 3 to 5
pounds, from which some misguided
butcher has trimmed off all the fat.
(It happens.) Don’t despair: You can
turn it into a respectable smoked
brisket, too. Season it as described on
page 66 and place it in a disposable
aluminum foil pan, covering the
top with strips of bacon. Smoke as
described on page 66. After 4 l/2 hours,
cover the pan with aluminum foil,
crimping it to the edges, poke small
holes in the top to release the steam,
and return it to the smoker. The total
cooking time will be 6 to 7 hours.
There is no need to wrap the brisket
in butcher paper, but you should rest
it in a cooler for 1 hour before carving
and serving. (There won’t be much
flavor left in the bacon—discard it.)I
- To serve, trim off any large lumps
of fat and slice the brisket across the
grain into l/-inch-thick slices (or as
desired). Spoon the juices over the
slices. Barbecue sauce? Not necessary,
but serve on the side if you want it. - Trim any dry or burnt edges
off the sides of the deckle and
flat. Chop or dice these with
a little of the fat to serve as
burnt ends or to add to baked
beans. - Place the deckle on the
trimmed flat, rotating it about
60 degrees so the meat fibers
in both cuts run in the same
direction, front to back. - Slice the deckle and flat
crosswise across the grain.
This way you get both lean
and fatty meat. Make your
slices about Vi inch thick.
Variations
Smoking a full packer brisket:
A whole brisket—sometimes called
a packer brisket—weighs 14 to 18
pounds and includes the lean flat
(also referred to as first-cut brisket)
that terminates in a triangular point,
and a fatty muscle on top called the
point or the deckle.
Trim the brisket leaving a Vz-inch-
thick cap of fat on top. There’s a hard
ball of fat between the deckle and
the flat on one side of the brisket:
Cut out as much as possible without
separating the two. Brush the brisket
with equal parts mustard and pickle
juice, if desired, then season with salt
and pepper as described on page 66.- h *
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