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An old timer told me my briskets were too lean, so I switched to fat-first trimming
I run a small shop outside Austin and for years I trimmed briskets like I was scared of fat. I'd cut almost all of it off, maybe leave a thin cap, and call it good. Customers never complained, but I always wondered why my flats dried out faster than the big BBQ joints. Then this retired butcher, guy must be 80, comes in for a pound of sausage and watches me prep one. He just points and says, 'You keep a quarter inch on the point and a nickel on the flat, otherwise you're cooking a boot.' I laughed it off but tried it the next weekend on two briskets, one my way one his way. Night and day difference. The fat rendered down and kept the meat juicy through the stall, and I sold out of the his-way one by 3pm. Now I train every new guy on fat-first trimming before they even touch a knife. Anyone else get corrected by an old timer on something you thought you had nailed down?
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rayy8326d ago
Yeah, fat is flavor and moisture, plain and simple.
I learned the same lesson with pork butts, kept trimming them down and wondered why they came out dry.
Once you trust the fat, you never go back.
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