Was a brisket trim snob for 3 years until I watched Aaron Franklin do it live

I used to spend 45 minutes trimming a brisket, chasing that perfect aerodynamic shape. Then I went to Franklin BBQ in Austin last summer and watched them work. They just knock off the hard fat cap, leave some kind of jagged pieces on the flat, and send it straight to the smoker. I tried copying that at home, same brisket from HEB, and it came out just as tender with way less waste. Now I'm down to a 10 minute trim and my bark is actually better since there's more nooks for rub to stick to. Any of you guys experimented with a rougher trim or am I the last one to figure this out?

2 comments

2 Comments

miam111mo ago

Last time I trimmed I kept a little chunk of fat on the point end on purpose. About the size of a silver dollar. The theory was it would render down and baste the lean meat right there where it meets the flat. Worked out okay but not sure if it was luck. Gonna try it again with a prime packer next weekend and see if it repeats.

sarahh481mo ago

Did you read that Franklin book where he talks about leaving a fat cap on the point end? I tried it after that and it made sense to me.