Can you cook brisket without trimming?

As a general rule, you can leave about a ¼ inch of fat on the brisket if you don’t want to trim it as close as the image shows. Remember that seasoning and smoke will never penetrate much farther than about ¼ inch, so if you want more flavor in your brisket, you are going to have to trim it pretty tight.

Should you trim fat from brisket before cooking?

You don’t need to cut this whole chunk of fat out of the brisket and leave a crater. Most of this will cook down and melt away, but you want the uniformity across the bottom of the brisket for better cooking.

Do you cook brisket fat side up or down in the oven?

Place the brisket in the pan, fat side up, and sprinkle the remaining jalapenos on top of the brisket. Cover the pan tightly with foil, and bake in the oven for 5 hours or roughly 1 hour and 15 minutes per pound. Take the brisket out of the oven, and it should be tender to the touch.

How do you smoke an untrimmed brisket?

Use a smoker, and fuel it with oak or hickory. Rub your untrimmed Select grade brisket with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, sugar, and cayenne. Smoke it at 225-275 degrees until it reaches and internal temp of 190. Do not wrap it in foil.

What happens if you trim too much fat off brisket?

Leaving too much fat on top of the brisket you won’t get a good bark or too much fat and the smoke won’t penetrate the meat properly. If the flat part of the brisket is too thick or too thin it won’t cook evenly. Trimming brisket is crucial.

Is it OK to cut a brisket in half?

You can cut a packer brisket in half if the smoker is too small to fit the whole thing, or if you’re working on a tight schedule. It’s easiest if you divide the meat into the two subprimal cuts known as the point and the flat.

Do you trim the fat cap off brisket?

The Fat Side of the Brisket Most folks won’t want to eat a mouth full of fat, so no need to keep so much of it on. The fat cap does not render while cooking, so trim it down to about 1/4 inch.