Should i cook like this or finish the butchers job?

[itcsburnett]

I wanted to cook a point for a gathering at the end of the week, none of my local stores had points, only flats or huge packers. I stopped into a Brazilian butchers and the guy was nice and said he would cut the point off of the packer he had. But as i watched him, he just got his machete and cut the packer in half? so now I think what i have is a point, and the flat under it. So the question i have is, should i finish removing the point and getting rid of all that deckle fat, or just cook it as is and deal with it when i carve?

 

[SmokeZilla]

I would cut out as much deckle as possible but leave it in one piece. There is a layer of fat between the 2 cuts (point and flat) that renders pretty nicely if you want the point to remain moist and fatty. From the looks of it, you will be digging a cave into protein so try to flatten it out as much as possible after so it will cook pretty well. One final thought, make sure you put your rub in the cavity once created so you can get as much flavor as possible. One final thought, I cant tell what grade this would be. That will be helpful to determine if you should inject or not.

Good luck and let us know how it came out.

 

[charlesrshell]

I would cut out as much deckle as possible but leave it in one piece. There is a layer of fat between the 2 cuts (point and flat) that renders pretty nicely if you want the point to remain moist and fatty. From the looks of it, you will be digging a cave into protein so try to flatten it out as much as possible after so it will cook pretty well. One final thought, make sure you put your rub in the cavity once created so you can get as much flavor as possible. One final thought, I cant tell what grade this would be. That will be helpful to determine if you should inject or not.

Good luck and let us know how it came out.

What is deckle?

 

[SmokeZilla]

That is the hard structure that lies on the side of a full packer brisket. It sits on top of the cows ribs but doesn‘t contain a lot of fat and doesn’t usually break down during the long cooking process. If not removed, it is a annoyance as it has no real value of contribution to the final brisket. Unfortunately, it is so tough that I don’t even render it for tallow either.

 

[BigDan]

What is deckle?

 

[Jim6820]

I believe I would avoid that Brazilian butcher for future brisket purchases.

 

[itcsburnett]

I believe I would avoid that Brazilian butcher for future brisket purchases.

Copy that!

 

[itcsburnett]

I would cut out as much deckle as possible but leave it in one piece. There is a layer of fat between the 2 cuts (point and flat) that renders pretty nicely if you want the point to remain moist and fatty. From the looks of it, you will be digging a cave into protein so try to flatten it out as much as possible after so it will cook pretty well. One final thought, make sure you put your rub in the cavity once created so you can get as much flavor as possible. One final thought, I cant tell what grade this would be. That will be helpful to determine if you should inject or not.

Good luck and let us know how it came out.

Not knowing the grade either, i think i will go ahead and inject anyway. Did a prime point as a test last weekend and it was amazing

 

[Gonefishin]

I have a newish deli/butcher that sells their own beef, I got the same thing when I bought a small brisket. Couldn’t see much through the packaging.

I have not gone back.

 

[Jim6820]

It seems like many of the newer butchers don’t know much beyond steaks, chops and hamburger. They just don’t understand briskets and other larger cuts.

I’ve had this conversation with my grandson who is a journeyman meat cutter and he agrees. Fortunately, the shop he works at is comprised of butchers who are also smokers and grillers, so they do understand how to process the larger cuts.

 

[DesertRat]

Padlin00. Rather than not going back to that butcher shop, I'd explain how I'd like my cut and see what the response is. With a little luck you could strike up a good customer relationship. Otherwise, you can have a good reason not to return.

 

[JimB]

So, if this was the full uncut packer, no one would be recommending that this be removed because it would not be accessible, correct? The whole packer would be smoked and you would slice through this when serving.

If so, why then is it so important to be removed just because the full packer has been cut down?

 

[BowDown]

So, if this was the full uncut packer, no one would be recommending that this be removed because it would not be accessible, correct? The whole packer would be smoked and you would slice through this when serving.

If so, why then is it so important to be removed just because the full packer has been cut down?

I think the bigger question or comment really is that unless you asked for the cut to be trimmed to your(OP) liking, you got what you'd normally get in a packer or even a point/flat sold at costco or sams club. You'd still have to trim the brisket regardless of the grade (select/ choice/ prime) so I'm not really seeing the issue. Was a trimmed brisket asked for or just the point?

 

[Gonefishin]

So, if this was the full uncut packer, no one would be recommending that this be removed because it would not be accessible, correct? The whole packer would be smoked and you would slice through this when serving.

If so, why then is it so important to be removed just because the full packer has been cut down?

I would, and do, removed the deckle when doing a full packer, at least most of it. No idea about others.