I normally remove the deckle fat and trim the fat cap until there is about 1/4" left. I also normally slice the flat and chop the point.

I am getting ready to smoke a few briskets for our local Little Dribblers league concession stand. For simplicity, we only serve it chopped on buns, potatoes, or nachos. So, I'll be chopping the whole brisket.

I'm thinking I can leave quite a bit of the fat cap on since it will mix in with the otherwise lean flat. I'll probably go ahead and remove the deckle fat. More fat in the mix will help the meat go a little further. But I don't want it to be too fatty.

Thoughts?

I would trim like normal.

Agreed, there is enough fat in brisket to go around without leaving any trimmings in place.

I thought the deckle was removed because it does not render very well, therefore increasing cooking time without increased flavor

Quote:

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More fat in the mix will help the meat go a little further. But I don't want it to be too fatty.

Thoughts?

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Todd,

It sounds like you've got it figured out for 'chopped brisket.'

Now, if you had asked me about the rules for 'chop bar-b-que', I would have told you that anything goes.

Years ago I had a summer job as a 'cooler boy' in a convenience store in south Dallas. Almost all the other employees and practically all our customers were black folks, and the place did a fantastic meat counter business.

I took a shine to what they called a 'chop bar-b-que sandwich', and would end up eating one every day for lunch. Served on white bread, it was loaded with sauce and fat, and to this day it's the best I've ever eaten.

Anyway, after I worked there a while and got to know the 'meat man' really well, I screwed up my nerve and asked him what all he put in those 'chop' sandwiches. He stared at me a minute, and then got this big grin on his face. He said, 'if I told you, you'd probably never eat another one.'

I found out later that all the odds and ends from the meat counter (beef/pork/chicken and all their 'spare' parts) were run through the chopper and then drenched with sauce. FWIW, they sold a ton of them.