Used to trim brisket all OCD style, now I leave more fat on

For years I was trimming every bit of fat down to a quarter inch on my briskets. Then I competed at the Houston Rodeo BBQ contest last October and a guy named Tom told me I was throwing away flavor. Now I leave a half inch cap on the flat and just trim the hard fat. Anyone else ditch the strict trimming rules and get better bark because of it?

2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

2 Comments

reese_lane293mo ago

Left half inch on my last one and got the best bark ever.

2

stellat873mo ago

So if I leave a full inch on my next one, will I get a shoe leather instead of bark? @reese_lane29 I'm just messing with you, but I always trim to right at the fat cap and my bark comes out dark and crunchy every time. Maybe I'm missing out on some moisture or something, but half an inch seems like a whole lot of extra fat to render down.

5