So, the guests are coming, you’ve made a bunch of homemade sides, and now you’re wondering how to carve brisket.
We know all too well this can be a moment of pride; who doesn’t want to stand before their family and friends, slicing the meat before smiling faces like a pro?
Well, that’s only going to feel great if you know what you’re doing. Here at Goode Co. Barbeque, we deploy a Texan approach to everything brisket, an approach rooted in tradition, technique, and the original location that made Texas barbeque iconic. We’re here to share our carving insights to help you serve it the real way.
So, if you’ve got the brisket ready, let’s crack into it!
Tools Needed for Slicing Brisket Like a Pitmaster: Texas Barbeque Brisket Carving Guide
A bad pitmaster never blames his tools, but a great pitmaster also ensures they’ve got the best tools for the job. Here’s what you need to get started:
A Long Serrated Knife
You’ll need a sharp knife with a serrated edge. It doesn’t have to be anything particularly high in value, just long enough to cut through the meat in smooth strokes. The serrated edges allow you to cut through all the textures and fibres with ease.
You’ll find carving a smoked brisket requires more hand guidance than other meats (where you typically hide your fingers), so be extra careful.
A Large Carving Board
A large carving board that provides enough space to throw the brisket down and slice it up without it slipping about. If you plan on doing this regularly, now’s the time to invest in something big and stable.
Tongs
Get your hands on a fresh set of tongs to turn meat over quickly. Forget your old rusty tongs from barbeques of many summers ago. Get a nice set of stainless steel tongs. A rubber strap on the handle will make your life easier, but it is not essential.
Carving Fork
Get yourself a carving fork, too. While this isn’t essential, it’s undoubtedly helpful to have it on hand to secure the meat if you find it challenging to cut through with the knife alone.
Prep Required to Carve a Brisket Like a Pitmaster
Resting Brisket Before Carving
After all that low and slow smoking, it’s easy to want to rush into cutting it immediately. Don’t.
Be patient and let it rest for around 90 minutes, wrapped in foil or butcher paper. This trick allows the brisket’s juices and flavor to redistribute throughout every slice, a crucial step in many beloved Texas BBQ dishes.
Identify the Grain of the Brisket
Cutting against the grain is the secret to consistent, tender slices. You can identify the grain by the faint lines running across the surface. These are the muscle fibres. You’ll see these easily while the meat is juicy and resting.
You should also identify the flat and the point. The flat is leaner, with a larger portion of grain (long, straight grain lines). At the same time, the smaller, fatter area has more irregular grain patterns.
Step-by-Step Carving Techniques
Here in Texas, the real way to slice a brisket like a pitmaster is to cut the flat and point separately. That way, there’s a mix of lean and fatty meats, perfect for all those Texas BBQ for the holidays platters.
Carving the Flat
Start with the flat and slice against the grain. Aim for ¼ inch pieces of meat with each cut. Under the point, you’ll also find a thick pocket of fat that can be cut off and thrown out. Then cut the point in half lengthwise. Doing so will reveal, hopefully, perfect marbling fat and seam fat through the center. This gives a tender bite with each slice. This, dear future pitmaster, is the Texan trick to a delicious and tender brisket.
Carving a Smoked Brisket Tip and Point
The point should have slices that are slightly thicker than the flat ones. You can start with even slices across the muscle, then slowly taper the cuts on the sides so they become thicker on one end than the other.
Do the same again on the other half, adjusting cut lengths as necessary to avoid overly dry or fatty pieces. Thanks to your low-and-slow mesquite-smoking technique, the bark should be nice and flavorful, but not dry and crunchy. Ideally, the fat cap on top should also be less than ¼ inch thick.
Presentation Tips
We like to present brisket in the traditional fanned-out style on a platter. But you can also serve them directly into a burger or sandwich. You can also reserve burnt ends or point cubes for additional serving, or with some beans.
You can garnish it with herbs if you want to be fancy, but don’t forget the sauce! A great brisket works without sauce, but folks have become accustomed to dips, and we embrace it. For example, Goode Co. Barbeque’s original sauce always goes down well.
When it comes to sides, something that complements the intense, meaty, and smoked flavor is wise. We love mac and cheese or a real Southern coleslaw, as their creamy textures and flavors contrast so well with the meat, making each bite hit extra hard.
Leftovers
If you’ve got any leftovers, they shouldn’t go to waste. Brisket is a fine option for the next day. Just be sure to wrap it up tightly in foil and store it in the fridge. When reheating, you can use a low oven temperature to keep the meat juicy. We love throwing it in tacos, sandwiches, or chili. Sometimes, it’s even better the next day as the smoke seasoning and juice have marinated into the meat’s fibres!
Order Our Famous Mesquite Smoked Brisket Today
So, as you can see from our guide, brisket isn’t just about slicing. It’s about understanding the meat, using technique, and presenting it with flair.
But, in truth, it starts long before the carving begins. It starts the moment USDA beef is low-and-slow smoked over mesquite wood. Well, at least that’s how we do it at Goode Co. Barbeque!
If you want to enjoy a real, authentic Texas-smoked brisket, then order from us today! Our high-quality USDA brisket is sealed to retain flavor, making it ready to heat and serve to the restaurant standards. It tastes as good as it looks!
Ready to serve brisket like a pro? Shop with us today and get carving with confidence, or visit our restaurants to see how our pitmasters carve with style.