The Absolute Best Way To Cut Brisket So That It Stays Moist And Flavorful

You've spent the last eight (perhaps 12 hours) roasting or smoking a beef brisket, and now it's time to slice it and serve it. What a fantastic accomplishment, but here's the rub (sorry). Waiting is the name of the game here. Coaxing the tenderness out of this tough cut of beef is worth every second, because this is how the meat drippings redistribute themselves.

Christie Vanover, owner and pitmaster of Girls Can Grill emphasizes brisket patience in her cookbooks, podcast, and especially when she's defending her champion pitmaster title. "Before cutting your brisket, make sure you let it rest for at least an hour," Vanover said. "Wrap the smoked brisket in foil or butcher paper. Then, wrap it in plastic wrap and a towel. Place the wrapped brisket in a cooler without ice. This will keep it warm and allow the moisture to settle into the meat." 

Now comes the technique. It's not overly complicated, but you do need the right knife. We like this Jero Pitmaster Slicer because of its wide, 12-inch blade. "After 1-3 hours of resting, remove the towel, plastic and foil," Vanover advised. "Find the direction of the meat grain and slice perpendicular to that. Slicing against the grain will create a better bite."

The grain refers to the muscle fibers and their direction. Slicing against them means shortening them to make them more tender. The tricky part is that a full brisket is made of two muscles that are connected, and the grains run in different directions.

The two sections of muscle that make up a brisket are called the flat (the first cut) and the point (the second cut or the deckle). They can be sold together (a full packer) or separately. The easy way to remember is the flat is the larger, leaner part. The point is smaller and fattier, and its thickness isn't uniform. Because the grains on the point and flat run in opposite directions, you can buy them separately or learn how to slice the whole shebang. 

The trick, as Christie Vanover points out, is to always cut perpendicular to the grain. So slice the flat first (no thicker than the width of a pencil is the gold standard), and remember to turn the point before slicing it too. A great (old school) way to easily find the grain on each section is to cut a little off before you cook it. There's a visual reminder of the grain's direction, and you can see how to cut against it before slicing. Pro-tip: Toss this beef nugget into your slow-cooker baked beans to serve with your brisket spread.

And one more thing — that beautiful fat cap. You can add flavor to brisket in many delightful ways, and all of them include a nice rub on the fat. There's a powerhouse of flavor there, so leave it be. Trim it down to about 1/4 an inch, but any more than that and you risk losing flavor and moisture during the cooking process.