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Talking to a pitmaster in Lockhart changed my mind about trimming brisket fat
I used to trim all the fat down to almost nothing because I thought it made the bark better. Then I spent an afternoon at a cookoff near Lockhart and this old timer named Ray watched me work. He said, "You're stripping the flavor shield off. Leave at least a quarter inch and let it render into the meat." I argued at first but tried it on my next 12 pound packer. The difference was huge, juicier and the bark still set fine. Has anyone else gone back and forth on fat cap thickness?
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schmidt.grace1mo ago
Did your bark actually get darker or crunchier with the thicker cap, or was it mostly about the moisture? I've seen guys swear the fat insulates the rub from getting direct heat, but I've also had some where the fat cap kept the smoke from really grabbing. What temp were you running and did you wrap at all? That might be the missing piece for me cause I trim like Ray said I should, but my last cook the fat just sat there like a wet blanket instead of rendering.
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