Rant: my brisket point was perfect but the flat was dust, an old judge changed my whole process

Miles Park · 2026-08-13T13:35:08.823966+00:00

I've been doing brisket for about 4 years now, mostly on a 22 inch Weber kettle, and I always chased that pink smoke ring, figured that was the whole game. Last month at a local comp in Austin, a judge pulled me aside after turn-in and said, 'your point was butter, but your flat tasted like a shoe, you're cooking it like a single muscle.' That hit hard because I'd been wrapping in foil at 165 and pulling at 203, no rest beyond 30 minutes. So I switched to butcher paper at 160, started separating the flat and point at the stall, and now I rest the whole thing in a cooler for 2 hours minimum. It's more work but the flat actually holds moisture now. Does anyone else split the muscles early, or is that just a crutch for bad technique on my part?

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Rant: my brisket point was perfect but the flat was dust, an old judge changed my whole process | BBQ Pitmasters - Free To Speak