# Some new thoughts on a brisket edge



## monty (Aug 17, 2011)

I competed at the Minnesota State BBQ Championship this last weekend and to my surprise I had a much tougher bark on my brisket than I am used to. Rather than use my scalloped Wusthof slicer to get through the bark I decided to use my Tojiro suji (sharpened to 8000x then stropped). I managed to get some great one pull slices, without any tearing, by first pushing straight down through the bark before beginning the slice. Worked like a charm. Has this worked for anyone else, or am I simply discovering something that has already been discovered a thousand times? From the last several brisket threads I haven heard of anyone suggesting this technique for dealing with bark and a sharp slicer.


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## SpikeC (Aug 17, 2011)

Ah, you were just lucky!
:hungry:


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## SpikeC (Aug 17, 2011)

So how did you come out?


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## chazmtb (Aug 17, 2011)

Don't know, but I will let you know in two weeks:bbq:


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## monty (Aug 17, 2011)

Pretty rough. I got Reserve Grand Champion at my last comp and I was feeling pretty confident. I got DQd on my ribs on a technicality (totally my fault, a rookie mistake) and it all kind of fell apart. Humility is a hard dish to eat, but it's got its own nutrient that makes you stronger  I ended up in the middle of the pack and won no money. I did get some sharpening done and my new trailer set up allows me to put a quality edge on the knives I'm asked to sharpen.


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## JohnnyChance (Aug 17, 2011)

(I dont do BBQ competitions) What exactly is a DQ-worthy technicality in a BBQ comp?


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## Salty dog (Aug 17, 2011)

Couple questions:

When you say "bark" I assume you're talking the outer layer. How crisp and hard is it?


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## Dave Martell (Aug 17, 2011)

monty said:


> I did get some sharpening done and my new trailer set up allows me to put a quality edge on the knives I'm asked to sharpen.




I think we require pictures here. :rolleyes2:


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## PierreRodrigue (Aug 17, 2011)

Don't forget the samples! Pics are nice, but samples rule!


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## Salty dog (Aug 17, 2011)

Salty dog said:


> Couple questions:
> 
> When you say "bark" I assume you're talking the outer layer. How crisp and hard is it?


 
Also what type of brisket? Dickle off or on?

How's the bottom?

The word "bark" is bothering me. It tends to imply charred.


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## ThEoRy (Aug 17, 2011)

Yeah on crusty meats a short push cut first followed by a long draw is the way to go a lot of times. Start at the back 1/4 of the knife and just push cut through the bark then one smooth slice backward.


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## Jim (Aug 18, 2011)

ThEoRy said:


> Yeah on crusty meats a short push cut first followed by a long draw is the way to go a lot of times. Start at the back 1/4 of the knife and just push cut through the bark then one smooth slice backward.


 
I have been doing this for a while, but by the time you get to the end of the flat the edge is mostly gone. I have also tried to stop at 1K to get a toothier edge with mixed results.

The last brisket I cooked I sliced the "sides" off the flat and stood the flat up and sliced it from the side, worked pretty well and the edge held up a little better.

Of course this may not be practical at a comp for appearance sake.


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## Eamon Burke (Aug 18, 2011)

I wanna know what is a "rookie mistake" as well.


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## NO ChoP! (Aug 18, 2011)

I also like a toothier edge for crusty proteins, but the technique sounds spot on.....

I often go up the progression, but drop back down to strop on a lower grit stone.


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## ThEoRy (Aug 18, 2011)

I would also think natural stones just might be the way to go on this one. Different size particles make different sized teeth. These would break down less uniformly and leave a more toothy edge longer perhaps?


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## l r harner (Aug 18, 2011)

super alloy and 6 inch of teeth in front the handle the 15 inch of razor honed plain edge


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## jmforge (Aug 18, 2011)

And a skull bead with tritium eyes.:lol2:


l r harner said:


> super alloy and 6 inch of teeth in front the handle the 15 inch of razor honed plain edge


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## monty (Aug 18, 2011)

I supposedly only turned in 5 rib bones instead of six because two bones were held together by a small thread of meat. I'm not sure that's possible given the way I present ribs, but there's no use in arguing with repes. As for the bark, I wouldn't call it a char because I used indirect heat, but it was more of a jerky kind of coating (which I love for non competition BBQ). As for the brisket, it was a 14 lb whole packer. In the past when I come across this kind of bark my sharper knives tend to run. Since I was in a hurry, and knew I'd already been taken out of contention, I just forced the issue, and it worked!


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