How To Slice BBQ Brisket Like A Pro Pitmaster

While brisket is sometimes considered one of those barbecue restaurant dishes you should leave to the pros, it's possible to get a good result at home with patience and practice. If you do manage to perfectly cook it, however, there's a new challenge — slicing brisket the right way. According to Patrick Klaiber, business partner and lead pitmaster at Denver's Riot BBQ, there's one thing you must do for melt-in-the-mouth meat: Slice against the grain.

Slicing meat against the grain vastly improves the texture of tougher cuts. Meat is made up of long muscle fibers — and if you cut along the length of those fibers, you'll end up with stringy slices that are hard to chew. "Slicing against the grain ensures a much more tender bite, by shortening the muscle fibers into smaller segments," Klaiber told us. Find the long lines in the meat, then simply place your knife at a 90-degree angle to cut across them.

Before you start slicing brisket, separate the fattier point from the leaner flat. "My favorite way is to slice the brisket down the middle, right where the point and flat meet," said Klaiber. Once you've turned the point 90 degrees, slice the meat about ¼ to ⅓ inch thick, always against the grain. "Continue to slice the flat a little thinner in the same direction in which you started," advised Klaiber. "It's important to know the grain on the point and the grain on the flat run in opposite directions."

To slice brisket like a pro, there are a couple more things to remember beyond slicing against the grain. If you want a tender rather than tough bite, you need to rest the meat before slicing. This allows the meat fibers to relax and the delicious juices to redistribute throughout the beef for more succulence. How long to rest it for depends on the size of the cut — but it's probably longer than you'd think. "The most important thing is that you have rested your brisket for at least two hours before you slice into it," Patrick Klaiber told us.

Once you've rested your brisket — wrapped and in a cooler, insulated bag, or warming oven — you need a sharp blade. "I suggest using a carving knife or a slicing knife, but the most important knife to have is a sharp one," said Klaiber. Whether you cut all your meat or just the amount you need is up to you. However, it's worth noting that slicing brisket before storing leftovers in the fridge can dry out the meat.

To keep the meat moist when reheating, either wrap it in foil and place it on a tray in the oven, or use a slow cooker. You can also try something different: "If you have leftovers, chop it up and mix it in with some eggs the next morning, or better yet turn it into some Texas twinkies!" Klaiber suggested.