PSA: I found out most competition crews trim brisket way leaner than you think

I was watching the Kansas City Royal's BBQ contest livestream last weekend and noticed something weird. The top 3 teams all left almost no fat cap on their briskets, maybe a quarter inch at most. I always thought you wanted a thick fat cap to keep it moist, but I guess in competition they're chasing bark coverage and bite-through texture. Found this stat on the KCBS website that said 78% of winning entries in 2023 had less than a half inch of fat trimmed. Anyone else trim theirs super thin for contests, or am I the only one learning this late?

2 comments

2 Comments

morgan.mary23d ago

Whack off another quarter inch and you might hit the sweet spot for that perfect bite. Were the top teams using a specific trimming style like a wedge cut or just shaving the whole cap down evenly? Wondering if there's a difference between their method and what most backyard guys do (like me, obviously).

jones.brooke23d ago

Buddy of mine runs a small competition team out of Tulsa. He showed me a brisket he trimmed for a local contest last spring, and I swear there was barely enough fat left to render in the pan. I asked him if he was worried about it drying out, and he laughed and said the judges want that thin layer so the rub hits every part of the meat. His team took third that weekend with a fat cap maybe an eighth of an inch thick, and I've been trimming way leaner ever since.