brisket amount

6oz X 100=600 divided by 16 oz per pound = 37.5# of cooked meat (50%loss)37.5x2= 75.00# uncooked

I smoke the same size brisket that you are using, my net on the finished product(ready for a sandwich) is about 44%. So if put 140 pounds in my smoker when is is ready for sandwiches we about 70 pounds which will make about 200 sandwiches at 6 ounces.

The math is always good,but some folks use another rough rule of thumb when standing at the meat dept.

When dealing in hundred portions/servings about 6 oz[pretty common]

1/3 lb cooked =2/3 lb raw[100] + one packer[12-15]
66 lb +13 = 79 lb.

At Sam's,a heavy case is about 78 lbs

A light case is about 65 lbs + 14 lb packer =79 lb.

You can order in multiples of 100 and should be covered ,with a few spare servings.

Just a thought

Hi Guys,
This is my first time on CookShack Forum. I was reading about the Brisket.I was wondering if you cook the whole Brisket or use only the flats?
I know the flats dry out for me when I smoke them and the whole brisket is tender from the fat,but like you said you lose so much.I was wondering if you use that fatty meat for anything in your restaurant? It always seems to over powering with fat to me.
I was wondering if anyone makes burnt ends and how you do yours?

williesQ
Our burnt ends are the dark tips of the brisket, the "trimmings". We have some customers who like the lean part or the flat. And we have some who ask for the fatty part, or the deckle, because they like the taste the fat gives. We have some who say they don't like fatty meat, but they like the deckle better, they think it isn't fatty but it tastes more moist. You can grind up any leftover brisket and use it for Brunswick Stew. We've chopped it finely and used it in a cream gravy served over a biscuit. It's really good. Go easy on heavy cream and butter in the gravy. I think the whole brisket just turns out better in the end. The flat by itself is too dry for me. That's my own opinion.
Peggy

My 2 cents
For me I lose about 60% overall. As I look at everyones calculations everyone is pretty close depending on how you trim your brisket. Some folks never seperate the deckle and the flat,but they trim the flat up to the deckle, some use only the flat. So, you have to make a decision on how your customer wants it. If it was me and I was giving the custome the whole brisket I would go with Tom and figure a 66% lose and you would be safe. Am I figuring it right Tom?

Burnt ends are "traditionally" made from the point, by double smoking it and putting them back in. At least that's how they do them in Kansas City where they originated. Guess some in the south like to take the "burnt" ends/sides of the brisket as an alternative -- would that be faux burnt ends?

How to make burnt ends (Kansas City style):

Cook the brisket whole. When you take it out as the flat registers the temp you want, cut off the point (deckle) that is the fatty part. Chop it up into bite sided pieces, toss in Q sauce, put in a 1/2 pan and put back in the smoker for another 2 or 3 hours. You want some of that fat left in the point to render out some more. Take out, add more sauce and sell the heck out of them. Kinda like BBQ Popcorn, just put them in a box and eat by the handful.

willie, you have to also consider cost. Flats, because of meat trimming costs, will cost you much more than full packers. And you can use the point to make burnt ends or trim it up and slice it.

The guys above have covered most .

If you are doing a cater,and you have to look at time cost on site, and quality/cost of your labor,flats are fast and may yield up to 60%.

This might balance out the high cost of the flats.

You are in an area where the customer is familiar with brisket,and may have obvious preferences.

In a restaurant setting the points will hold a long time in the cooker,or under heat lamps.

Those folks that ask for chopped sandwiches/plates are usually asking for the flavorful point.[often you will see scraps of the flat,drier pieces,etc included in]

Those that want a sliced plate,had better be seeing nice brisket slices.

Some serve them the whole slice,with the fat layer,sliced across the grain of the flat.

Some, only the sliced flat with fat on the bottom side.

Smokin' gave a good version of burnt ends,and some restaurants may throw in chunks of harder cooked/dried out flat and let the sauce save it.

You can separate your points out,throw them back in the cooker at 225� and use them for sliced,chunked,or chopped.

They may taste better and will hold better.

If a place runs a weekend brunch,leftover point is a great place to make brisket hash and eggs.

This also gets rid of leftover baked potatoes.

Like Jack& Peggy said,make a brisket S.O.S. and serve over biscuits.

Freeze leftover point,and when cool weather sets in make brisket chili one day a week and on the weekend brunch.

Ladies may prefer a salad,while all the men are eating bbq.

Offer a chef salad,using chopped brisket as the meat.

Dress it with Ranch,or 1000 Island dressing mixed with just a little bbq sauce.

Offer tortilla chips,instead of crackers,to trim it.

I touched on several points,so maybe some of these thoughts might answer a question.

First I want to say Thank You to " 2 greyhound,SmokinOkie,Tom ". +This will give me alot more to think about on how to use that deckle.There is another BBQ restaurant in my town that serves burnt ends that look like cubed steak. They don't look like brisket to me,it doesn't have the grain in the meat like brisket.He might be smokin something different and calling it burnt ends.I always took the deckle off because it had so much fat in it. I like that good smokie beef taste.I will try the idea of placing it back in the smoker for awhile.
I want to thank all of you again.I am just starting a BBQ Concession Business and appreciate your help.

I want to thank " JR " too.I didn't include your name in my message above.Sorry about that. Thank you all for your response.

It's really funny for us, because we had to learn how to cook brisket. We'd cooked it for ourselves before on a smoker and thought "what's all the fuss about? It's just a tough ol piece of meat!" We're still learning! And I think the people at the market are learning along with us. They sure do like it. And some of them are very particular. That also helps us.
Jack used some in a bbq pie this weekend that sold out. We're entering it in the pie contest this next weekend there. They are auctioning off the pies to benefit the Humane Society.
I learned something here and want to thank Smokin for the burnt end primer! I thought it was the burnt pieces off the whole brisket. I couldn't understand what was so good about that, it just tasted kind of bitter to me. But we have folks that like that too. The deckle is my favorite part so far.
Peggy

I meant to add that for us, the flat does better if after it's cooked we wrap it in foil and slice to order. Stays nice and moist and still tender.
Peggy