Brisket how many servings

There is the flat cut, which is leaner and often used if you are braising your brisket. Then there is the pointcut, which is fatter and often used if you are grilling or smoking your brisket. You can decide to cut your brisket up into two pieces with the use of a handy meat cleaver , or you can ask your local butcher to do the cutting for you.

Because of how you will cook your brisket, along with its fat content, expect your brisket to lose up to half its weight while cooking. This is especially true with the fattier pointcut. As always, make sure you know your crowd. There are some people who just eat more than others. Furthermore, you want to think about extra factors. Do you want there to be leftovers? If so, make sure you cook more than the allotted amount per person. Also think about what sides you want to add to the meal.

Potato salad and beans are common sides, both of which are quite filling. Macaroni and cheese and biscuits are also common additions that take up a lot of room in the stomach. When talking about how many pounds of brisket per person to allocate, the numbers always refer to raw brisket. This is because, depending on the cut and the cooking method, the brisket will shrink by different sizes. Therefore, you need to think in terms of raw meat. Again, add or subtract these amounts depending on the crowd you are serving.

When it comes to smoked brisket, you will definitely want to add more brisket than originally recommended. Smoking brisket takes a long time and, in that duration, most of the fat slowly drips away.

Grilling your brisket and deciding on the serving size is similar to smoking. You will most likely use the flat pointcut which is fattier. As this fat drips away, you are left with a leaner, and smaller cut of meat. If you have the chance, I suggest smoking more brisket than you need to feed your crew. There is always the chance that one of your guests is going to be a heavy hitter and running out of food sucks. It is also a lot of work to smoke a brisket and I like having a little extra to have as leftovers for all of my troubles.

A trick I use to stretch how much brisket folks eat is to supplement the menu. I like to cook a pound or two of nice sausage smoked brats , Italian, etc , slice them along a diagonal and place them on the same serving platter as the brisket. Another way I stretch things out is to make a separate tray of quick and easy fake burnt ends. You can make these by smoking a chuck roast or boneless beef ribs. Using the smaller cuts lets you get these ready in just a few hours. You could also make a platter of pork belly burnt ends and watch people really go nuts.

Are you expecting many children under the age of 10? If so, you can adjust the per-person amount accordingly. Kids tend to eat less than full-grown adults, particularly at informal gatherings. No matter what their age, some people have heartier appetites than others. You might also have a vegetarian or two on the guest list. Whatever the reason, you may be able to curate the portion sizes according to their personal preferences. Only you can determine the answer in this case.

What else is on the menu? Beef brisket is the star, of course, and rightly so. But you can make the meal stretch further if you offer a few choice side dishes as well. Corn bread or hush puppies are classic barbecue accompaniments, and the starch will help to fill people up faster.

Both are easy to make, although hush puppies do require the additional and messy step of deep-frying in hot oil. Cole slaw is another traditional element. You can go with the basic green-cabbage-and-mayo version, or spice things up by using red cabbage and a Thai chili sauce. If you have the time or inclination, make a batch of homestyle mac and cheese and serve it alongside the brisket. This can also serve as the main course for any non-meat-eaters.

Finally, decide whether you want your guests to save room for dessert. A plate of cookies or brownies should do nicely after such a rich and time-consuming main course.

At early gatherings, people tend to eat less. Similar rules apply when it comes to the formality of the party. Of course, this might be called into question if the event involves tailgating.

In that case, you might want to plan on buying more brisket instead of less. When alcohol is involved, food can disappear in a hurry. Therefore, a single pound of cooked brisket could yield 3 or 4 sandwiches.