Barbecue may be the quintessential American food, and . You might have a lot of questions about brisket — things like , or even just — and one of the chief ones might be what's the difference between a brisket flat and point cut? As you can probably guess from the difference in terms, these aren't the same thing; they're actually two different muscles that comprise the cut we collectively know as "brisket." While there are times when you might find the two portions sold together in one solid piece, they're often separated, and each has their strengths and weaknesses.
Typically, the rule is this: barbecue brisket (such as smoked brisket) comes from the point cut, while braised brisket (such as Jewish holiday brisket) comes from the flat. The flat and point are different muscles, but they're both brisket The two muscles that make up the brisket are located on the cow's chest, right above the front legs. This makes them well-worked muscles, which is why they both need slow cooking to break down their connective tissue.
This is also the reason that brisket is . Typically, the flat is known as the "first cut," while the point is either called the "second cut" or the "deckle cut." That term is important, as "deckle" refers to the layer of hard fat and intercostal meat located between the two cuts, which is why they're separated (since that layer can be less than appetizing).
It's really not hard to spot which cut is which, either, as the flat is a big rectangle with even thickn.