Slice brisket after resting at least 30 minutes: cut the flat against the grain into pencil-thick slices, about 1/4 inch. When you reach the point, rotate it 90 degrees and slice against its grain. Serve slices with bark intact.
How To Slice A Brisket Franklin: slice the flat about 1/4 inch thick, then rotate the point 90 degrees and slice it about 3/8 inch thick. Use a long, sharp slicing knife and cut across the grain, not with it.
Start at the flat end, trimming only loose or dry edges. Make smooth strokes without sawing hard, keeping each slice intact. When the grain changes near the point, separate or turn the brisket so every cut still runs across the muscle fibers.
Serve slices in order, with bark attached.
The Short Answer, With Numbers
Slice Franklin-style brisket across the grain, not with it. Cut the flat about 1/4 inch thick, roughly pencil width. Cut the point thicker, about 3/8 inch, because it is fattier and more tender.
Use a long slicing knife, ideally 12 inches or longer. Make full-length strokes. Do not saw in short motions. A clean slice should hold together when lifted but pull apart with light finger pressure.
| Brisket-related case | Safe minimum internal temperature | Rest time |
|---|---|---|
| Beef roast, including brisket | 145°F (63°C) | 3 minutes |
| Leftover sliced brisket, reheated | 165°F (74°C) | None |
Franklin-Style Slice Sizes
For the flat, aim for 1/4-inch slices. On a 6-inch-wide flat, that gives broad slices that bend over your finger without breaking. If they crumble, cut thicker. If they chew stringy, you are likely with the grain.
For the point, use 3/8-inch slices. The point has more intramuscular fat, so thicker slices still eat tender. If you slice the point at 1/4 inch, it can fall apart before it reaches the plate.
Start at the lean flat end. Slice straight down across the grain. When you reach the fatty point section, the grain changes direction. Rotate the brisket about 60 to 90 degrees before continuing.
A practical marker: the first 60% of the brisket is usually flat-dominant. The last 40% is usually point-dominant. The exact turn happens where the muscle seam and fat pocket become obvious.
Worked Example
If your cooked brisket is 16 inches long, the first 9 to 10 inches may slice like flat. At 1/4 inch per slice, that section yields about 36 to 40 slices before you rotate for the point.
The remaining 6 to 7 inches, sliced at 3/8 inch, yields about 16 to 19 point slices. That gives roughly 52 to 59 total slices, before accounting for the end pieces and any chopped scraps.
For serving, count 2 to 3 slices per person if slices are wide and the meal has sides. For a 12-person tray, set aside about 24 to 36 slices, mixing lean flat slices with fattier point slices.
Edge Cases
If the flat is dry, slice slightly thicker, about 5/16 inch. Thicker slices reduce moisture loss on the board and help the meat hold together during serving.
If the point is extremely soft, slice closer to 1/2 inch or cube it for burnt ends. A fatty point can look ragged if forced into thin slices.
If you accidentally cut with the grain, stop after 1 slice. Turn the brisket 90 degrees and resume. Long muscle fibers on the cut face mean the direction is wrong.
Trimmed pieces and broken slices are not failures. Chop them for sandwiches, beans, tacos, or burnt-end-style pieces. Keep the showcase slices from the center flat and upper point.
Rest Before You Slice
For Franklin-style brisket, do not slice when it comes off the pit. Rest it first so the flat does not pour juice onto the board and turn dry within minutes.
A practical target is a 2-step rest: cool the brisket on the counter until the surface heat drops, then hold it wrapped in an insulated cooler, warm oven, or holding cabinet.
Use These Rest Times
| Brisket Size | Counter Cool | Wrapped Hold | Total Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 to 10 lb | 20 to 30 min | 1 to 2 hr | 1.5 to 2.5 hr |
| 11 to 14 lb | 30 to 45 min | 2 to 4 hr | 2.5 to 4.75 hr |
| 15 to 18 lb | 45 to 60 min | 3 to 6 hr | 4 to 7 hr |
Example: a 13 lb whole packer brisket finishes at 1:00 p.m. Let it sit vented until 1:35 p.m., then rewrap and hold until 4:30 p.m. Slice at 4:35 p.m. for a 5:00 p.m. meal.
Do not skip the vent. If a wrapped brisket goes straight from the smoker into a cooler, carryover heat can keep pushing it softer. The bark can also steam and lose its clean bite.
Venting means opening the butcher paper or foil, not unwrapping the brisket completely. Leave it on a tray, fat cap up, and let the aggressive heat escape for 20 to 60 minutes.
How To Hold It Franklin-Style
After the vent, close the butcher paper back around the brisket. Put it in an empty dry cooler and cover it with 1 or 2 clean towels. Do not add ice or water.
If using an oven, use the lowest warm setting that holds steady. A holding cabinet is better because it gives gentler heat and less drying at the cut edges.
Keep the point and flat attached during the rest. Separating them early exposes more cut surface, which means more moisture loss before you ever start slicing.
A brisket that feels tight after cooking needs more rest. A brisket that bends easily but does not collapse is ready. The flat should feel relaxed, not springy.
If dinner is in 45 minutes, give the brisket at least a short vent and rest. Slice only what you need first, then keep the remaining brisket wrapped while people eat.
If dinner is delayed 3 hours, do not slice early. Keep it whole and wrapped. A whole brisket holds heat and moisture far better than sliced flat or chopped point.
Edge Cases
If the bark is already soft, vent longer before holding: 45 to 60 minutes. Then rewrap loosely, not airtight. This helps the surface stop steaming.
If the flat is thin, shorten the wrapped hold. Thin flats dry faster once overcooked, and a very long hold can make the slices crumble instead of bend.
If the brisket is probe-tender but the point feels jiggly and the flat feels firm, rest it whole anyway. The rest evens out heat between the fatty point and lean flat.
For slicing, wait until the brisket is rested, then cut across the grain. Start with pencil-thick slices, about 1/4 inch. If slices fall apart, cut thicker. If they pull hard, cut thinner.
Find The Grain Direction
Before you slice a Franklin-style brisket, identify the grain in both muscles: the flat and the point. They run in different directions, so one “grain direction” for the whole brisket is wrong.
The flat is the long, lean muscle. On most packer briskets, its grain runs lengthwise, from the thin end toward the thicker middle. The point sits on top at an angle, and its grain usually runs 45 to 90 degrees different.
Mark The Grain Before Cooking
The easiest time to see the grain is before the brisket goes on the smoker. Raw brisket shows long muscle lines clearly, especially on the flat side after trimming.
Cut a small corner off the flat across the grain before seasoning. Make the cut about 1 inch wide and 1/2 inch deep. That trimmed corner becomes your visual arrow after the bark turns dark.
Example: if the flat’s fibers run left to right, cut the corner so the exposed cut face runs front to back. Later, start slicing parallel to that cut face, not parallel to the long edge of the brisket.
If you forgot to mark it, look at the underside of the flat after resting. The grain often appears as thin parallel lines. Turn the brisket until those lines run away from you, then slice left to right.
Use The Flat First, Then Recheck At The Point
Start at the thin end of the flat. Slice perpendicular to the grain, making slices about 1/4 inch thick. If the slice pulls apart into long strings, you are cutting with the grain; rotate 90 degrees.
A good test slice should bend over your finger without snapping immediately. You should see short muscle fibers on the cut face, not long cords running the full width of the slice.
Work your way through the flat until the brisket gets thicker and the fatty seam under the point becomes obvious. This is the transition zone, and the grain will start to change.
At that point, stop and separate or rotate. Franklin-style slicing commonly means slicing the flat in one direction, then turning the point about 90 degrees before cutting it.
For the point, cut thicker slices, about 3/8 inch. The point has more fat and looser structure, so very thin slices can fall apart. Still cut across the visible grain, not across the brisket’s overall shape.
Edge Cases: Bark, Burnt Ends, And Crooked Flats
If heavy bark hides the grain, shave a tiny slice from the side of the flat. Look at the cut face. Long lines mean you cut with the grain; short dots or short streaks mean you cut across it.
If the flat is crooked, follow the fibers, not the cutting board. A brisket can sit diagonally, with the grain running 30 degrees off the edge. Angle your knife to match the meat, not the board.
For burnt ends, grain matters less because the point is cubed. Cut the point into strips across the grain first, then cube those strips into pieces about 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches wide.
If one end crumbles while the center slices cleanly, change thickness before changing direction. Move from 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch slices in the softer section, while keeping the knife across the grain.
The rule is numeric and simple: flat slices about 1/4 inch, point slices about 3/8 inch, and rotate about 90 degrees when the grain changes between the two muscles.
Franklin Brisket Slicing Steps
Use a long slicing knife, a large board with a juice groove, and the brisket fat-side up. The goal is Franklin-style slices: clean cuts, visible grain control, and different slice directions for the flat and point.
Step-by-step Franklin-style cut
- 1. Set the brisket on the board with the flat to your left. The flat is the thinner, leaner end. The point is the thicker, fattier end. Keep the bark facing up so each slice keeps a clean top crust.
- 2. Trim off the dry corner first. On the thin flat end, cut away about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch if it looks hard, gray, or crumbly. This first cut also shows the grain direction inside the flat.
- 3. Slice the flat against the grain. Cut straight across the flat, not with the meat fibers. Aim for slices about 1/4 inch thick, roughly the thickness of a pencil. Use long strokes, not short sawing motions.
- 4. Check the bend after 3 slices. Pick up one slice from the center. A good Franklin-style slice should bend over your finger without snapping, but it should not fall apart when lifted. If it crumbles, cut thicker. If it feels tough, cut thinner.
- 5. Stop when you reach the point overlap. After several flat slices, the brisket gets taller and fattier. This is where the point begins to sit over the flat. The grain changes here, so do not keep slicing in the same direction.
- 6. Rotate the point about 90 degrees. Turn the remaining thick section so you can cut across the point’s grain. Slice the point slightly thicker, about 3/8 inch, because it has more rendered fat and softer texture.
- 7. Handle edge cases deliberately. If the point is extremely fatty, cut 1/2-inch slices or cube it for burnt ends. If the flat is dry, slice only what you will serve immediately and keep the rest whole to slow moisture loss.
Worked slicing example
For a 12-pound cooked brisket, expect the flat to give about 12 to 18 pencil-thick slices before the grain change. The point may give 8 to 12 thicker slices, depending on how much fat rendered out.
If serving 6 people, slice about 18 to 24 ounces first. That is usually 3 to 4 ounces per person. Leave the unsliced portion intact on the board, with the cut face down, until more is needed.
For sandwiches, cut flat slices slightly thinner than 1/4 inch so they fold easily. For a tray presentation, keep slices uniform and lay them shingled, with the bark edge visible on every piece.
Slice Flat And Point Differently
Franklin-style slicing changes at the seam because the flat and point have different grain directions. Treat the brisket as 2 cuts joined together, not 1 roast to slice from end to end.
Start on the flat end. Place the brisket fat side down so the lean face is up. Slice across the flat’s grain into pencil-thick slices, about 1/4 inch wide.
For a 10-inch flat section, that gives about 35 to 40 slices if your knife strokes are consistent. A 3/8-inch slice gives closer to 25 to 27 slices and eats heavier.
Use a long slicing knife, ideally 12 inches. Make each cut in 1 or 2 smooth pulls. Sawing 6 or 7 times tears the bark and squeezes juice from the flat.
Where To Stop On The Flat
Stop when the slices begin to show a thick fat seam or when the meat shape changes from a narrow rectangle to a taller, bulbous section. That is the transition into the point.
On many packer briskets, this change happens after 6 to 8 inches of flat slices. On a smaller brisket, it may happen after only 4 to 5 inches.
Do not keep slicing straight through the point in the flat direction. The point grain usually runs at a different angle, often close to 90 degrees from the flat grain.
If you ignore that turn, point slices look impressive but chew stringy. The knife may be technically thin, yet each bite contains long muscle fibers.
Turn The Point Before Slicing
Once you reach the point, rotate the remaining brisket about 90 degrees. Your next cuts should again cross the visible grain, not follow the direction used on the flat.
Look at the cut face. If the grain lines run left to right, slice front to back. If they run front to back, slice left to right.
Point slices can be thicker than flat slices because the point has more intramuscular fat. Aim for 3/8 inch to 1/2 inch slices, especially from the moist center.
Example: if the point is 5 inches long, 1/2-inch slices yield about 10 slices. At 3/8 inch, expect about 13 slices. Use thicker cuts when the point is very soft.
For the fatty nose of the point, trim only loose exterior fat, not the rendered seam inside. That seam helps hold slices together and gives the classic moist brisket bite.
Edge Cases: Crumbly, Tight, Or Split Brisket
If the flat crumbles, cut thicker: move from 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch. Crumbling usually means the slice is too thin for that section’s tenderness.
If the flat feels tight or bends without separating, cut thinner: move from 3/8 inch toward 1/4 inch. Thin slices shorten the chew when the lean is firm.
If the flat and point separate at the fat seam, slice them as 2 separate pieces. Keep the flat grain horizontal, then rotate the point until its grain is perpendicular to the knife.
For serving, place flat slices in order first, then point slices beside them. This keeps lean and moist portions distinct, which is the practical Franklin-style goal.
Serve Clean Even Slices
Slice brisket only when it is ready to serve. For Franklin-style service, the goal is neat pencil-thick slices that hold together when lifted, then pull apart with light pressure.
Use a long slicing knife, 10 to 14 inches, with a sharp smooth or scalloped edge. Avoid a chef’s knife if it makes you saw hard; short strokes tear bark and squeeze juice from the flat.
Start With The Flat
Place the brisket fat side down if the bark on top is fragile. Set the flat to your left and the point to your right. The flat grain usually runs lengthwise, so cut straight across it.
Make slices 1/4 inch thick across the flat. A practical target is 4 slices per inch. If the flat is dry or lean, go slightly thicker, about 3/8 inch, so each slice stays intact.
Use full-length strokes. Pull the knife from heel to tip, then reset. Do not press down like cutting bread. Pressure crushes the meat and makes the lower edge ragged.
Worked example: a 7-inch-long flat section sliced at 1/4 inch gives about 28 slices. At 3/8 inch, it gives about 18 slices. Choose thinner for tender, juicy flat; thicker for crumbly flat.
Turn At The Point
When you reach the fatty seam where the point begins, stop. The grain changes direction there. Rotate the point about 90 degrees so you are again cutting across the grain.
The point is richer and looser, so slices can be thicker. Cut the point 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick. If the slice bends and holds, it is right. If it falls apart, cut thicker or cube it.
For burnt ends, trim point slices or chunks into 1-inch cubes. Use the fatty, bark-heavy end pieces first. They sauce and reheat better than lean flat scraps.
Keep Portions Consistent
Plan 2 to 4 slices of flat per plate, depending on slice width. With 1/4-inch slices, 3 slices often equal one tidy serving. With 3/8-inch slices, 2 slices may look the same on a tray.
For a mixed tray, serve 2 flat slices plus 1 point slice per person. This gives lean and fatty meat without overloading the plate. Put the best bark-facing slices on top.
Edge case: if the flat is narrower than 3 inches, shorten the stroke and support the slice with your off hand. Thin end pieces can be cut 1/2 inch thick to prevent shredding.
Edge case: if the bark is very hard, flip that section bark side down and slice from the meat side. The knife exits through the bark last, giving a cleaner top edge.
Serve immediately after slicing. If reheating sliced leftovers, heat them to 165°F. If serving a beef roast for safety, the USDA minimum is 145°F with a 3-minute rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Aaron Franklin slice brisket?
Franklin-style slicing means separating your approach by muscle. Slice the flat across the grain into pencil-thick slices, about 1/4 inch. When you reach the point, rotate the brisket about 90 degrees and slice across that grain into thicker, juicy slices.
Which direction do I slice brisket against the grain?
Look for the long muscle fibers before slicing. On the flat, they usually run lengthwise, so cut across them. The point grain runs a different direction, often nearly 90 degrees from the flat. Change your knife angle when you move from flat to point.
How thick should brisket slices be Franklin style?
Slice the flat about 1/4 inch thick, roughly pencil width. The slice should bend over your finger without breaking. Slice the point a little thicker, about 3/8 inch, because it has more fat and can handle a bigger cut.
Do I slice the whole brisket at once?
No. Slice only what you plan to serve right away. A whole sliced brisket dries out fast because every cut surface loses moisture. Keep the rest intact, then make fresh slices as needed, especially from the flat, which dries faster than the point.
What knife should I use to slice brisket like Franklin?
Use a long, sharp slicing knife, ideally 10 to 12 inches. A smooth or scalloped edge works if it cuts cleanly without sawing hard. Make long strokes through each slice, keeping the bark attached instead of shredding the meat.
