Weighing the brisket down to get a good sear. Image by Roger Sherman

This High Holiday season more than most, the unspoken agreement among many families to avoid potentially explosive topics such as politics seems more sound than ever. So what’s a family to talk about?

The food, of course. And since so many families will be sitting down to a dinner with brisket as its centerpiece, we offer up these 25 things about brisket that people commonly disagree about. Where do you and your guests stand on the important questions below?

25 Things About Braised Brisket You Can Disagree On

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1) How thick to slice it

2) How thin to slice it

3) When to slice it

4) What to cut it with

5) Electric knife?

6) Serrated knife?

7) 4 pounds will serve 6–8

8) 4 pounds will serve 8–10

9) Always freeze

10) Never freeze

11) Go for the Le Creuset

12) Use any Dutch oven with a tight seal

13) Serve at once

14) Serve the next day

15) Make it sweet

16) Make it savory

17) Brown it

18) Only brown it if you want to

19) Trim the fat before you cook

20) Leave on all the fat, it’ll go into the meat

21) Trim fat to 1/4 inch

22) Which cut? The point? The flat? Both? Neither?

23) Cryovac package

24) Never in Cryovac

25) Fresh onions or onion soup mix?

Stephanie Pierson is the author of “The Brisket Book: A Love Story With Recipes,” Find her on twitter @TheBrisketBook

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