Typically, the rule is this: barbecue brisket (such as smoked brisket ... while the point cut has a rounded point at one end (which explains its name), with the rest being more of an oblong ...

As with any meat, cutting against or across ... become easier to chew. A whole brisket will have two distinctly shaped parts: a thicker end, called the "point," and a thinner end, the "flat." ...