Brisket

[debby]

I'm looking for suggestions on where in San Francisco to purchase flat cut brisket. It is for a holiday meal and I want good quality, but also don't want to pay an exorbitant price. I'll try the usual places, but I don't usually buy this cut, so wondered if anyone had any specific brands they like. TIA

[wearybashful]

Trader Joes is resuming selling kosher brisket. They're small piedes, but I have no complaints.

[bbqman]

Two words :
Whole Foods. Enough said!

bbqman

[sugartoof]

I've seen some truly nice briskets but there too, but they were small, and looked to have been cut down for previous customers who just wanted part of it. Just really, really inspect the meat because last year I watched someone buy a brisket that looked discolored in one corner. You couldn't miss it. Didn't worry the customer or the butcher, so what do I know.

[OldTimer]

Smart and Final has brisket in the bag, but it is a lot. Usually Select but sometimes Choice. If I recall, its around $1.79 lb. Since you will cook it close to forever, it should be tender no matter what grade.
Happy Holidays.

[nosh]

Beat me to it -- Smart & Final is the answer. Whole briskets in a cryovac bag are choice grade and about $1.89 per pound, and run 9-11 pounds. So even if you only use the flat portion and trim away a lot of it, you are still doing better than the supermarkets or butcher shops. Thin little two-pound briskets are useless -- the long braising leaves them shrunken down to nothing and too much of the necessary fat is removed. The fat will render during the browning and then the long slow cooking, and you need the thickness and heft to be good. Remember, a good brisket is at least a two-day, cook and cool and defat and rewarm, process. And that rendered, hardened fat that you remove after cooling -- wow, what that does for cooking roasted potatoes! Try the whole brisket-in-the-bag -- you'll never go back to the supermarket skinny trimmed nothings again.

[Civil Bear]

I think I have found choice grade brisket at S&F maybe twice in the last three years. Which location do you get yours from?

[sugartoof]

No idea why, but most of the Brisket you'll find in SF is too thin, or all fatty down the middle, and mostly all from the same source that apparently doesn't know what a cut of brisket is meant to look like. I'd stay away from the prewrapped ones you'll see around town at places like Andronicos, unless you really luck out and pick up a nice looking one. The number of butchers are selling these same prewrapped briskets, and they just take the plastic off before sticking them in the case. A nice layer of fat on top is great, but it shouldn't be 50% fat. If they offer to trim it, you'll end up with this thin thing that's useless.

I've had surprisingly good luck special ordering from Safeway, and requesting a thicker piece. I've also seen nice briskets at Little City in North Beach but they were priced high I thought. In my experience, Cala is good for a thicker brisket, but they're usually on the smaller side, which may or may not be a good thing for you.

[frangelica]

I have had good luck with brisket from Costco. Lunardi's , but I do not know if they have one in SF always has good briskets and you can get whatever size you want.

[little big al]

A shout out for Marin Sun Farms for brisket(flat and point cut) for about $7.00 lb and amazingly, Pastrami for a dollar cheaper. Better than Katz' I swear. Cheaper than raw brisket, go and figger.

[kc72]

Saw it in a newspaper ad today (could have been Luckys)

[wolfe]

Beef briskets trimmed on sale April 1 at Lucky's only $2.99 a pound.

[Cynsa]

http://www.robertscornedmeats.com/pro...
I just picked up a 5-lb. pastrami this morning...$5/lb.
1030 Bryant St between 8th & 9th St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
[phone]
They have fresh beef brisket, corned beef... and more.

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Roberts Corned Meats
1030 Bryant St, San Francisco, CA 94103

[wolfe]

I thought of them but as you can see that link doesn't give much information. Certainly not as much as this, http://www.robertscornedmeats.com/
Possibly one of the computer folk can figure how to improve the place link.

[Melanie Wong]

Here's the original Place link for Roberts. What ever info in in the Place records is entered there by users like you. Edit at will if you want to see more. Chow staff don't do that.

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Roberts Corned Meats
1030 Bryant St, San Francisco, CA 94103

[Civil Bear]

I'll second Roberts. They have the best prices on Harris Ranch briskets outside of Restaurant Depot. They do not always have them in stock though, and their hours are a bit wierd (ie. closed for lunch).

[The Librarian]

I buy mine at the Mill Valley Market which doesn't help you. I channel my Hungarian Jewish grandmother and ask for " a nice brisket". The secret is getting it from a place that doesn't trim every speck of fat off - you need some to keep it moist. Good luck with your search!

[wolfe]

When I want a small brisket i get it at Raley's. Mine is in El Sobrante, no help. They always seem to have large briskets at Andronico's. Check with Marin Sun Farms for a local market or try at the FPFM.

[adrienne156]

I would call ahead to Andronico's. I've been searching for the past month or so in the east bay (btw, thanks wolfey!) and got shot down by the three Berkeley locations I called.