-
Been smoking for years, started doing the brisket last year after trip down to Austin. I used to travel a lot and had great BBQ Brisket at many places in TX, mostly road side weekend joints in the Hill Country. I bought one from Anoka Meat Market ; Packer trim, choice, fresh. Excellent! $ 2.69/lb. Clancey,s Cut right of the steer. small and limp (what i heard is desirable). Had a little problem with the smoke process as tornado hit home. Re started after rain delay. Tough. Probably the stop. $$over $7/lb, almost fainted when the counter guy rang me up. Hackenmullers; frozen, market(packer), So So. $3.69/lb. Wal Mart; fresh, market, select, Cheap. $2.19/lb. Strange texture ? Will keep going until I can get them like in Lockhart TX.
›1 Reply -
-
I hate brisket, or at least my mom's traditional/Jewish preparation. So I've never looked at prices and couldn't tell you what is reasonable. But I did see it was on sale at Whole Foods yesterday for $7-something a lb.
›6 Replies-
re: jaycooke
Man if whole foods brisket is $7/lb I don't even want to know how much their steaks are. Brisket should never be over $5/lb if you do your research. Don't need to go to byerlys or whole foods to get good brisket. Try a market that has local farmers. But, be careful with grass fed brisket....it can be dry as its often lower in fat content. Fat is good with slow cooked meats.
-
-
re: brlattim
Does anyone know if there is an appreciable difference in flavor of the finished product that is dependent on the "provenance" of the meat? Meaning, is cheap brisket the same as expensive brisket? Has anyone done a taste test? Not just "it should" or "it shouldn't" matter, but has anyone tried this?
I for one can tell a difference chickens, where the provenance of the bird does matter (cheap supermarket chickens don't have nearly as much flavor as chickens from Callister Farms or Katejan Farms chickens. There is a pronounced difference in pork - flavor and texture - depending on the supplier. Is the same true for brisket?
Just wondering....
-
re: foreverhungry
forever: I cannot speak towards the supplier aspect [nor the grass/corn fed, certified angus vs. non-certified angus, and/or organic debate], but I will readily tell you that I would not go below "choice" grade and would avoid trimmed briskets [look for one side to have a thick fat cap] .....Anything less than "choice" is garbage in, garbage out in my fifteen-plus years of cooking/smoking briskets. In terms of cooking partial and/or denuded/trimmed briskets, I find it too much work to turn out an edible product.
-
re: foreverhungry
FH, I'm with you on taste difference in chicken. Kadejan is absolutely worth the extra money. The big chain super market chickens just don't taste right.
As far as Costco meat, I've had a few experiences with their steaks that make me uneasy about buying a larger cut. The last time I made NY strips from Costco, after cooking to med/med rare, the center ended up orange...not red, not pink, not brown. Orange. And the texture and taste were off too. I haven't bought any meat from them since.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
re: magz0r
Db Cooper
May 10, 2012 08:17 AM
Make sure you get the Full Packer. Costco has what looks to be a really fair priced one, but it's just the flat. Unless you plan on doing some injections on the front end, it's incredibly difficult to keep this cut moist during the cooking/smoking process.
-
re: magz0r
I have been to the Costco in Maplewood and the Costco in Anoka and both only had trimmed flats - no packer cuts. Both meat counter guys I spoke with said they didn't think any Costco in Minnesota carried full packer cuts or similar, only trimmed flats. The trimmed flats still had a decent amount of flat on them and were a good price (I think less than $3/lb), but it's not the same as doing a whole brisket on the smoker (and no burnt ends!).
-
re: unclebrian
Db Cooper
May 24, 2012 09:57 AM
The only way to keep a Flat moist is to do an injection of marinade before cooking. And with no Burnt Ends, it's just not worth the time.
I wondered if Costco did the Packer cut. Now I know. And like GI Joe said, "Knowing is half the battle." I'll stick with Angus Meats (right by Costco in Maplewood) for my brisket needs going forward..
-
-
-
