Questions on buying brisket

[Roaniecowpony]

It probed tender at 8am. Pulled it off and did a Harry Soo technique of rehydration and put it in the Cambro til mid day.

 

[Roaniecowpony]

I am pleased with the brisket. The flat came out pretty moist and of course the point is very moist. The flat had the perfect pull and was neither over done nor under done. I had it in the Cambro for 5 hours. Probably the longest rest I've used for brisket. It was still 145F internal. The smoke ring is about 1/4". I think it came out pretty good for no injection or anything fancy.

 

[Cuajinais]

This is some pretty-looking brisket Roanie.

On Friday after writing my last post I headed out to my local BBQ joint to try some brisket. The smallest amount I could buy was ¼ pound which amounted to 2 slices of a brisket (see picture). Incredibly, that cost $7. I’ve been hit with inflation shock all through the past year but this ranks as the most shocking. Anyway my wife and I both tasted it and agreed the one from the BBW joint was better as expected. It was more moist and this was an area I already knew I could improve. But taste wise we liked it better too. The difference was that it had so much salt/seasoning that you could not even taste the meat. Whereas mine was not seasoned nearly as much so I could taste the meat. Wife always complains I use too much seasoning so I’ve become accustomed to using considerably less seasoning than I would like. This tells me that brisket meat really is similar to pot roast meat. From my single “competition BBQ Joint” taste test my conclusion is the trick is to season the brisket so much you don’t even taste the meat. This is mostly what I think happens with chicken and pork too, where the taste come mostly from seasoning and smoke. But with other cuts of beef I feel the meat itself is the highlight.

The next day I used the brisket meat to make “brisket burgers” with BBQ sauce and I enjoyed those. My kids also enjoyed the meat. Overall it was a successful cook but for me personally the 1st day I was let down. I’ve enjoyed it more on the following days after I lowered my expectations and dressed it up with BBQ sauce (the sure sign that it really isn’t that good). I think I don’t like the smell of it as it is being cooked either. But I definitely want to try again with a prime full brisket. Oddly I really enjoyed trimming it, I’m sure that sounds weird but I found it to be like a stress-relieving activity.

Someone asked about the cooking process: I did have issues with the cooking process but I took notes and that could be discussed on a separate post since this is lengthy already.

 

[Roaniecowpony]

This is some pretty-looking brisket Roanie.

On Friday after writing my last post I headed out to my local BBQ joint to try some brisket. The smallest amount I could buy was ¼ pound which amounted to 2 slices of a brisket (see picture). Incredibly, that cost $7. I’ve been hit with inflation shock all through the past year but this ranks as the most shocking. Anyway my wife and I both tasted it and agreed the one from the BBW joint was better as expected. It was more moist and this was an area I already knew I could improve. But taste wise we liked it better too. The difference was that it had so much salt/seasoning that you could not even taste the meat. Whereas mine was not seasoned nearly as much so I could taste the meat. Wife always complains I use too much seasoning so I’ve become accustomed to using considerably less seasoning than I would like. This tells me that brisket meat really is similar to pot roast meat. From my single “competition BBQ Joint” taste test my conclusion is the trick is to season the brisket so much you don’t even taste the meat. This is mostly what I think happens with chicken and pork too, where the taste come mostly from seasoning and smoke. But with other cuts of beef I feel the meat itself is the highlight.

The next day I used the brisket meat to make “brisket burgers” with BBQ sauce and I enjoyed those. My kids also enjoyed the meat. Overall it was a successful cook but for me personally the 1st day I was let down. I’ve enjoyed it more on the following days after I lowered my expectations and dressed it up with BBQ sauce (the sure sign that it really isn’t that good). I think I don’t like the smell of it as it is being cooked either. But I definitely want to try again with a prime full brisket. Oddly I really enjoyed trimming it, I’m sure that sounds weird but I found it to be like a stress-relieving activity.

Someone asked about the cooking process: I did have issues with the cooking process but I took notes and that could be discussed on a separate post since this is lengthy already.

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First, thank you for the compliment.

I'm sorry about your experiences with brisket. I think you have had misleading experiences with, both, what you smoked and what good quality restaurant bbq brisket should be.

IMO, brisket should be beefy flavor first, moist, light to moderate smoke and seasoning complementing the beef flavor. But everyone has their own preferences.

For your efforts to cook brisket on your 340, I'd recommend you view some videos by recognized bbq gurus, such as Aaron Franklin, Harry Soo, Malcolm Reed, Mad Scientist BBQ, etc. There are many many videos on brisket out there. Learn a bit about who the author is before watching them. There's not so great videos out there too.

I recommend watching several brisket trimming videos. It's part technical and part art. The more briskets you do, the better you get at it. Whether you choose to do very modest style of trimming or radical, the goal is to remove fat and silver skin in selected areas so the rub and smoke can penetrate and flavor the meat.

If the whole brisket thing is just too much, give some thought to doing some tri-tip, if you can find it in your region. It's more like a large, thick steak, in terms of cooking it. The flavor and texture is more like steak as well.

 

[Waterboy]

You could also try beef ribs. Much easier IMHO and very similar if not better than brisket. Plate short ribs are best but most Costcos have chuck short ribs if you ask one of the folks in the meat department if that’s easier for you to find.

 

[Beach Bum]

You could also try beef ribs. Much easier IMHO and very similar if not better than brisket. Plate short ribs are best but most Costcos have chuck short ribs if you ask one of the folks in the meat department if that’s easier for you to find.

I have to second the beef ribs as a good option. I did three racks of the Costco beef ribs recently. They were easy to cook and tasted great. I enjoy my briskets too.

 

[PRC]

You could also try beef ribs. Much easier IMHO and very similar if not better than brisket. Plate short ribs are best but most Costcos have chuck short ribs if you ask one of the folks in the meat department if that’s easier for you to find.

How do you cook your beef ribs?

 

[Waterboy]

I use 50/50 coarse pepper and kosher salt. I don’t remove the membrane and I put them on the grill at 180-200 for an hour or two then run it the rest of the way at 275 until it’s probe tender. I start probing at about 194 but they usually probe tender around 203 like a brisket. I don’t wrap and only spritz after 4 or 5 hours if anything looks dry.
The first picture is a slab of Plate ribs and the second are Chuck ribs.

 

[PRC]

Look good, time for me to try them.

 

[Jim6820]

I use 50/50 coarse pepper and kosher salt. I don’t remove the membrane and I put them on the grill at 180-200 for an hour or two then run it the rest of the way at 275 until it’s probe tender. I start probing at about 194 but they usually probe tender around 203 like a brisket. I don’t wrap and only spritz after 4 or 5 hours if anything looks dry.
The first picture is a slab of Plate ribs and the second are Chuck ribs.
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Which ribs do you like best; plate or chuck? They both look pretty tasty from here!

 

[Waterboy]

Which ribs do you like best; plate or chuck? They both look pretty tasty from here!

Thanks, I like them both. If I want more meat (bigger crowd to feed) then I prefer plate ribs. If it’s just the wife and me one rack of Chuck ribs gives us dinner and a leftover lunch. The Costco ribs come in a two pack and usually run around $50 for the two racks.

Chuck ribs are cheaper around here and they cook a little quicker. There is a lot more fat in the Plate ribs and they are juicier but you really can’t go wrong either way. My wife prefers the Chuck ribs.

 

[Pacman]

+1 on the plate ribs. Arguably the best beef flavor with minimal effort. SPOG and cook at 225 unmolested for typically about 8 - 9 hours. They render off a lot so check your grease bucket periodically. Three racks (nine ribs total) overflowed my grease bucket once.

 

[SmokeOCD]

Nice thing with plate is 1 rib = 1 serving. Unless you're stuffing yourself like at Thanksgiving dinner.

 

[Sanjuanron]

Thanks, I like them both. If I want more meat (bigger crowd to feed) then I prefer plate ribs. If it’s just the wife and me one rack of Chuck ribs gives us dinner and a leftover lunch. The Costco ribs come in a two pack and usually run around $50 for the two racks.

Chuck ribs are cheaper around here and they cook a little quicker. There is a lot more fat in the Plate ribs and they are juicier but you really can’t go wrong either way. My wife prefers the Chuck ribs.

hey neighbor. $8 is high for our area unless its just the flat. i usually pay $3.99 for choice and $4.99 prime at sams/costco. but also you should look up or just call tate meat works in spartanburg sc. they typically have a ton of black angus brisket for $5 a lb and is a great place to get high end meat if your budget allows. mine doesn’t but man that A5 wagyu looks amazing. they typically have alot of imported meat flown in fresh from australia and other places also. nice small butcher shop run bye a group of guys that compete in bbq competitions. they also have butts and stuff. they will cut the meat to the pound you want also. if they have the briskets they will advertise on facebook and the will sell out a few pallets in a fri/sat so call before you go.

Just found these at Winn Dixie

 

[C. Keeper]

Just found these at Winn Dixie

View attachment 17350

Picked a bad week to become a vegetarian.

 

[Aaarya]

Yes, it's a total case of supply and demand, plus an added dose of inflation. LGB

Once upon a time when there was no gray in my beard, briskets were still a "poor man's cut" and no one wanted them. Thanks to the emergence of BBQ Pitmasters and similar TV shows along with the introduction of easy to use pellet smokers, cheap briskets are a thing of the past. When no one knew who Franklin was and heard he was cooking briskets in Austin, it was cheap and I screwed up a bunch of them on stick burners with reckless abandon.

Now we (myself included) now consider a brisket a "special occasion" meat in line with prime rib, porterhouses, and other special cuts. Five years ago, even tri-tip was cheap...so cheap I used to buy it and cook it for my dog when the spoiled thing would refuse to eat dog food (and I was instructed to do so by my wife).

Long story short, unless we're comparing hobbies that require high octane gas, this is no longer a cheap hobby. No regrets though as I do enjoy the food and the simplicity and consistency of my grill!

Thanks for this tidbit insight I didn’t know it was cheaper before it got popular..

. Yeah. Brisket is the serious business. You have to have passion. I have tons of grilling buddies but out of 50. Only 3-4 do brisket. Rest do steak etc. just stop there.

 

[Aaarya]

Just found these at Winn Dixie

View attachment 17350

Thanks. there is one close to me .. I will check them out.

 

[tpack]

Just found these at Winn Dixie

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I gave Winn Dixie 28 years of my life, and I am thankful. Managed a meat market till 2002 when they close shop in Texas. Sold briskets for .69 cents/lb. back in the 80`s. I picked up 3 briskets @ Kroger's for 1.87 lb. this week. I have 8 in the freezer till next year's brisket sales.

 

[Jim6820]

Just found these at Winn Dixie

View attachment 17350

Pretty nice marbling for USDA Choice.

 

[MikeK]

“Choice” brisket at $8/lb at Costco is really high in my experience. I bought a 12# “Prime” brisket at our local Costco (Bellingham, WA) last week for $4.29/lb. I have seen Prime at $3.99/lb on occasion. As for the possibility that the $8/lb brisket you bought is just the flat, I suppose that could be the case but I rarely see just flats at Costco. What was the weight of the brisket you bought at Costco? That would help determine whether you got just a flat or a whole packer.

My preference in briskets (especially since I, too, have the smaller RT-340) is a smaller full packer in the 12-14 lb range. Whenever possible, I buy Prime rather than Choice. I look for a brisket with the thickest flat possible and one that is flexible when handled. I also look for one with the least amount of fat cap.

That said, unless you find a custom butcher who will pre-trim a brisket for you, plan on losing about 20% of the weight in the trim process. And, it is normal for a custom butcher to charge you the full price of the untrimmed brisket. So, yes, the per-pound price of a trimmed brisket is significantly higher than an untrimmed one. In addition to trimming the fat cap down to about 1/4” thick and removing the silver-skin, I like to trim the gray edges around the perimeter to expose fresh meat.

The “USDA CHOICE” marking on the Walmart brisket is official. In fact, having it imprinted on the plastic wrapper is a better assurance than having it just printed on the paper weight-label. When you see “USDA” plus “PRIME” or “CHOICE,” on the packaging, you know exactly what it is.

An 18lb will fit on the 340 just fine. Ive squeezed 22lb ones on my 340 it the past. I actually prefer my 340 over my 720 for doing them.