Places to Buy a Brisket for Smoking
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I've had excellent success with the ones from Costco which are Choice grade, a grade better than what you get almost everywhere else. Stick to the 10-11 # range if you can. Your yield should be about 5# of lean brisket.
I've had good success with regular briskets from HEB and elsewhere, but find the results are less consistent than the Choice briskets from Costco or a butcher (which is where I got them before Costco moved to Austin).
I've had good success with regular briskets from HEB and elsewhere, but find the results are less consistent than the Choice briskets from Costco or a butcher (which is where I got them before Costco moved to Austin).
Steel Shank
1,000+ Posts
I was at the South Austin Costco yesterday and all they had were minimum 15 pounds (had one sucker that was 25!). Butcher said they weren't getting any in until Friday.
Brisketexan
1,000+ Posts
Quality, location, etc. doesn't matter jack when it comes to brisket. It is a cheap, crappy cut of meat.
Grade D from Ed's Meat Market and Auto Body shop is probably fine.
What matters is that it be in good shape (fresh, not gray), and that it be "packer cut" -- you want ALL the fat cap on there. I get mine at Randall's, Costco, HEB, Fiesta, wherever. Never noticed one lick of difference. Oh, and I prefer 12 lbs as the optimum size. Any less than 10 is a bit small and it's hard to guage smoke time, anything over 14 requires a bit more cooking time than I prefer.
I just bought a .99 cent a pound one from Randall's last week -- a 10 pounder. I can't tell any difference between it and any other I have bought in the last year.
Grade D from Ed's Meat Market and Auto Body shop is probably fine.
What matters is that it be in good shape (fresh, not gray), and that it be "packer cut" -- you want ALL the fat cap on there. I get mine at Randall's, Costco, HEB, Fiesta, wherever. Never noticed one lick of difference. Oh, and I prefer 12 lbs as the optimum size. Any less than 10 is a bit small and it's hard to guage smoke time, anything over 14 requires a bit more cooking time than I prefer.
I just bought a .99 cent a pound one from Randall's last week -- a 10 pounder. I can't tell any difference between it and any other I have bought in the last year.
HORNINTHEUSA
25+ Posts
If you're in Houston, go to B & M meat market on N. Shepherd. They'll let you go to the back and check all the meat for tenderness. They have great rub and pinto bean seasonings.
I've actually had good luck w/ Super Walmart briskets. Usually 9-11 lb for $1.20-30 +/- per lb. Brisket is a cheap cut anyway- and pretty forgiving - you don't need a $20 brisket to have a good cook.
Had a Tom Thumb Rancher Select brisket that was on sale last wknd- and noticed no difference b/t it and the cheap ones I usually get.
Had a Tom Thumb Rancher Select brisket that was on sale last wknd- and noticed no difference b/t it and the cheap ones I usually get.
12thStudStan
250+ Posts
I differ somewhat in opinion about briskets being a generic hunk of cheap meat, but even a less than desirable piece of meat can be turned into something to behold and savor. I would rate brisket buying behind fire tending, pit bossing, and dry rubbing and perhaps slightly ahead of beer selection in the whole scheme of cueing.
The cryovac untrimmed briskets you find in the bins at the supermarket and even at butcher shops are known as packer's cuts or just packers and most come from one of a small number of meat packers. In central Texas I have seen mostly IBP and Excel packers. I have smoked briskets ranging from 7lbs up to 16lbs+ over the years and have a definite preference for 10-13lb'ers. Smaller briskets tend to come from younger animals which can influence tenderness. I also look for a flexible brisket with a bright red rather than a more brownish color and as uniform a thickness as a brisket can be. There are other factors that can influence the quality of the brisket, but most cannot be determined by inspecting the cryovac package of meat, so there is little use in discussing them.
Briskets have grades just like steaks although most you will find available are Select. Again like steaks, Choice briskets should have more intramuscular fat (marbling) than Select ones, but you generally don't encounter the same price disparity that you do with steaks or other cuts. In fact, they are often priced the same. I have purchased choice briskets from Costco, Walmart, Texas Meat Purveyors (when I was buying commercial) and a local butcher shop in SA - Bolner's Meat Market. They are not easy to find, but they are out there. The Sam's Clubs in my area tend to carry only larger Select briskets (13-16lb) at the same price per pound that I can get a more ideal sized Select and sometimes Choice brisket at their sibling store Walmart that has better hours and no annual membership fee Go figure.
In my experience and with all other things equal, a correctly graded Choice brisket will yield a better product than a Select grade. Intramuscular fat is well known to influence the flavor of meat, so more is a good thing, especially if it can be obtained for roughly the same cost.
I know some people that have a strong preference for a more white rather than yellow fat, but I have no problem with yellow fat as long as the brisket meets my other requirements. White fat is generally an indication of feed lot diet whereas yellow fat can be attributed to either an older animal or to more of a grass fed diet. if you have a 12lb brisket of Choice grade and yellow fat, you can pretty much rule out that it is from an older animal and that a grass fed diet is the likely reason. Grass fed beef are being actively promoted as a healthier alternative to feedlot beef, but not all grass pastures are created equal and foraging for food in some cases can also mean more exercise and less tender meat. As long as you are buying a smaller brisket with good marbling, I wouldn't worry so much about the color of the fat. Some of the best beef I have eaten has gone straight from a grass pasture (with some hay supplement) to the meat locker and then to the freezer, yelllow fat and all.
Hope it tastes good.
The cryovac untrimmed briskets you find in the bins at the supermarket and even at butcher shops are known as packer's cuts or just packers and most come from one of a small number of meat packers. In central Texas I have seen mostly IBP and Excel packers. I have smoked briskets ranging from 7lbs up to 16lbs+ over the years and have a definite preference for 10-13lb'ers. Smaller briskets tend to come from younger animals which can influence tenderness. I also look for a flexible brisket with a bright red rather than a more brownish color and as uniform a thickness as a brisket can be. There are other factors that can influence the quality of the brisket, but most cannot be determined by inspecting the cryovac package of meat, so there is little use in discussing them.
Briskets have grades just like steaks although most you will find available are Select. Again like steaks, Choice briskets should have more intramuscular fat (marbling) than Select ones, but you generally don't encounter the same price disparity that you do with steaks or other cuts. In fact, they are often priced the same. I have purchased choice briskets from Costco, Walmart, Texas Meat Purveyors (when I was buying commercial) and a local butcher shop in SA - Bolner's Meat Market. They are not easy to find, but they are out there. The Sam's Clubs in my area tend to carry only larger Select briskets (13-16lb) at the same price per pound that I can get a more ideal sized Select and sometimes Choice brisket at their sibling store Walmart that has better hours and no annual membership fee Go figure.
In my experience and with all other things equal, a correctly graded Choice brisket will yield a better product than a Select grade. Intramuscular fat is well known to influence the flavor of meat, so more is a good thing, especially if it can be obtained for roughly the same cost.
I know some people that have a strong preference for a more white rather than yellow fat, but I have no problem with yellow fat as long as the brisket meets my other requirements. White fat is generally an indication of feed lot diet whereas yellow fat can be attributed to either an older animal or to more of a grass fed diet. if you have a 12lb brisket of Choice grade and yellow fat, you can pretty much rule out that it is from an older animal and that a grass fed diet is the likely reason. Grass fed beef are being actively promoted as a healthier alternative to feedlot beef, but not all grass pastures are created equal and foraging for food in some cases can also mean more exercise and less tender meat. As long as you are buying a smaller brisket with good marbling, I wouldn't worry so much about the color of the fat. Some of the best beef I have eaten has gone straight from a grass pasture (with some hay supplement) to the meat locker and then to the freezer, yelllow fat and all.
Hope it tastes good.
CostCo's pricing rarely varies. Briskets seem to run $1.49 - $1.59 per pound.
Brisketexan & 12thStudStan (and other experts) . . . would one or more of you consider starting a thread showing the details (WITH photos) of smoking and serving a brisket? The reason I ask is because I've never found good instructions on the web. For instance, I can smoke the hell out the thing, if I do say so myself, but I cannot for the life of me properly slice one up! It always descends into carnage, and I end up with what looks more like pulled pork than anything else. I can never find the separation between the point and the flat once it's smoked, either.
Brisketexan & 12thStudStan (and other experts) . . . would one or more of you consider starting a thread showing the details (WITH photos) of smoking and serving a brisket? The reason I ask is because I've never found good instructions on the web. For instance, I can smoke the hell out the thing, if I do say so myself, but I cannot for the life of me properly slice one up! It always descends into carnage, and I end up with what looks more like pulled pork than anything else. I can never find the separation between the point and the flat once it's smoked, either.
Hey Jimmy, I'm pretty sure that a thread with photos has been posted before, at least for the cooking phase. I'm not sure anyone has ever posted pics of the slicing, but you are quite right that slicing technique has a large effect on the quality of the brisket that enters your mouth. I can't tell you how many times I've been to various church or school BBQ luncheons where they've taken great care to cook the meat properly, but they've mangled the slicing part and ended up with gobs of fat mixed with "bark-beef-hash" or somesuch. I've even been to some BBQ restaurants right here in Central Texas that didn't get it right.
I don't have any pictures, but perhaps the next time I smoke a brisket I'll remember to document it and post it up. Basically, there are a couple of things you can do to keep yourself from getting "pulled beef." First, you should let the meat rest a while after you pull it off the pit. I'd recommend at least 20 or 30 minutes, and you can throw it in a cooler to do this if you like. Some folks also recommend wrapping the brisket for its final few hours of cooking time to aid in tenderness and firmness, but I've never had any problems just letting it cook unwrapped the full time, and there are many of your favorite restaurants that certainly don't take the time to wrap. Anyway, letting the meat rest allows the juices to re-distribute and end up in the meat rather than on the cutting board as you slice, and the meat will be more consistently firm for slicing.
The next key is to have a sharp knife with a large, slip-resistant handle. When I'm cooking for large gatherings, I typically hone the knife on a steel in- between each brisket.
Finally, the technique of slicing... this I learned by feel rather than description, but I'll try my best to convey. I start by trimming off the fat cap. To do this I take my knife and rest it sideways on the top of the brisket. I pull it across (starting at the side where the point is and moving away from the point) and "bump" the knife down. It will move easily through the fat, and will stop at the meat. Pull the knife through the fat, "bumping" the good meat and using it as a guide, until you come out the back side. This will get the majority of the fat, and you can easily trim off the rest.
Then I begin slicing at the point and I take long, even slices, across the grain. I keep doing this until I notice the first bit of fat on the top of my slice-- this tells me that I've reached the point where the two muscles meet. If you were to take a full slice into this section at the same angle as before, you'd notice that the slice has two sections of meat that ares separated by a layer of fat, and that the grain is going in two different directions for the meat on either side of the fat. You don't want this, so don't continue slicing that way. Instead, turn your knife sideways again, and pull it across the meat, "bumping" down once again, and slice along the fat. At this point, you should be able to pull off the top muscle and set it aside. At the end opposite the point and netween the two muscles, there is also a large deposit of fat that I call the "egg." I trim that out as well at this time.
Now, continue slicing the bottom muscle as before, and you can trim off any excess fat as you encounter it.
When you're done with that, take the top muscle and flip it bark-side down so that you can see the grain. Slice against the grain, and trimming the excess fat as you like. This muscle is not as lean and lots of it ends up as the chopped beef (along with lots of fat trimmings) at most BBQ restaurants. Or, if you go to Rudy's, they'll sell it to you for a higher price than the lean and call it "extra moist."
Finally, when I'm serving large groups buffet-style, I typically take my tightly-packed slices on edge and draw the knife down through the middle, cutting them in half. This way you end up with less waste because folks can take less than a full slice (I personally don't know why anyone would do that, but I guess some women and kids are better off without full slices). And if you want to make half-slices, make sure you slice it in half AFTER slicing the whole brisket-- otherwise, you'll end up doing twice the work!
Hope that helps? Good luck!
I don't have any pictures, but perhaps the next time I smoke a brisket I'll remember to document it and post it up. Basically, there are a couple of things you can do to keep yourself from getting "pulled beef." First, you should let the meat rest a while after you pull it off the pit. I'd recommend at least 20 or 30 minutes, and you can throw it in a cooler to do this if you like. Some folks also recommend wrapping the brisket for its final few hours of cooking time to aid in tenderness and firmness, but I've never had any problems just letting it cook unwrapped the full time, and there are many of your favorite restaurants that certainly don't take the time to wrap. Anyway, letting the meat rest allows the juices to re-distribute and end up in the meat rather than on the cutting board as you slice, and the meat will be more consistently firm for slicing.
The next key is to have a sharp knife with a large, slip-resistant handle. When I'm cooking for large gatherings, I typically hone the knife on a steel in- between each brisket.
Finally, the technique of slicing... this I learned by feel rather than description, but I'll try my best to convey. I start by trimming off the fat cap. To do this I take my knife and rest it sideways on the top of the brisket. I pull it across (starting at the side where the point is and moving away from the point) and "bump" the knife down. It will move easily through the fat, and will stop at the meat. Pull the knife through the fat, "bumping" the good meat and using it as a guide, until you come out the back side. This will get the majority of the fat, and you can easily trim off the rest.
Then I begin slicing at the point and I take long, even slices, across the grain. I keep doing this until I notice the first bit of fat on the top of my slice-- this tells me that I've reached the point where the two muscles meet. If you were to take a full slice into this section at the same angle as before, you'd notice that the slice has two sections of meat that ares separated by a layer of fat, and that the grain is going in two different directions for the meat on either side of the fat. You don't want this, so don't continue slicing that way. Instead, turn your knife sideways again, and pull it across the meat, "bumping" down once again, and slice along the fat. At this point, you should be able to pull off the top muscle and set it aside. At the end opposite the point and netween the two muscles, there is also a large deposit of fat that I call the "egg." I trim that out as well at this time.
Now, continue slicing the bottom muscle as before, and you can trim off any excess fat as you encounter it.
When you're done with that, take the top muscle and flip it bark-side down so that you can see the grain. Slice against the grain, and trimming the excess fat as you like. This muscle is not as lean and lots of it ends up as the chopped beef (along with lots of fat trimmings) at most BBQ restaurants. Or, if you go to Rudy's, they'll sell it to you for a higher price than the lean and call it "extra moist."
Finally, when I'm serving large groups buffet-style, I typically take my tightly-packed slices on edge and draw the knife down through the middle, cutting them in half. This way you end up with less waste because folks can take less than a full slice (I personally don't know why anyone would do that, but I guess some women and kids are better off without full slices). And if you want to make half-slices, make sure you slice it in half AFTER slicing the whole brisket-- otherwise, you'll end up doing twice the work!
Hope that helps? Good luck!
Brisketexan
1,000+ Posts
UTEE is pretty much right on.
However you cook it, let it rest (I finish cooking wrapped, and then UNWRAP to let it rest). This lets the meat firm up. Let it rest at least 20 mins, preferably 30.
I immediately separate the Flat from the Point. There is a website out there that shows it -- I'll look for it. Really, to do so, you just lay it down, fat side up (the way you should have cooked it). The flat is the thinner side (top to bottom). Run your knife along that horizontally until the brisket starts to rise, then start slicing. You feel that you are in mostly fat -- slice, and begin angling downwards. You'll hit the cutting board quickly, and on one side, you'll have the flat, ending in a very thin piece where you just finished cutting, and on the other side, you'll have the point.
I then trim fat off of both, and slice against the grain. Occasionally some of the meat from the point is still with your flat, or vice versa. No biggie. Just trim it and slice it (or, pop it in your mouth to "sample" as you slice).
However you cook it, let it rest (I finish cooking wrapped, and then UNWRAP to let it rest). This lets the meat firm up. Let it rest at least 20 mins, preferably 30.
I immediately separate the Flat from the Point. There is a website out there that shows it -- I'll look for it. Really, to do so, you just lay it down, fat side up (the way you should have cooked it). The flat is the thinner side (top to bottom). Run your knife along that horizontally until the brisket starts to rise, then start slicing. You feel that you are in mostly fat -- slice, and begin angling downwards. You'll hit the cutting board quickly, and on one side, you'll have the flat, ending in a very thin piece where you just finished cutting, and on the other side, you'll have the point.
I then trim fat off of both, and slice against the grain. Occasionally some of the meat from the point is still with your flat, or vice versa. No biggie. Just trim it and slice it (or, pop it in your mouth to "sample" as you slice).
Brisketexan
1,000+ Posts
Okay, found a couple of pics.
Below is a cooked brisket:
Looking at it, you can see that the flat runs along the bottom of it, like a foundation (track your eyes from right to left, along the bottom). The point rests on that foundation, on the left side of this particular brisket.
You would take your knife, laying it flat on top of the flat, starting at the right end, with the sharp edge pointing to the left. You will slide your knife along the flat -- you won't start cutting for a couple of inches or so yet. Once you can feel the brisket begin to rise upwards, you have hit the beginning of the point. Keep your knife horizontal to begin with, slicing through the (mostly) fat that lies between the flat and the point. Once you start, begin to angle the knife downwards a bit, as the flat really doesn't run the full length of the whole brisket.
You can see the separation in this pic:
So, after sliding your knife along, and then downward, you have a flat that looks kind of like a ramp. The top of the flat will have some fat that you will probably want to trim before slicing. I just slide the knife horizontally over it, GENTLY (you'd rather leave a little fat than mess up the meat), to remove much of that fat. I even use the knife as a scraper to remove some of it -- that seems to work just fine. The grain of the flat will run from end-to-end of the ramp, so just slice across the ramp, and you're good. I also cut my slices in half when I am finished slicing the flat -- it helps cut down on how much some folks take (usually women), and the slices fit on a slice of bread better.
Now for the point. LOTS of fat on the point, particularly the top (the top is the all black part -- in this pic, the point has been flipped over to show you the separation from the flat, which means that you are looking at the BOTTOM of the point -- I'd flip it back over and work with it top side up). Start slicing off the fat, same as you did with the flat. Once you get rid of the top black layer of fat, you'll be able to better see where the rest of it is. DO NOT expect to trim all of the fat -- that would ruin the meat of the point, and you want to leave some good black bits on there. Also, there's a good amount of fat on the underside where it joined with the flat -- you'll want to trim a good bit of that as well.
Once you get it trimmed, you will see that the grain of the point runs slightly different than that of the flat. When they were laying on top of each other, the grain of the flat ran from west to east. The grain of the point runs from SW to NE -- about a 45 degree difference, give or take. Once they are separated, it doesn't matter -- find the grain, and slice against it.
I don't chop mine for chopped beef. I trim it and slice it. It's my favorite part of the brisket, ESPECIALLY the end piece of the point. That's my chef's reward.
Below is a cooked brisket:
Looking at it, you can see that the flat runs along the bottom of it, like a foundation (track your eyes from right to left, along the bottom). The point rests on that foundation, on the left side of this particular brisket.
You would take your knife, laying it flat on top of the flat, starting at the right end, with the sharp edge pointing to the left. You will slide your knife along the flat -- you won't start cutting for a couple of inches or so yet. Once you can feel the brisket begin to rise upwards, you have hit the beginning of the point. Keep your knife horizontal to begin with, slicing through the (mostly) fat that lies between the flat and the point. Once you start, begin to angle the knife downwards a bit, as the flat really doesn't run the full length of the whole brisket.
You can see the separation in this pic:
So, after sliding your knife along, and then downward, you have a flat that looks kind of like a ramp. The top of the flat will have some fat that you will probably want to trim before slicing. I just slide the knife horizontally over it, GENTLY (you'd rather leave a little fat than mess up the meat), to remove much of that fat. I even use the knife as a scraper to remove some of it -- that seems to work just fine. The grain of the flat will run from end-to-end of the ramp, so just slice across the ramp, and you're good. I also cut my slices in half when I am finished slicing the flat -- it helps cut down on how much some folks take (usually women), and the slices fit on a slice of bread better.
Now for the point. LOTS of fat on the point, particularly the top (the top is the all black part -- in this pic, the point has been flipped over to show you the separation from the flat, which means that you are looking at the BOTTOM of the point -- I'd flip it back over and work with it top side up). Start slicing off the fat, same as you did with the flat. Once you get rid of the top black layer of fat, you'll be able to better see where the rest of it is. DO NOT expect to trim all of the fat -- that would ruin the meat of the point, and you want to leave some good black bits on there. Also, there's a good amount of fat on the underside where it joined with the flat -- you'll want to trim a good bit of that as well.
Once you get it trimmed, you will see that the grain of the point runs slightly different than that of the flat. When they were laying on top of each other, the grain of the flat ran from west to east. The grain of the point runs from SW to NE -- about a 45 degree difference, give or take. Once they are separated, it doesn't matter -- find the grain, and slice against it.
I don't chop mine for chopped beef. I trim it and slice it. It's my favorite part of the brisket, ESPECIALLY the end piece of the point. That's my chef's reward.
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