Brisket price

Seems high, but it's really an issue os supply and demand in your area.

$80 for PB, I'd get about 6 to 8 for that price.

Brisket is from $1.50 to $3 per pd, don't buy prime, go for choice

Just called the butcher and he quoted $3.49 for choice beef brisket untrimmed. He said they were 10-14lbs. I am going to check CostCo but I don't remember seeing brisket there. I see some of you have bought some at Wallmart. I am going to check the Marine base this weekend too. I know I won't be getting Choice from the base or Wally world.

Butcher prices are generally a little higher than grocery store prices, but if you find a good butcher, a higher price may well be worth it. I'm now getting my packers at a local butcher.

California packer prices also seem to be higher than what the folks back in cow country pay for it. I've never seen brisket down around $1.50/lb like Smokin's seen. Things like hamburger and pork butt compare, but for some reason, not brisket. May be brisket is not as popular out here driving up the price because providing it takes extra effort. As you know, many places like Costco don't even carry brisket any more. I only see flats at Sam's and Walmart (select also).

I'm in Orlando for meetings this week and stopped in at a super WalMart and was surprised to see that they carried full choice packers. Price was $3.89/lb though. They had 5 or 6 on display and everyone I looked at was choice on the cray-o-vac not something printed on their pricing label. Jer

I could go to Walmart and pay $2/lb for ungraded packers or Sam's @ $2/lb for Angus choice, but anymore I go to a small grocery store by the lake and pay 2.69/lb to buy a case of premium Angus choice briskets.

Just like them better and what's .69/lb...I have freezer space and know the kill date.

There is a Restaurant Depot in San Diego and they usually will choice and sometimes prime briskets. If you have a KCBS membership, you should be able to get in for free.

Sams Club here has nice Choice Full Packers.

Yesterday at the local Albertson's I bought 2 real nice full packers, IBP Choice for $1.99/lb (on sale!!) Both in the 13#-14# range.

All the big chains usually have choice, you have to look hard for prime, unless you go to a local butcher or meat market!

Yep. Better brisket prices and selection outside California where there's more demand.

Tigerfan,

It depends on your Sam's club on whether they carry packers or not. Mine only carries flats.

quote:

I can get Select at Grocery chains.

You're generally better off with Choice but I have seen Select packers with nice conformation, bark and striation.

Walmart may get delivered choice,instead of ungraded,but they only have one price code-so same price.

You can sometimes catch wally with a couple cases of large select packers on the last sale day marked down for $1.00-$1.20.Like Max says,look thru them for those that look ok,buy all that do and freeze them.We can always make chili,burritos,potroast,taco meat,etc.

First we need to learn to cook them and how to make your adjustments.

Many inexperienced brisket cooks won't get better eating product from $100 Creekstone blue primes, wet aged 60 days ,than an ungraded,unbranded packer that was $0.79/lb and cooked by Smokin'Okie.

Yes,we read good tips-sometimes-but may overthink what the wrapper says and depend on that turning it into a packer cooked by an experienced cook.

There may be a cook that turned out a great packer on the first couple attempts,but not many of us were that fortunate.
Often,we are as well off to grab a bunch of 16 lb packers and go start cooking them,take notes,and learn what adjustments to make.

Also,remember that places like Sam's,or wally's,or grocery chains use the word angus like saying" beef".

Now I don't know that I'd bet that purebred Angus is better eating than others,but that stamp on all the beef hotdogs,weiners,beef ribs,etc means that the cow's momma,could have been 10% red,or black Angus and the owner paid $10 to join the state Angus assoc.The rest of the blood could be Longhorn or dairy cow.

Just my $0.02

Found a Choice 16 lb packer at the base commissary for $2.19lb. Snatched it up, considering what my new butcher friend quoted me $3.49. Boy it's nice to have retired parents.

Reading the archives. I am looking for a simple recipe for my first attempt. Maybe some Worchester, salt, pepper, garlic. I would like to try a sandwich but mainly since it's my first attempt I am looking for it to make some nice meals. Chili, stew, tacos.

Cook it like it says in Smokin's Brisket 101.

You will get some nice slices for meals on a plate,some pulled/chopped for sandwiches.

Old brisket cooks,and many vendors,comp cooks at home,etc will keep it simple with seasoning.Salt,plenty of pepper,garlic powder,and maybe some onion powder.

Many feel that it is more important to cook the brisket correctly,than worrying too much about the seasoning.

Many of us that have practiced lots of briskets end up using much of it in the meals you mentioned.

Thanks for the advice Tom. I am really looking forward to this brisket attempt. Research, research, and more research. I should end up with some edible product. The refining is the fun part.

Keep in mind that Donna's family developed your cooker over half a century ago as a brisket cooker.

It was one of the best and still is.

Don't expect "perfect" on the first try,but pretty good.
Don't overthink the process and get involved with everybody's favorite 100 tricks and you'll become a pretty good brisket cook.

quote:

Don't expect "perfect" on the first try,but pretty good.
Don't overthink the process and get involved with everybody's favorite 100 tricks and you'll become a pretty good brisket cook.

Good advice, Tom. I didn’t expect perfect on my first brisket in my Smokette and what I thought was an experiment was amazing. Seven years later I didn’t expect perfect on my first brisket in my AmeriQue and I was amazed again.

Simple is best until you know how the smoker is going to act, but these Cookshacks are unbelievable

I never had this problem before, but I can't find a choice packer in town. I asked the Brookshire's (local grocery chain) Market manager why he had no choice untrimmed packer briskets. He said that they only carried select but, sometimes the meat supplier would ship choice at the same price if they were over run with choice at the time. I also called the local meat market and he said that here lately, he keeps ordering choice packers and they keep sending select because they were out of choice. Is there a shortage of choice packers everywhere? BTW, here in Tyler Texas, the local price on untrimmed select is running $1.99 to $2.99 per pound.

It seemed like about this time last year that everyone started corning their briskets for St Patties day. I wonder if that has anything to do with it?

In Orange County, CA only place I can find Choice pAckers is at Resturant Depot. Typicly under $3.00 a pound. Up to 16 pounders.

Go figure...just came home from the local store that always has excel select briskets for 2.99/lb and there in the cooler looking at me was a CAB whole packer. Got a few briskets in the freezer, but what the heck. I'm now a owner of that there brisket also.

A guy just never can tell what you'll see in a brisket cooler.

Yep,on comp trips we are known to stop at all places that might have packers and look them over.You can always ice them until you get home.

You can try the Costco San Diego Business Center. You can search for the address and phone number on the Costco website so you can check with the store. You don't have to be a business member to go to a Business Center. I know there are other Costco locations that are closer to you, but the Hawthorne Business Center near me does carry Choice Packers (something like $2.15/lb or so). It also has both bone-in and boneless pork butts. The regular Costco locations near me don't carry the packers, only the flats and only the boneless butts.

The March flyer from Restaurant Depot has choice briskets on sale for $1.89/lb. If I buy a case I get another 10% off. I assume that is a RD policy.

Out here it's 2.19/lb., 1.99/lb. case price. And they're choice which is rare, RD briskets are usually unlabeled, which I assume probably means select.

At RD I normally pick up their "Superior Angus" choice grade. They do have standard choice for a bit less and I believe I've even seen select grade as well. Everything is clearly marked.

Based on posts I've read on this and other forums, the quality of the meat offered at RD varies across the country. For example, I've never seen Prime grade meat offered at my local branch but I've read posts from others who have bought Prime from RD.

quote:

Originally posted by socal55:
You can try the Costco San Diego Business Center. You can search for the address and phone number on the Costco website so you can check with the store. You don't have to be a business member to go to a Business Center. I know there are other Costco locations that are closer to you, but the Hawthorne Business Center near me does carry Choice Packers (something like $2.15/lb or so). It also has both bone-in and boneless pork butts. The regular Costco locations near me don't carry the packers, only the flats and only the boneless butts.

thats my secret meat spot...the guy that heads the meat dept is very cool and helpfull. look at dates on the meat sometimes they will be maked down more than a dollar a pound if the date is close

Around here packers are up a buck a pound now $3.98/lb and they're small 7-8 lbs. Must be St Patty's day