Help selecting a brisket

I got that when I went to my local supermarket. They get everything prepackaged and do little butchering. Do you have a Costco in your area? They typically have very good meats.. but, I doubt you'll find a packer with a good fat cap.

In the Boston area I ask for a fresh whole brisket. They weigh 12 ~ 15 lbs.

My guess is that anything smaller than 7# is a brisket flat. A whole brisket is going to weigh at least 9# -- in our area anyway.

Ask your butcher/meatman for whole, untrimmed brisket. Should be a huge hunk of meat.

I ask the guys in the meat dept. I use about briskets. All they get are the corned ones.

Even the butts I have gotten the last couple of times have had a lot of the fat trimmed. It seems to be the way they come in as I watched him open a fresh case and as he pulled them out he cut a little chunk off the side. I mentioned that leaving the fat on them was okay.

I have asked at a few other meat depts also, with no luck.

It might also be a little bit of a regional/cultural thang also. When I ask the local butcher here for a brisket, he brings me out a big 'ol honking 15 pound slab of beef with lots of fat on it. Sometimes slightly smaller, sometimes larger. I have never asked for a 'packer brisket'. I just say brisket.

I would nextime ask for a packer brisket. Im sure if they are a real butcher/meatman they will immediately know what your talking about.
I normally buy them by the case. Get a much better deal on the per pound price. About 50cents a pound cheaper. I just toss about half of them into my chest freezer for a later time.

I think you misunderstood my post.

They are a 'real butcher/meatman' and they know what I want when I ask for a brisket.

Down here we have butcher shops/meatpacking houses that are usually owned and operated by the same people that own and operate the cattle yards/salebarns. They know pork and beef.

Do you have a costco near you? If so go to the meat dept and get someone from the back, ask them for a whole vacuum packed untrimmed flat which is what they carry. I just bought one yesterday it was 6.97 lbs and $2.79lb usda choice . Put it on this morning with smokin joes aussie seasoning will post results later

It's discussed in Brisket 101 somewhat, but one of the BIG issues around the states and the internet is "what is this brisket thing and what does a REAL one look like".

Here 'ya go:

Brisket 101

If the butcher doesn't know a packer's cut brisket, he's not a very good butcher. Ask him how he got that 2#'er. If he didn't put it out of a cryovac, then he cut it down from a larger cut to get it. We could send him the NAMP # if that would help him out.

What's a NAMP/IAMP/IMPS #:

quote:

IMPS means the USDA approved Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications (IMPS) for fresh beef, pork and lamb. NAMP means the North American Meat Processors Association, which has been issuing a Meat Buyer's Guide since 1963, and has been issuing the Poultry Buyers Guide for the last two years.

Go for a 120, officially known as a Beef Brisket, Deckle-off, Boneless.

a flat that you have could be a 120A, 120B or a 120C which you don't want.

Check out this link...WARNING, it's a 2mb file:
IMPS (Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications)

Basically, like it was said, if it's under 8 lbs, it's probably just a flat. Might have fat, might not. Anything under 5 lbs will DEFINITELY be a flat and probably have little to no fat. I wouldn't waste my time on any flat, unless it has a good decent fat cap on it.

You want a full packers cut brisket (see the 101). It will have the flat and a point on it (you can get it deckle on or off -- if they're butchers, they'll know).

The ones I buy weight at least 10, preferrably 12 to 14. If you can get one in the 10 to 12 range, it'll be a "full" brisket.

$2 a pound is a little high around here, but not unreasonable.

For some good fun, you can click on a 3D view of a brisket, go here:

Bovine Myology

quote:

Originally posted by GLH:
I think you misunderstood my post.

They are a 'real butcher/meatman' and they know what I want when I ask for a brisket.

Down here we have butcher shops/meatpacking houses that are usually owned and operated by the same people that own and operate the cattle yards/salebarns. They know pork and beef.

Apperently I did misunderstand. I apoligize in advance. Good Luck on finding your brisket.

Bull

Oh sorry. Apparently it is I who is misunderstanding. No problem finding a brisket here.

Real tuff to find around here.Salem,Ma.Supermarkets charge $3.99 and up