Prime Graded Brisket

stan:

I have had my cookshack for about 8 months and I started out with the Costco "pick one out" method and was not too happy. Now those were like 4 pound roasts which are apparently "flats".When taken to 190 or so they were dry and not really worth the effort.

One day, while out and about, I came upon a family owned and operated butcher shop or meat market more properly I guess. It was in sort of a semi-blue collar area near my shop.

I met the owner and was telling him my story (it was a slow day for both of us). He said " I have a brisket of like 6 pounds in my freezer that is some sort of Choice Angus grade. Want to try it?" I think it was $3.99/lb and I bought it.

Well what a difference!! It was still a flat,as far as I can determine from the pictures here, but it had a nice fat cap and it came out like I had imagined when I first bought my CS. I have been back for a few more since and they have all come out great.

On the other hand, I was just in one of the finest (ar at least most expensive) meat markets here in Detroit (ugly, but not too many hurricanes) and they had a brisket on display in their Angus section with no fat cap at all and not the best marbling. That would never work for this.

So, after this too long post, my solution would be to find sort of a middle of the road family run meat market and see what they might order for you. I think it really makes a difference.

parkside

Isn't 3.99 a pound expensive??

If the word "prime" appears anywhere near meat, NO! $3.99 a pound is not expensive.

Hi All:

I thought the $3.99/lb seemed like a lot too but I pressed on. The results were so much better that a couple bucks a pound were well worth it. That $24 roast fed 4 of us twice and probably a couple sandwiches too so I thought it was well worth it.

The cheap briskets I bathed in sauce to make them palatable. This roast and the other 4 like it I have tried since, were really good on their own.

I still would never go for the totally trimmed glistening brisket I observed at the fancy place I mentioned above. I think you need that nice fat cap and some good marbling.

One thing nice about the CS is that you can really compare cuts as the cooking is so predictable.

parkside

You'll do fine with Choice. Never seen a "prime" brisket because of the grading methods, I don't think brisket can really be graded out that way. And don't buy it anyway.

Choice to me shows a significant difference over select, so go for some choice.

Hey, after all, this is the cut of meat that when I was growing up, we bought for 10cents a pound just so the butcher would get rid of it.

ahhhhh, for the old days.

Smokin'

Isn't the whole steer graded all the same, not the individual cuts? So a prime carcass would contain prime brisket?

Which does make for an interesting question, what happens to all the prime short ribs, chuck roast, etc?

Yep,the carcass is graded on the fly by busy inspectors.

Some cooks have sponsers that send them prime carcass briskets.

The center cuts[steak,better roast]will usually be marked.

I've heard that the others end up in "the choice,or better,pile.