Choice Angus vs. Snake River black label brisket

The SRF Wagyu/cross whether black or gold grade will be significantly better than Choice.

Provided you cook them both properly there will be a noticeable difference.

If you are worried about paying that much a pound and not that experienced with brisket I would go with the Angus. My last one was a Sam's Angus. One of the best I ever did.

Completely agree with the above. If you aren't a brisket expert I'd cook only choice for a while before upping the quality of the beef.

I've seen plenty of prime briskets beat wagyu briskets in competitions.

In general the Wagyu should be better. That said you can find some fine choice briskets so look through them and pick the best ones. I’m cooking my first wagyu brisket this weekend (have done plenty of choice, prime and a couple black angus) but I’ve had a good amount of wagyu in other cuts and it’s always special.

Not sure if I would cook a wagyu as my first one but another way of looking at it is it will be more forgiving and harder to screw up. All that extra fat will work in your favor provided you don’t undercook it!

Where's that butcher shop located? I'm always driving to Raleigh for Restaurant Depot, so I wouldn't mind making a detour for some SRF Wagyu from time to time.

Here's my thoughts on this : Choice is my go to when it comes to beef because it's affordable and it has enough fat to keep the meat nice and juicy. I think Choice is the perfect quality of meat for learning as well...and especially so when it comes to brisket. If you haven't gotten a solid feel for brisket at this point in time then I wouldn't spend $10/Lb on Wagyu.

This being said if you're stubborn (like me) and you're going to pick up a Wagyu anyways, have fun with it. Wagyu has a ton of fat you won't see in a Choice cut of meat, so just make sure to cook it until all that fat has rendered out...otherwise you'll have an odd texture where the meat is tender but it's still encased by chewy fat. I take all my Wagyu briskets to at least 208° internal temp to ensure the internal fats have all melted. Often I hit 211° or 212° before I pull Wagyu briskets off the smoker and they always come out amazing. There is a bit of a different taste with Wagyu with it being more "buttery" flavored...tough to describe but it's delicious.

If you get them both cooked perfect, yes you will be able to tell a difference.