Prime vs Choice brisket

[Czarbecue]

Thanks everyone for the education today. Now I know I won't be escorted out of the store if I make a mess of their brisket case.

I've tried the floppy test but sometimes it's just too cold for it to bend. Talking about Costco since I presume most are being thawed out when they put them out the night before.

I drove to Walmart at 5 am this morning.. emergency milk run for the kids. Walked past a choice brisket that looked and handled great! But I still have about 3 pounds of leftover brisket and the wife would kill me if I came back from a milk run with more meat to cook. I hate freezing raw meat and I have 30 pounds of pork shoulder in my deep freeze.

 

[Nuco59]

You might not be the only one to separate the briskets - but do you give a deep growl when someone ambles up and starts pawing thru your "possibles" pile?
/guilty
/so ashamed

Wife says I need to check that- I'm a work in progress.

 

[Smoker34]

I've never even seen select meat anywhere; I wouldn't buy it anyway. In my experience, prime packers are exponentially better than any choice one I've ever made. The choice ones I've done always come out dry, especially the flat. I'm a big fan of Creekstone primes; this is what Aaron Franklin uses, I believe. Although mine don't come out like his (I've been there), they are always very tender, moist and flavorful. It's worth the extra expense, in my opinion.

 

[ClintHTX]

You might not be the only one to separate the briskets - but do you give a deep growl when someone ambles up and starts pawing thru your "possibles" pile?
/guilty
/so ashamed

Wife says I need to check that- I'm a work in progress.

My possible pile goes into my cart until I determine which is best. It’s a crude world out there.

 

[Macky]

"I look for a thick flat, large point and the best marbling. Those are more important to me than the quality grade"

Ron nailed it! I find the best price relative to these three variables and never look at the grade!

 

[JayQ]

The thing to remember with brisket is that the carcass is graded based on a sample taken from the ribeye area (among other criteria), and mat not reflects the quality of the brisket. I look for a thick flat, large point and the best marbling. Those are more important to me than the quality grade.

Absofarkinlutly....

 

[Macky]

Deleted

 

[Smokesignalsfromtx]

The thing to remember with brisket is that the carcass is graded based on a sample taken from the ribeye area (among other criteria), and mat not reflects the quality of the brisket. I look for a thick flat, large point and the best marbling. Those are more important to me than the quality grade.

^^^^^This

Almost every time I go to the store, I will scope out the briskets. I generally (almost never) impulse buy a brisket or cook one either. If I see one I can't refuse, I'll snag it, if not, I'll continue my search for the right one. I only cook Choice. I've tried prime, but I guess I'm not holding my tongue right or something, because it seems like the choice come out better for me. I ALWAYS get mine at Walmart as well......

 

[BadkissonTT]

You know, i really don't understand you guys who aren't daily USDA meat inspectors saying the "grade" isn't something you look at...

Really ? Thumbing your nose to the man and his PRIME stamp ?

Well, go on with bad self !!!...LOL

Now that doesn't mean i'll just pick up a prime and throw it in and go...yeah, size thin/thickness matter

But....4' or 5' away from the camera, ok i get it....I'll take the man's word for it.....

 

[Smok'n B&Q]

I prefer Prime

If I'm going to spend 24 hours preparing and smoking a brisket, .50 to $2 isn't an issue to me. I do not have much time to experiment, outside of the type of rub I may want to use/create. I know if I look through the prime that Costco has up front or in the back I have a good chance to pick up a quality chunk of meat. Then it's up to me to prepare and cook it correctly.

 

[Czarbecue]

If I'm going to spend 24 hours preparing and smoking a brisket, .50 to $2 isn't an issue to me.

From my experience, prime reheats better... and probably because of the better marbling. But the goal is not to make leftovers when I que up.

I'm planning on making four good size briskets for the Mayweather/McConor shibacle next month and still deciding on choice or prime. The increase adds up, especially at $2 more a pound.

And yeah, the fight will probably last 2 minutes but that's another topic!

 

[16Adams]

If I'm going to spend 24 hours preparing and smoking a brisket, .50 to $2 isn't an issue to me. I do not have much time to experiment, outside of the type of rub I may want to use/create. I know if I look through the prime that Costco has up front or in the back I have a good chance to pick up a quality chunk of meat. Then it's up to me to prepare and cook it correctly.

My brisket prep takes seconds;open cryo place in cooker to minutes light medium extreme trim season place in cooker. Please detail your 24 hour prep.
24 Hour QPrep I would be at the Betty Ford Clinic

 

[CentralOhioBBQ]

The thing is, My Costco only gets Prime packers. All the Choice Briskets are flats only. Does Walmart or Sams have Choice packers? I'd be interested to try a few, I've only done prime packers. I've only used choice flats to make corned beef and pastrami...

 

[Czarbecue]

The thing is, My Costco only gets Prime packers. All the Choice Briskets are flats only. Does Walmart or Sams have Choice packers? I'd be interested to try a few, I've only done prime packers. I've only used choice flats to make corned beef and pastrami...

Walmarts are only Choice in my area. No prime whatsoever. They made the recent shift in their standard to Choice a few years ago when they were bragging about how good their steaks are.

 

[sudsandswine]

The thing is, My Costco only gets Prime packers. All the Choice Briskets are flats only. Does Walmart or Sams have Choice packers? I'd be interested to try a few, I've only done prime packers. I've only used choice flats to make corned beef and pastrami...

Sam's in my area has carried packers of both in the past, though during my last 2 visits there was only choice packers.

 

[arclite]

The thing is, My Costco only gets Prime packers. All the Choice Briskets are flats only. Does Walmart or Sams have Choice packers? I'd be interested to try a few, I've only done prime packers. I've only used choice flats to make corned beef and pastrami...

Stick with the Costco Prime packers. The value is still good, and like many things Costco, they could eventually go away.

 

[pharp]

The thing is, My Costco only gets Prime packers. All the Choice Briskets are flats only. Does Walmart or Sams have Choice packers? I'd be interested to try a few, I've only done prime packers. I've only used choice flats to make corned beef and pastrami...

I always ask at WM. The ones here get select and choice..but they don't change price with the grade (I am sure some computer program tells them when to raise prices). Several times I have seen selects in cooler, asked if they had more in back and they have brought out choice. Nothing like grabbing them at $2.44/lb.

 

[THoey1963]

I have made select, choice, and prime, and feel that at the lesser cost that we can get them in Texas, I won't even look at selects any more, and rarely even think about the choice. I feel that paying a little more per pound has made the meat a little more forgiving, and thus my end result turns out better.

I did have someone ask me to cook three briskets for them for a party. I told them I preferred Primes. They decided that was too expensive and went "another way". In total, we were talking the difference between $100 (three select) and $150 (three Primes). I was glad they walked away and smoked up a bunch of sausages as my donation to their party. Their friends thanked me for bringing the sausages as their other way was meh...

An excerpt from the brisket document I created from everything I learned here at the Brethren:

Shopping for the brisket:

- Here in SoTex, we have access to cheaper briskets. I watch for Primes to go on sale and buy a couple of them at around $3 a pound.
- I shoot for somewhere in the 14-16 pound range.
- I will go through every brisket they have, picking them out. I look for a brisket that has a thick flat and a thick point. It might make it more narrow, but less chance of drying out.
- I love a nice, floppy brisket. Grab it from one end and shake it up and down and see how "loose" the meat is. The last one I bought would easily fold over on itself and sit on the counter that way.