Brisket

[brewmaster15]

Where I am in CT Beef Brisket is a rare cut. I almost never see it and when I do its usually about $14-16 lb. I know a bunch of you smoke these regularly so I am guessing they are common where you are. What do they usually cost you? Common cut? I dont have a smoker but I wanted to try a recipe in the slow cooker that I saw.


Al

[jeep]

I've been seeing full untrimmed for as low as $4-6lb on occasion at one grocery store. Usually around $7-9 at most other places. Trimmed is ridiculous at $11 to $20lb. Heck, it's the same cost as Prime Rib, which is ridiculously priced as well. When I was learning how to smoke brisket, I bet I ruined $1000 worth at 0.69lb before I got it right.

The dogs are disappointed these days. They love raw ground brisket but at todays prices, they're lucky if they get regular ground beef mixed with chicken leg quarters, lol...

[dspeers]

Have you tried wild fork online? I have had good luck with both their choice and prime. Do not like brisket smaller than about 14# as flat is too thin. Local stores either have smaller brisket or flat only. Occasionally can get 15-20# whole brisket from commissary (military) but they do not carry as often as they used to so I mostly order online. Their US wagu was also good but not that good for the price. FWIW I am a displaced Texan living in NJ. You NEED a smoker.

[brewmaster15]

I've been seeing full untrimmed for as low as $4-6lb on occasion at one grocery store. Usually around $7-9 at most other places. Trimmed is ridiculous at $11 to $20lb. Heck, it's the same cost as Prime Rib, which is ridiculously priced as well. When I was learning how to smoke brisket, I bet I ruined $1000 worth at 0.69lb before I got it right.

The dogs are disappointed these days. They love raw ground brisket but at todays prices, they're lucky if they get regular ground beef mixed with chicken leg quarters, lol...

I find beef prices here are crazy too. I wish I could say to myself today I want to cook this but its honestly more like.. check these 3-4 major stores here and see whats on sale and thats whats for dinner or into the freezer. Sometimes ypu get lucky and the store has an "almost expired" sale.

I think for me the biggest price shocker is ground meat. Its regularly running $5.80 lb for 80/20%lean which is often more like 60/40 lean.

[brewmaster15]

Have you tried wild fork online? I have had good luck with both their choice and prime. Do not like brisket smaller than about 14# as flat is too thin. Local stores either have smaller brisket or flat only. Occasionally can get 15-20# whole brisket from commissary (military) but they do not carry as often as they used to so I mostly order online. Their US wagu was also good but not that good for the price. FWIW I am a displaced Texan living in NJ. You NEED a smoker.

Thanks Don , A smoker has been missing from my grilling and something I plan on adding. I cook a ton over wood fires and oven/slow cook so I don't feel I have missed much there but Smoking meats and fish is something I always wanted to do. Theres so many choices for smokers out there its a bit overwhelming but my real hang up is I wanted to try doing it the old fashioned way . More of a bush craft / survival skill. I had planned to build an outdoor smoker to work like these...


Source.Readers Digest..Back to Basics

[jwcarlson]

Brisket is pretty common here. Whole, untrimmed can be bought daily at Walmart for $5/pound.
I've smoked a few of them in my pellet grill. I don't think they're particularly difficult, but I suppose a lot of people struggle to follow directions... and a pellet grill is easy. It's been a while since I've made one as it's a lot of meat and I don't think it's very good as a left over. Doesn't seem to reheat as well as, say, a pork butt.

I don't have the time for any sort of "real" smoker. My brother, who is a firefighter, used to have a nice offset smoker and spent hours and hours dinking with all of that stuff when he was smoking something. After some years he switched to a pellet grill. If I owned no smokers, I'd consider buying a cheap pellet grill (I think I got my Pitboss for like $250 a few years ago) and then if you like that you can start digging big trenches and building smoke sheds in the yard.

[Vanman]

Look at an 18 inch Weber Smokey Mountain smoker. They have become more expensive since I bought mine, but they last forever, work very well, and parts are available if you need them. Mine is over 25 years old. They are porcelain coated so rusting out in a year or two does not happen.

[jeep]

I find beef prices here are crazy too. I wish I could say to myself today I want to cook this but its honestly more like.. check these 3-4 major stores here and see whats on sale and thats whats for dinner or into the freezer. Sometimes ypu get lucky and the store has an "almost expired" sale.

I think for me the biggest price shocker is ground meat. Its regularly running $5.80 lb for 80/20%lean which is often more like 60/40 lean.

There's nothing wrong with "almost expired" beef and this is why I have about 60 Rib Eye's in my freezer I just shrink wrap them with my FoodSaver and they last for years. Just this weekend I found one in the freezer dated from 2019 and it was very tasty! At $5 per steak people used to laugh at my steak hoarding addiction, and now at $20lb, who's laughing now, lol...

Ground beef is another story and I don't understand the cost other than most ground beef is now cut and packaged off site and the big meat processors are absolutely in collusion for price fixing/gouging and have been for some time for all beef products. With ground, you don't know the origin of the beef or which cut it's being processed from. It's mainly just scraps from hundreds of cows leftover at the end of the day that are boxed up and shipped to a 3rd party processor and contains antiseptics and an unknown percentage of fat. Nasty! This is why I started grinding brisket for my ground beef.

[brewmaster15]

Ground beef is another story and I don't understand the cost other than most ground beef is now cut and packaged off site and the big meat processors are absolutely in collusion for price fixing/gouging and have been for some time for all beef products. With ground, you don't know the origin of the beef or which cut it's being processed from. It's mainly just scraps from hundreds of cows leftover at the end of the day that are boxed up and shipped to a 3rd party processor and contains antiseptics and an unknown percentage of fat. Nasty! This is why I started grinding brisket for my ground beef.

I never buy prepackaged for that reason and because they started putting pink slime back into it.

My local big y grinds their own and I buy that which is fresh, but its generally much higher fat content than the label claims I think depending on what they are grinding. I have ground chuck roasts before and it was pretty good but thats up there now in price. It used to be the poor mans Sirloin.. Any idea what the fat content is of your Ground Brisket is?.

[jeep]

The fat content in untrimmed brisket can vary but there can be a lot of it. Some briskets can lose 30% or more when trimmed for the smoker, which makes the prices even more ridiculous than the price tag shows. I usually trim all the fat off, weigh the meat and toss back in the amount of fat I want. The dogs get all the fat because they love it and it's good for them.

[dspeers]

Years ago I really enjoyed using a wood smoker with all of the attendant monitoring tasks. Now I use a pellet smoker (Rec Tec), pricey but solid. Thicker stainless than other brands. Now, I also sleep thru the night, which seems to have gained in importance and impact on my next day activity and cognitive function as I have gotten older. The major hit on pellet smokers is smoke density, easily fixed with a smoke tube. I admire your ambition and energy, . Your sense of accomplishment will be much higher. I always feel a bit guilty, pellet smokers are cheating. I have never tried cold smoking.

[jwcarlson]

pellet smokers are cheating

Yep. So are using an oven, a fridge, a dishwasher, and an electric mixer.

If you're not starting your smoker by rubbing two sticks together, are you really smoking meat?

[dspeers]

Every time I smoke a brisket I am worried the "R U really a Texan" police will show up and confiscate my Texan card.
Authentic Texan test....What is the plural of Y'all?

[dspeers]

On a serious note I often freeze brisket for myself or my dad as I take a 15-20# brisket with me when I fly down there. He insists mine is better than what I can buy him locally. I disagree but there's no accounting for taste. I am pleased with the quality of the meat when reheated, if you are interested in how I do it, I can PM you.

[LizStreithorst]

Every time I smoke a brisket I am worried the "R U really a Texan" police will show up and confiscate my Texan card.
Authentic Texan test....What is the plural of Y'all?

I don't know about Texas, but here in Mississippi y'all always refers to more than 2 people. If it's a single person they're referred to as "you". How to y'all Texans use y'all?