What's the best brisket to buy?


 
P

PaulBz

TVWBB Fan
I read an article yesterday that said Aaron Franklin gets his briskets from Creekstone Farms in Kansas. So those prime briskets are $120 a piece for the small ones. I got a prime brisket from Sam's that I thought was pretty darn good for $45. That's quite a bit of price difference. So what makes their briskets so much better if they even are? I am looking for the best brisket for St. Patty's. And I have to order it now to corn it as I do that for two weeks.
 
Remember, Franklin is buying wholesale boxes and not singles, I seriously doubt he’s paying anywhere near $120.00 a brisket. There are some interesting lines between the individual and commercial buyers. If you start using the numbers that Franklin does, I bet you’d get a better price. Not being a smarty but, just stating some observations.
 
My butcher used to carry them at 5 bucks a pound. They have gotten scarce. He now carries Aspen Ridge which is close. Trust me on this. There is a huge difference, especially if you enjoy fatty brisket. Now something like Certified Angus Beef that is upper 2/3s choice is in the ballpark if you can find it. If you can get prime at sams Id probably just do that.

Edit: I gotta start reading posts better. I initially thought we were comparing choice and prime. Creekstone is great though.
 
Last edited:
Bob does make a good point (or flat as the case may be) Corning a choice is a far more economical thing to do.
It’s rather like using top grade walnut for a table then painting it barn red. Yes, you can but, should you?
 
Franklin's not paying $120 a piece for his briskets due to buying in bulk, of course, but he's paying more than if buying in bulk from Costco or Sam's for USDA Prime brisket. He writes extensively in Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto about the value he places on meat quality and meat that's ethically raised with animal welfare in mind. On pages 103-104, he tells the story of how in 2013 his meat supplier had a fire and Franklin had to switch to "an entirely different grade of brisket, the crappy commodity stuff that's widely available everywhere (and that most barbecue joints use)." He continues, "This truly was the last resort, because our commitment to high quality, ethically raised meat is something I never want to compromise."

So Franklin relies on Creekstone to secure a large volume of very high quality brisket that also takes into account animal welfare in a way that (in his opinion) commodity beef providers do not. On their website, Creekstone says their beef is all born and bred in the USA, not Mexico or Canada, which supports local farms (and increases cost). The website also says, "Every step of the way, from birth to processing, we ensure our animals are handled compassionately and humanely. In fact, our beef processing plant was designed with animal welfare in mind by Dr. Temple Grandin (www.templegrandin.com)." In terms of feed, "For the majority of their lives our Black Angus cattle graze on lush pasture land throughout the mid-west. Prior to processing each animal is feed a high quality corn-based feed ration that enhances meat tenderness and flavor."

So does any of this matter for the backyard barbecuer? Can you see or taste the difference between a Sam's USDA Prime brisket and a Creekstone or a Snake River Farms brisket? I would say "Yes" to both questions. But when paying retail prices, can you justify the added cost? I'd say Creekstone or similar brands are a real treat and should be enjoyed occasionally if you can swing it dollar-wise, or they should be your go-to brand if non-commodity, ethically raised beef is at the top of your issues list. Having said that, USDA Prime from less expensive sources like Costco is a great choice for everyday barbecue if you can afford it, and good old USDA Choice, especially Certified Black Angus, is a really nice choice for backyard barbecue.
 
I agree he isn't paying that. I don't own a restaurant so I would have to pay that. As a non restaurant owner i can go to there or sams. So what's the difference between those two briskets?
 
I corned a prime one last year and it was hands down one of the best pieces of meat ever in my mouth.
 
Ok so I'm going to stick with the prime Sam's or Costco. I would someday love to try the creekstone farms but $120 for the small brisket I'll stick with sams or costco. Are they cheaper commercially through creekstone farms? When I start my place I am not going huge amounts of cue. I'm doing once or twice a week smaller amounts but every bite is going to be the best qualify. No more dry or flavorless meat like at other bbq joints. So I won't be buying in huge bulk like Aaron Franklin.
 
While I have been using Costco Prime for years now, I would have to say it still seems there are better briskets out there. Sometimes I think the "Prime" label on those packages is largely the result of total fat content, and not necessarily from pure marbling. When I end up trimming ~20% of the brisket (most of it being fat), I'm not sure you can legitimately call it Prime. But, at $3/lb, it's still the best brisket money can buy.
 
ChangL said:
Sometimes I think the "Prime" label on those packages is largely the result of total fat content, and not necessarily from pure marbling. When I end up trimming ~20% of the brisket (most of it being fat), I'm not sure you can legitimately call it Prime.
Click to expand...
Not really. When determining quality grades (prime, choice select) intramuscular fat is a main factor in determining. There are a few others such as maturity and meat color. But for the most part the amount of intramuscular is the main deciding factor. The other part to this is there are plus and minus grades for each grade. Since quality grading is strictly done by observation there is room for error since nothing is measured. The difference between choice plus and prime minus would be really hard to tell just by looking at intramuscular fat.

Overall fat content or cover fat (the amount you trim) is not part of the quality grade. This is a part of the yield grade. Cover fat like intramuscular fat is not the only factor in the yield grade but the characteristic that is weighted the most. Rarely when you buy meat at a retail store will you ever see the yield grade. Restaurants however will order based on both quality and yield grade. Quality grade that customers will recognize but a yield grade of 2 maybe 3 so they are not trimming a bunch of fat which is a loss. If you are trimming a lot of fat likely you have a yield grade 4.

Enough about meat grading and back to the basic question. For me the best brisket to buy, albeit spendy, is from Snake River Farms. These cattle are part of a strict certification program with a cross breeding program using Wagu bulls. Makes for an exceptional product with extraordinary intramuscular fat and tenderness. If you want to impress your future in laws I’d buy a Snake River Farms brisket ;)
 
Last edited:
I think “best” is subjective. I’ve had really great brisket from Sam’s. I don’t believe you need to buy super high end meat to get great BBQ. You certainly need to buy the best quality you can within reason but don’t make yourself feel like you absolutely have to cook a $200 brisket to get a good product. It’s like buying a $10,000 custom shop Les Paul because you think it’ll make you a better guitar player. Either you can play or you can’t.
 
Yeah, a better instrument does encourage a better end result but, far from guarantees it! Look at some of the people out “playing professionally” can’t sing, can’t play, barely capable of lip synching but, making money! Makes me a little crazy and sad.
I would love to do a snake river brisket but, I will wait a while before dropping the cash for one of them, five briskets in and no failures yet, and I did say “Yet”, I know a disaster is coming, I’ve not had a real flop in quite a while, I’m due for one. I hope it is just burning some burgers or sausages and not a $50+ slab of porcine or bovine deliciousness!
Double smoking a “Mastercut” EZ carve ham from Costco today for family dinner, if I blow that I have some nice sausages to back it up! I might do a couple sausages too, I love sausages!
 
I’d like to cook a SRF brisket too just because but I do like the challenge of trying to make the best product I can out of easily accessible meat. For me, that’s what bbq is about. What a lot of people fail to realize is that when you have guys like Aaron Franklin, John Lewis, John Mueller and other greats they are truly gifted cooks and have a lot of experience. Any of those guys can turn a Costco or Sam’s brisket into an amazing product. Meat quality is certainly important but more important is the abilities of the person cooking it. Just because you’re cooking a Snake River Gold Grade brisket on a Jambo pit with top shelf injection and rub doesn’t mean you are a good pitmaster.
 
I agree, a cook with “limited skills” has as much chance of having a failure with a $200.00 piece of beef as he does with a $50.00 one. It’s not always the instrument but the player. There’s a story about a famous musician who was handed an instrument by a novice who asked “Why isn’t my playing this better?” The Guy swats put a tune and hands the instrument back and says “Well, it ain’t the mandolin!”
Just sayin’!
Learn the tools and get the most out of the least and each step up will make you more appreciative of the delicate nuances you unfold with knowledge!
 
I think a lot of people idolize guys like Aaron Franklin and that’s great but don’t feel that because he has the luxury of cooking high end meat that’s the only way to get a great end result. I’ve never had a single person tell me my pulled pork would be better if it were Compartt Duroc. I’d be willing to bet that the fella who asked this question is more than capable of cooking great brisket no matter where it came from. Have faith in yourself and your ability.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top