I looked at a whole packer at wal-mart and it was 2.99 a pound. When I started bbq ing 12 years ago they were about half that. i love brisket but times are tough. I looked around and they had brisket flats for 1.99 a pound. Both were around 10 dollars each. I am going to throw them right on the smoker. Now if I can just keep from over cooking them!