Hi folks.
I'm a US expat living in London and new to smoking. We have some wonderful local butchers here, and although meat is expensive as compared to the US I always thought the quality was quite good. I've just gotten into smoking, and I purchased my first 2.5kg piece of "test" brisket (point and small flat piece) the other day from a well-respected butcher in Stoke Newington. I immediately noticed zero fat cap right out of the pack, and a small amount of fat between the flat and point. After I cleaned it at home, I was struck at the leanness of the meat. See this picture for a representation of what mine looks like. That's not actually mine but another UK brisket. I'm looking for this type of cut to have some decent marbling within the meat. Something like this.
Reading the UK BBQ forums, it seems that everyone searches for UDSA beef. Tom Hixson seems to be a popular vendor. Look at those prices though! From what I understand the brisket is UDSA choice at the equivalent of $95 for 11lbs!
Am I crazy? Is there something about UK beef (grass fed?) that makes it leaner than US beef? For those here in the UK, can you recommend a location to buy good fatty brisket? I do have a Costco membership, but I need to rent a car to make the trip so I usually only do so once a quarter. Costco only sells Scotch beef, and over the phone they admitted its a bit of a crap shoot on the overall leanness of the meat. They did say they'd help me look for a decent cut, but I'm not hopeful it will be even as marbled as USDA choice.
I didn't really know where to post this, so thanks for the help.
I'm a US expat living in London and new to smoking. We have some wonderful local butchers here, and although meat is expensive as compared to the US I always thought the quality was quite good. I've just gotten into smoking, and I purchased my first 2.5kg piece of "test" brisket (point and small flat piece) the other day from a well-respected butcher in Stoke Newington. I immediately noticed zero fat cap right out of the pack, and a small amount of fat between the flat and point. After I cleaned it at home, I was struck at the leanness of the meat. See this picture for a representation of what mine looks like. That's not actually mine but another UK brisket. I'm looking for this type of cut to have some decent marbling within the meat. Something like this.
Reading the UK BBQ forums, it seems that everyone searches for UDSA beef. Tom Hixson seems to be a popular vendor. Look at those prices though! From what I understand the brisket is UDSA choice at the equivalent of $95 for 11lbs!
Am I crazy? Is there something about UK beef (grass fed?) that makes it leaner than US beef? For those here in the UK, can you recommend a location to buy good fatty brisket? I do have a Costco membership, but I need to rent a car to make the trip so I usually only do so once a quarter. Costco only sells Scotch beef, and over the phone they admitted its a bit of a crap shoot on the overall leanness of the meat. They did say they'd help me look for a decent cut, but I'm not hopeful it will be even as marbled as USDA choice.
I didn't really know where to post this, so thanks for the help.
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