Kroger Brisket (Pics)


 
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Dan Crafton

TVWBB Member
First I'm relatively new to the brisket smoking and been trying to find a source for good Briskets in my local area. Today I went to Kroger and had a conversation with my Kroger butcher.
I asked if they carried full packer Briskets and he said yes and that they weighed in the 6-8lb range??? I responded that I wanted whole packers and not just the flat to which he responded these are packers that include both the point & the flat.

He then brought out the 7lb brisket you see below. If you look close you can see the point section below the price label (yep price was crazy high). The brisket has been trimmed prior to Kroger getting it and looks like it can go right on the smoker as is.

Please look at the photos and let me know your thoughts about this brisket. For me I think it is the perfect size for my 18in WSM.


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Thank you for your thoughts,
Dan
 
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Looks like they trimmed off the thinnest part of the flat, should cook up nice. Just check that they trimmed off the real hard fat and rub it as is.
 
I'm not familar with a full packer that small but it should mean a younger animal, it also means a lot less to eat. As far as your 18.5 goes, I've done briskets at 13 lbs. Others on this site have cooked larger ones than that, you just have to learn how to stuff them between the handles of the cooking grate and use a bowl or something similar underneath the middle to take up some of the length. Remember they shrink about 30% give or take. With that in mind I would want to cook a much bigger brisket considering the preparation.
The price of that brisket even by Canadian pricing is very expensive. I pay $3.75 to $3.99 a pound but I see your prices generally are a lot cheaper than that.
 
I would buy it. You could get one at Sam's for less per lb.(around $2.58 I think) but it will be 11 lbs. plus so overall cost is similar. Hope we get to see some pics of the finished product.
 
Is there a down side to smoking a brisket this small? I know the majority of folks on here recommend 10-13lb untrimmed packers so I'm anxious to see how this turns out. I drove 45min yesterday to my nearest SAMs Club and the smallest they had was 12lbs. I didn't know packers came as small as the one I got today.

Dan
 
With smaller packers (under 10 lbs) I have cooked in the past, the point is very small and doesn't have much edible meat. I like burnt ends so I lean towards 13+ pounders.
 
I think that the brisket will turn out just fine on your smoker. It would be easier to tell the overall size if you had included something in the picture to compare to, such as a 12" ruler, but I'm sure it will fit well on your grill. And I have read some posts by others that cut their packers in half for smoking or separate the point from the flat, so the size doesn't really seem to matter unless it's just to big to fit and you don't want to cut it. The only reservation I would have is the cost per pound for your brisket. I recently purchased 2 packer briskets at our local Walmart for $2.58/lb. and even with the loss of trimming, at about half the cost per pound I'm sure my cost per pound of meat will be much less than the $4.99/lb. you were charged. But I don't know if the cost would be the same at your local Walmart as it is at our's. Either way it looks like a good piece of meat that will be ready to go right out of the package, let us know how it turns out with some pictures- I always get hungry looking at pictures- and good luck with your brisket.:wsm:
 
That's the smallest full packer I've ever seen. I am left scratching my head. I say rub it, cook it, and report back on your success.
 
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