Prime Brisket Question


 
T

Tom Raveret

TVWBB Pro
While at Sams today at lunch time I was Briskets graded prime for $1.52/lb now these are the packers with the point attached but thay had a few that weren't too huge.

Are there any recipie modifications for working with the prime briskets?

Does anyone have any experience BBQ'ing Prime Briskets?

Thanks,
 
Doug beat me to that thread, a great reference for not only cooking prime, but what makes prime prime, and CABs, and COB...

I've had most success with primes cooked lower than typical...never getting about 220 in the dome. That echos what others said in the "very good thread".

At that price, buy em out and put 'em in your freezer! That's a steal.
 
holy cow. PRIME graded brisket for $1.52. I hope you pulled up a truck and bought out the store. I can't find crappy brisket for less than $3 a pound around here. In fact, I can't even find ground beef for $1.50 a pound. You might have the steal of the century there, Tom.

Can you tell I'm a little jealous?
 
Well there was a really large fat cap on most of them. I only bought one. Sometimes at our local Sams I see prime in the case though this is the forst time I saw Brisket prime. My guess is its getting shipped because its after the holidays and there must be surplus of the higher end they are jsut pushing out. They had black angus strip steaks for 5.88/lb as well when you buy the strip loin and they werent that huge (around $50)

I was really looking for the price to come back to earth on choice steer tenderloins but that hasn't happened yet!!!

I'll let you know how it turns out.

HMMM I wonder how ground prime brisket would tastein a burger since it is only $1.52/lb?
 
Now I have to go to Sam's tomorrow and check out the meat case. A prime brisket for the Super Bowl would be nice.
 
My guess is you got prime because the packer didn't bother to sort the briskets and Sam's had a box or two of COBs to get rid of. The COB "grade" (its not really a grade, just a description), choice or better, indicates a minimum grade of what goes in the box. Typically it doesn't pay for the packers to separate the briskets as "typically" briskets are all used for about the same thing regardless of grade. Theoretically, in a COB box you could get choice, prime, or CABs. I've found it to be pretty difficult to get a whole box of one grade (prime or CAB) unless you happen to know someone at the packing facility. Steaks and other larger cuts of meat are little different as the prime grade usually enables them to fetch a more premium price so they are sorted.

This happened to me last year. I got a case of COBs, they were all primes. Ordered up another case, they were choice. Ah the thrill of a little guy trying to get quality meat.
 
Sorry to show my ignorance (my excuse is I'm a Brit!) but could someone explain the differnt grades you are talking about? Prime? Choice? CAB?
& the implcations for smoking???
 
See here for an explanation of the differences. CAB isn't a grade. It is Certified Angus Beef (but certification requires an upper-Choice grade).
 
Now seems a good time to ask about an event at my local meat market last year. I asked if the butcher might have a prime brisket, thought I would see if it would really make a differance in the end product. The butcher bounces out a brisket marked Certified Herford or some such but it was not Angus. Nore was it prime. But here is the kicker. This brisket was priced some what above TEN dollars a pound and total price of 170.00 dollars. I was curious, but the thought of the ridicule and humiliation I would be subjected to from the little woman of the house when said brisket did not meet expectations relative to cost......Any way no purchase was made of the Royal Super Brisket such as it may or may not have been. Question is did I miss out on the brisket or just miss out on being duped?
 
Angus is quite overrated. Its flavor can be very good but it is hardly the be-all end-all of tasty beef product. 'Certified' Angus Beef means that its within the top third of the Choice grade stratum, or better, though if it is considered Prime, believe me, it will be labeled Prime. I don't find it worth a premium over similarly marbled non-certified beef but it can be worth a small premium (or more, your choice) if larger cuts (like brisket or other roasts) are being purchased as these items can be very hard to assess visually for marbling.


Certified Hereford Beef is, like CAB, a marketing thing. CHB cannot, however, be assumed to be in the top third of Choice. It might be Choice or Select (it should be labeled whatever it is). Hereford is a delicious beef. It definitely rivals Angus for flavor and I know many people who prefer it. Of course, what something is 'worth' depends on what someone is willing to pay. Since you weren't willing to pay the $170 it wasn't 'worth' that. But, to be less vague: Would you have found the meat to equal your likely expectations based on that price? I highly doubt it--even if it was Prime. Prime Hereford is really delicious but I scarcely think you'd have found $170 fair no matter how much you enjoyed it. I know I wouldn't.
 
I had thought at the time that they had made a mistake on price and had coded for beef tenderloin but was told that was not the case. In any event I was stunned.
 
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