Prime Brisket


 
D

Don Irish

TVWBB Pro
Went to Costco and scored a USDA Prime packer...I'd seen other prime meats there but never brisket before...at $3.79/lb I thought it was a steal.



Rubbed with S&P plus a bit of chilies, garlic/onion powder, cumin.



Did an overnight smoke, mostly 250-275, wrapped in butcher paper at 170, continued to about 205 and butter tender.



Wrapped in foil and stashed in cooler wrapped in old towels for a 2 hours rest. Then lunchtime, best one yet!

 
You nailed it Don, beautiful!
My Costco was carrying Prime packers for that price, but didn't see any my last trip, hope they were just sold out.
 
Education needed here, as I'm new to smoking. Does this brisket have the point and flat or just the flat?

Thanks

Bryn
 
Bryn said:
Education needed here, as I'm new to smoking. Does this brisket have the point and flat or just the flat?

Thanks

Bryn
Click to expand...

A packer brisket is both the point and flat. I think that the term "brisket" can refer to the packer as well as the individual parts. I don't think I've ever seen the point sold separately, just the whole packer or the flat.
 
FYI I went by Gordon Food Service and they had USDA Choice whole packers as a new item and I think they were $3.09...great price since recently they have been VERY expensive.
 
Wow, really nice smoke ring on that brisket. Great job. That's a great price too, brisket here I have not seen for under 7.99 lb.
 
Don Irish said:
A packer brisket is both the point and flat. I think that the term "brisket" can refer to the packer as well as the individual parts. I don't think I've ever seen the point sold separately, just the whole packer or the flat.
Click to expand...


Some places sell the point by itself. hard to come by though. Buying brisket is getting kind of tricky. With the whole packer, one end will be noticeably thicker than the other. Then you have trimmed flats. These can be 6-8lbs or so. They will have a small amount of the point still on them, but mostly all flat. Price is usually much higher than that of a packer. Also, both of the above are usually in cryovac from the processor. Easiest way to tell the difference between a trimmed brisket and a full packer is that the trimmed brisket will have a more consistent thickness from one end to the other.

Then you get into portions of the flat. This is the most expensive cut and is usually found in butcher trays and wrapped in plastic wrap.
 
Do you have to ask the butcher staff at CostCo to grab you a whole packer from the back or do they have them out in the coolers? My Costco only puts out trimmed flats (granted, they're very large flats) though I admittedly haven't asked if they could grab me a full packer from the back.
 
My Costco usually carries a half dozen to a dozen prime packers at $3.79/lb ranging in weight from 10-16 lbs. They also have a good selection of flats but they are close to $6/lb.
 
This got me to call my local costco meat department and he said they never get these, or even full packers. Guess I'll have to stick with CAB from restaurant depot.
 
Prime makes a big difference and is totally worth the additional cost. Just put it in the smoker at 240-250 and wait for it to get jiggly. Our local super (H.E.B.) always has a good selection of Prime packers at under $4 a pound.
 
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