Brisket: Flats vs. Whole Packers

[halfcocked]

I could not get packers here until I recently joined Sam's Club. They carry both flat and whole in Prime. I was there yesterday and they had tow monster packers but they looked very heavy on the fat side so I passed.
But to get back to the issue at hand, I like the flat as much as I recently like the point and do nothing different in case of either so far as the cook goes.

[Rockinar]

People in TN have no clue what good brisket looks or taste like. Just serve them whatever is cheapest.

[pharp]

Originally Posted by Demosthenes9

One issue is the cost difference. Flats are much more per lb than Packers, often even twice the price. I haven't trimmed a packer out and done the calculations to figure out what the better buy is on a per lb basis of actual meat.

Whole packer is better but not as extreme as the sticker may indicate.

[Ag76]

Originally Posted by Quint

I smoke flats all the time. I inject 2 - 3 days before, smoke at 250Deg until stall, then wrap until probe tender about 198-202deg. Throw in a cooler for couple of hours. Always Always comes out tender and juicy never dry. Everybody says its the best meat they've ever tasted every time I smoke it.



When smoking a flat I think the injection is an important step to keep it moist and get it to probe tender. JMO

What do you inject with?

[sudsandswine]

I might cook a flat by itself if I cut it from a whole packer I bought. I never buy trimmed flats from the store though, they're always double the price of a packer which you can basically get for the same price as the flat. Yes you lose some weight due to trimming but it's like $35 for a flat vs $43 for the whole packer.

[Quint]

For the beef injection and marinade:

· 1 quart water
· 3 tablespoons beef base (preferably Minor's brand) or beef bouillon powder
· 3 tablespoons au jus concentrate (preferably Minor's brand) or one 15-ounce can strong beef broth

In a large stockpot over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Add the beef base and the beef au jus to the water, and stir until dissolved. Remove from the heat. If reserving for a later use, let the liquid cool then pour it into a jug or bottle. This can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Inject brisket until saturated.

[sudsandswine]

Tis a good injection ^^^ the one I most commonly use when I do inject brisket. Definitely go for the Minor's products though.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

The Vons by my house sells Choice points and flats, so I usually just get a point from there. A Costco packer is way too much food, as I'm the only one eating the meat unless I have a get together. The points from Von's are usually around 3-3.5 lbs, so that works out great. Just did one Sunday to throw in my pinto beans and that's my lunch for the week. They only real issue is that they are thin at the end so that gets pretty crunchy.