Help selecting brisket

[ClintHTX]

Buying briskets for the 4th. Been calling Costco on the daily waiting for them to have a cheaper deal possibly for the 4th. It started at 3.69 for prime and today is 3.99..... I figured it would get cheaper. I can get choice at Kroger for 1.67 which is incredibly cheap. I've been so used to buying primes at Costco at 2.69 I was willing to pay the extra money. But here lately their prices have been higher. How much difference is choice to prime? What would y'all do. The savings is huge when it comes to those prices. Do y'all think Costco will drop their price this weekend?

 

[Stlsportster]

Nothing wrong with choice...especially at that price. Lots of good choice briskets cooked by Brethren all the time.

 

[mrboy]

That's a great price for choice, I'd be all over that!

 

[SmittyJonz]

I buy WallyWorld Selects.......

 

[Notorious Q.U.E.]

Choice is fine

 

[offshore_SoLA]

costco wont go down. They have been increasing their beef prices pretty steadily over the last 4 or 5 months. Not to mention - the quality of the prime briskets as of late is going down.

 

[WareZdaBeef]

Can't even get choice for The prime prices your complaining about. Pfft. There should seriously be a texas sub forum so they can gloat about how cheap they get beef.

 

[16Adams]

The last thing I look at is usda grading. These are 3 things I can tell in the cryovac. Most of what I buy are select at Sam's and Walmart. Locally Fiesta Foods and United are having good Brisket sales.

Thick uniform thickness in flat (not long thin tapered)
Nice round point(like a cantaloupe not half a melon)
White fat(not craggy and brownish yellow)
Floppy(preferred but I've bought stiff that cooked fine

Regardless of grading this is what I look for. I prefer 10-14# whole packer 15# tops.

 

[El Ropo]

Check walmart. I was in my local Wally's last night, they had Superior angus choice packers for 1.98/lb. The split in the cooler display case was about 35% angus choice, 35% IBP choice, and the rest select.

The Superior Angus choice packers looked really nice.

 

[CentralOhioBBQ]

Buying briskets for the 4th. Been calling Costco on the daily waiting for them to have a cheaper deal possibly for the 4th. It started at 3.69 for prime and today is 3.99..... I figured it would get cheaper. I can get choice at Kroger for 1.67 which is incredibly cheap. I've been so used to buying primes at Costco at 2.69 I was willing to pay the extra money. But here lately their prices have been higher. How much difference is choice to prime? What would y'all do. The savings is huge when it comes to those prices. Do y'all think Costco will drop their price this weekend?

Couple things. I get my beef from Costco almost exclusively and am in good with the Manager. Don't anticipate the Prime price to drop below 3.69ish this summer. Summer beef commodity pricing always does this, supply is thinned and demand hasn't changed.
Personally, I always go with Prime, I think it's worth the extra $10-$20. I get choice briskets to corn for corned beef and pastrami. If I'm smoking, it's a Prime Packer. The fat self bastes and is just better IMO.

Good luck!

 

[BadkissonTT]

Can't even get choice for The prime prices your complaining about. Pfft. There should seriously be a texas sub forum so they can gloat about how cheap they get beef.

Lulz....

 

[JS-TX]

Selecting a good brisket can be tricky. I look for marbling on the opposite side of the big fat band and a thicker flat. White fat is nice if you can find it too. Floppiness is less important to me. Choice briskets can be just as good as prime all other factors being equal. Sometimes I'll try to vision what the brisket will look like once it's all trimmed up. Sometimes I'll go with a smaller brisket that meets the criteria if it doesn't need a bunch of trimming vs a huge brisket with a 1/3 of being extra fat.

 

[BiffBojangles]

Those prices are crazy. Wegman's around me has it for nearly $8/lb for Choice.

 

[BBQ Diva]

Here is my method:

1. Find one with a big point
2. Nice marbling in the flat
3. Fleixble
4. Good fat cap that I can trim to my liking
5. Not a lot of blood
6. Not a lot of browning on the edges

Seems to work out OK.

 

[legendaryhog]

I go through the whole bin. They are so variable. Three most important things to look for in my opinion are (in this order) #1 floppiness. This indicates that the seam of fat between the point and the flat is not really big and hard fat that will not render well. #2 a big point. It should look nice and round. #3 not a huge, hard, yellow-white piece of fat on the side. You will have to trim that and it is weight that you are paying for. Good luck.

 

[m-fine]

Costco prime is not always good beef. It may be dairy cow with high fat marbling which is all the USDA cares about, but it isn't necessarily flavorful.

I have been getting CAB branded higher level choice in the $3.50-$4.50 range which is not Texas pricing but not what some of you are paying! The CAB beef is high percentage Angus unlike a lot of stuff labeled as Angus or simply choice or prime and has been a pretty good value point for fat and flavor.

 

[Cook]

So to actually answer the question...go find a Choice that suits you & slap it on the grate.

 

[Westx]

Clint the last two I cooked were choice from Kroger when they had a big sale and the had more flavor than the pri,es I had been getting at COTSCO. Used them for a family reunion and had rave reviews.

 

[SmittyJonz]

Kroger.....



I bought 2 earlier today and back for 2 more.....

 

[frognot]

Looks like most of the local grocery stores in the DFW area have packer briskets on sale but Albertson's has choice ones for $1.58/lb (limit 2 with an additional $10 purchase) AND has a coupon for $10 off when you make a $50 purchase.