Well, it happened...

[Kevin James]

Somebody started a thread about this subject a month or two ago, but I can't find it.

Anyways... went in to Costco to grab a brisket for 4th of July. No Prime Briskets to be had, only Choice.

So I talked to one of the guys in the meat processing area in the back, who I had asked about this after said thread was posted. At the time he hadn't heard anything about it but said they generally wouldn't have any advanced knowledge of such things anyways.

When I talked to him yesterday, he recognized me because I'm always there buying briskets, and he says "OMG, dude, you were totally right, we just found out yesterday! We were told there is a shortage in the area and we will not be receiving ANY Prime briskets for at least the next several months, maybe longer. We're only going to be getting Choice".

So I grabbed the best looking one and we'll see how it compares. I've never even seen Choice briskets at any of the Costco's in my area, so this was a first. They do say they are "Premium Black Angus" though, which I have never seen any of their Prime's say, so keeping my fingers crossed.

To add insult to injury they weren't even priced that much lower, $3.79/lb vs. the $3.99/lb. they were selling the Prime's at.

Went over to check RD though and their "Superior Angus" briskets were $4.09/lb. and didn't look as nice so looks like Costco's are still going to be the best option. Super bummed though. This blows.

 

[16Adams]

I was taught and firmly believe choice is the sweet spot.
Choice with a huge point is my preferred

I've been 3-4 to 1 beef cheeks the last 18 months though. Always consistently tender and juicy. Great beef flavor. Freeze and thaw perfect

 

[KB BBQ]

I've had good luck with Choice from Costco, however not having prime as an option sucks and blows at the same time.

 

[TC Smoke & Que]

Sams here in So Fl. is going through the same thing. I have grabbed their choice and have had no problems with them, although I will inject them just to give a richer flavor.

 

[cowboyupbbq]

Back in the early 2000s, before prime and wagyu were readily available, choice angus was the best most consistent option.

It will make good food.

Maybe because I’ve cooked 100s, but I still think CAB choice briskets turn out better for me than prime.

Steaks…prime all day.

 

[pjtexas1]

Back in the early 2000s, before prime and wagyu were readily available, choice angus was the best most consistent option.

It will make good food.

Maybe because I’ve cooked 100s, but I still think CAB choice briskets turn out better for me than prime.

Steaks…prime all day.

I too love a CAB brisket. Prime and wagyu have only been available for the last 7 or so years around me. Heck if it wasn't for the brethren I would probably still be cooking ungraded...

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[ssv3]

I've had good luck with Choice from Costco, however not having prime as an option sucks and blows at the same time.

Me too Kenny!

I opt for the Black Canyon angus choice over a prime. Great stuff!

 

[sudsandswine]

I saw this at my Costco today - only choice @ $3.79. I’m all about those Black Canyon briskets from Sam’s if I’m going choice.

 

[Back9Q]

I have gotten 50th place with a wagyu and a top 10 with a crappy choice brisket in a world champ qualifier. All in your ability to cook it


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[Lahawk1]

My understanding is that until the cow is slaughtered and is being butchered you don't know if it is select, choice or prime beef. So I do not see how they can predict a shortage of prime in the future.

 

[Callahan-que]

I don't see how prime could really be any better than choice when it comes to brisket. After all the whole cow is graded by by three bones from the rib section.

 

[blackdogbbq21]

I heard an interview with one of the owners of Terry Blacks. He said they buy around 20% of the prime briskets in the country for their two soon to be three locations. It just blows me away how popular brisket has gotten. Lousy for us backyard folks that want to have options for what we want to cook.

 

[chingador]

Choice is just fine. Cook and enjoy

 

[oldgfbbq]

We used to cook about 10 Choice briskets per week with 3-4 per month going directly to chili. Most of the time Black Canyon was what we got, but there were others brands too. Of the 3-4 per month that went directly to chili, one might be due to the way it was trimmed and subsequently cooked. These came from a local vendor/distributer.

I've cooked a number of Choice from Costco with no issues that I recall. Most noteworthy re Costco, was December 2020 Prime was 2.99/lb. Recently the Prime grade at $3.99 disappeared and now I only see Choice for 3.89.

Choice vs Prime......Academically, Prime should be better. But I "grew up" cooking Choice and learned how to get desirable results. Unless specifically requested, I didn't think Prime was worth the price difference for my commercial (not competition) cooking. Lastly, it is just as easy to screw up a Prime brisket as a Choice.

FWIW, YMMV

 

[ModelMaker]

"Lastly, it is just as easy to screw up a Prime brisket as a Choice."

No truer words were ever spoken!
ED

 

[Kevin James]

Well, we'll see how this brisket turns out. I'm a little concerned, but my concern isn't really over the fact that it's Choice rather than Prime. This was just one of those briskets where you don't really know what you have until it's out of the cryovac.

The flat is just a lot thinner than I realized, mainly because the fat cap was a lot THICKER than I realized. It still looked like the nicest one out of the bunch they had, and all of them had pretty thin flats. But this may be the thinnest flat of any brisket I've ever bought.

But, we work with what we have and make it work.... so we'll se how it comes out!