Yeah, I’m not being clear. I tell ppl “breed” bc it helps them buy. But what I really mean is “Certified” — CAB or Certified Hereford (readily available in Colorado). If I tell ppl to choose certified over grade, it confuses them. So I say breed, because the certification names the breed. if I’m still using “breed” incorrectly, forgive me, I’m city-folk. to elaborate: I’m sure grade always trumps certification for rib-eye, but I’m not buying CAB rejects for brisket (or hamburger for that matter). So it’s certainly worth pointing out to ppl that HEB prime means it was probably rejected for the addition certification requirements that are often more important for brisket, but not ribeye. But this is just general advice. Your own examination of the brisket still matters.
Deli's don't do brisket. Never have & I wouldn't trust them to do so. Fatty Side up. Let the fat into the meat. I've never seen a good smoke chef ever remove fat. Fat = flavor. Sounds like you're from Utah.
You’re conflating cut with method. Corned beef is a method of doing brisket. It *is* the brisket cut. I only mentioned that to say Mike taught me to remove the deckle at Kahn’s deli. as for not trimming brisket and removing the deckle … I mean, yeah, some are trimmed well enough already by the butcher/packer, but that deckle is not helping you with flavor, and everyone who knows how removes it. fwiw: I once trimmed 5 lbs of fat off an “18lb” Costco brisket. They do that on purpose — ie, poorly trimmed. You’re not going to miss it. 1/4” is still plenty of fat for flavor for the flat, and the point is marbled. As others have said, I don’t waste the trimmings. I’ll lay some of the best fat on top, especially on exposed areas.
I have a dumb question. when you all make brisket is it a lot of meat? When I get brisket it’s always 2-4 oz but I assume the actual brisket roast is much larger and if not serving a bunch of people goes to waste.
You’re probably buying the flat. Full brisket (called Packer’s Cut) will clock in at around 6-9 LB cooked weight. But note: smoking (like brining for corned beef) is a preservation technique passed down for centuries, predating refrigeration. I make brisket just for myself a lot (not for a party), and as a lab work … Just like corned beef for sandwiches, if you don’t slice what you don’t eat, it preserves well,,,Easily a week in the frig. Make smoked-brisket Reuben’s! I like cold too, on Triscuits with white cheddar!
Yeah it is a lot. I’ll freeze some too. Smoked brisket Stock, ftw! I use that for mopping the next brisket, or in frijoles a la charra for next brisket party.
Are you thinking of the Silver Skin? Again, Deckle is not a word used in smoking a brisket. Sounds like a Jewish Deli term...
I bought an absolute unit of a brisket last week to break in my new smoker. And I did it at the traditional way. as mentioned before I had generally taken up sous vide and then finishing it with smoke. this was a 24 hour marinade after seasoning and then I smoked it. the new smoker is bad ass and it is very good at holding temperature so I was really able to regulate it at about 230 the entire time. however, it took forever. Literally over 24 hours. I know that I could’ve gotten a little bit higher on the temperature or even wrapped it to push past the stall, but I just kinda let it ride. it was a prime brisket that I picked up from Sam’s and ended up very good. I also removed the hard fat layer but then leave the brisket hole. I trim the slightest bit off of the fat cap, but I just take a little bit. I will still probably stick to buying much smaller briskets in the future, doing a sous vide and then finishing with six hours of smoke, but it was fun to do with the old school way
'This is as bad as it gets’: Beef has become so expensive, barbecue joints in Texas are being forced to raise prices, consider shutting down' Texas BBQ joints are getting smoked by skyrocketing beef prices, with some saying the iconic Texas brisket boom could be headed for a painful bust — forcing owners to consider raising prices, changing menus or even shutting down. “This is as bad as it gets,” Houston pitmaster Russell Roegels told The Washington Post. “Everybody’s at risk these days. You’re one bad week from closing.” Roegels, owner of Roegels Barbecue Co., says in the past year, the wholesale price he pays for brisket has shot up by 28% to $5.56 per pound. He recently raised his menu prices for brisket by 6% to $35 per pound, but fears that could drive customers away. And he’s not the only one who is worried. The meat-price crisis has already pushed several Texas barbecue spots out of business, including Brett’s BBQ Shop, Kirby’s BBQ, Sabar BBQ and Wright on Taco & BBQ. Texas Restaurant Association CEO Emily Williams Knight says many factors have contributed to the price crunch, including inflation, tariffs, labor shortages, drought conditions and shrinking ranch land. Here’s a closer look at the pressures on pitmasters. Why Texas barbecue restaurants are feeling the heat The U.S. cattle herd is reportedly at its smallest size in 75 years, making beef scarce and expensive. According to FarmProgress, there’s no signs of herd rebuild, so prices will likely stay high. That’s not all that restaurant owners have to deal with. There is also the threat of screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite that can devastate livestock populations and infect people, looming near the southern border. Any additional hit to cattle supplies could send prices even higher. “Now the price of everything has gone up, everything they need to run that restaurant: labor costs, takeout containers, coleslaw and those other meat proteins. You can’t really hide that price anymore,” Daniel Vaughn, barbecue editor at Texas Monthly, told The Washington Post, pointing to labor, packaging, side dishes and operating expenses. Because of this, once-unthinkable menu prices — like $40 for a pound of brisket — is no longer a “crazy number to see on a menu,” he said. Even popular restaurants are scrambling to keep up. Burnt Bean Co., which was named the top barbecue joint in Texas by Texas Monthly and awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand distinction, recently raised brisket prices to $38 per pound. Owner Ernest Servantes said brisket barely turns a profit anymore, telling The Washington Post, “We’ve been in survival mode for the past year.” “We make our money off pork, sides,” Servantes told The Washington Post. “People say ‘brisket’ and I cringe.”
$5.56/lb wholesale see! I’m telling you guys, HEB Prime 1, Sams, Costco prime…none of those are the quality the pitmasters are buying. I can get HEB Prime 1 for < $5.99 right now. Why is Roegel’s owner saying he pays $5.56 wholesale? It’s because non-certified prime is not good enough for them. At that wholesale price, my money is on he’s buying CAB Prime. Rethink this guys. Grade is for Rib-eyes. Certification is for brisket. CAB Prime is what you want , and HEB isn’t selling that, but it’s at Krogers (occasionally). CAB Choice can actually be better than HEB Prime 1. It’s also what several different butchers, ranchers, packers, across two major cattle states have told me. Trust me guys.
LOL. I know a lot of people in the restaurant and BBQ business. What the restaurants are getting aren't better than what you get at Sam's or Costco. What they are paying for is consistency and convenience. They get it delivered everyday and they want all their briskets to be exactly the same size and same level of fat. It's a big deal when you are smoking tens if not hundreds of briskets a day. Snows for example only smokes 7-8 pound briskets. It allows them to cook it faster and requires less rest. That is why they start serving almost right off the smoker.
Yeah, I’m with ya. I never before thought restaurants sold CAB Prime. Would you say $5.56 is additional $2/lb for the “convenience/consistency”. What do you think HEB/Costco’s wholesale price is for their Prime, which is not CAB Prime.
