When you go to the store, what do you look for in a good brisket? Do you like marbling in certain areas, do you do the bend/fold test? Do you like a thick flat?
by Temporary_Floor_3152
23 Comments
NTXOutdoors-man
Prime, good even fat cap, flops in half if you hold it upright.
HeavyExplanation45
I look for pliability at the muscle junction and even fat layer distribution. Marbling is also a consideration.
bbqistheway
How close can I touch the ends. If not bending the fat will need to trim away and is hard to get to render.
Sharcbait
Step one. Dig through all the briskets and see if any are mispriced. At Costco it happens more than you might think that you find one that is like $3 because the guy running the scale messed up the first tare of the day.
NTPC4
A flexible, left-handed one, with a thick flat.
Srycomaine
I’m with the flexibility crowd on here— it’s gotta be easily bendable. Prime and Choice are both acceptable, it depends on the particular brisket itself. I’d take a bendy, nicely-fatted Choice over a stiff and poorly-marbled Prime.
whatthepho6
Prime or wagyu. Find one with the thickest flat.
cbetsinger
Thick flat, not too thick of a fat cap or deckle, 15-17 lbs
Shock_city
More stout briskets are better, not one that is long and tapers a lot.
ssibal24
A thick flat and as bendable as possible (less hard fat).
findaill65
The beautiful thing about brisket is that if you know what you’re doing you can take the most inedible looking slab and make it taste better than Joe Smoker’s $200 Wagyu with his $3000 setup. I don’t mean this to come off as condescending but rather as a helpful tip for anyone that might be receptive to it in that it’s less about the meat and more about the technique. Have fun with the cheap stuff because most will never know the difference if done right.
orezybedivid
I find one with the biggest point because I dont care about the flat
TrueToad
I look for one that is my preferred weight (around 14 pounds). I’ll take prime if I can find it, choice if not.
You can turn (almost) any brisket into a tender one… I just find it’s easier with a prime.
I’ve even purchased a few briskets from SRF, but I doubt I could tell the difference between theirs and a nice prime one from Costco.
crinkneck
Is this your video dude? Love the shirt hahaha.
Slezak6411
Look for a good amount of thickness in the flat where I think I’ll trim the flat to round it off. Check the visible intramuscular fat for the highest fat content. Hold it up by the end and see how much bend is naturally there and select the one with the most bend. If I feel I won’t do a trim, select the one with a good bend and the thickest flat.
--AV8R--
Thicker flat
taimaishew91
60$???? Damn the cheapest I find em at Costco is 100$
BBQ_and_bacon_lover
My tongue.
AnAngryMuppet89
For it to be juicy and look delicious before I eat it. And for it to taste good when I’m eating it. 😋
Illustrious_Tear_529
If you can cook a brisket it doesn’t matter which one you get. Don’t blame the brisket if you don’t like the way it comes out.
Haunting-Subject-819
Beef
xtrasun
Thick flat
JohntheJuge
I like lots of fat because I love to render the trimmings down. I really enjoy passing out mason jars of tallow to friends and family, especially now that people are moving away from seed oils—everybody loves it!
23 Comments
Prime, good even fat cap, flops in half if you hold it upright.
I look for pliability at the muscle junction and even fat layer distribution. Marbling is also a consideration.
How close can I touch the ends. If not bending the fat will need to trim away and is hard to get to render.
Step one. Dig through all the briskets and see if any are mispriced. At Costco it happens more than you might think that you find one that is like $3 because the guy running the scale messed up the first tare of the day.
A flexible, left-handed one, with a thick flat.
I’m with the flexibility crowd on here— it’s gotta be easily bendable. Prime and Choice are both acceptable, it depends on the particular brisket itself. I’d take a bendy, nicely-fatted Choice over a stiff and poorly-marbled Prime.
Prime or wagyu. Find one with the thickest flat.
Thick flat, not too thick of a fat cap or deckle, 15-17 lbs
More stout briskets are better, not one that is long and tapers a lot.
A thick flat and as bendable as possible (less hard fat).
The beautiful thing about brisket is that if you know what you’re doing you can take the most inedible looking slab and make it taste better than Joe Smoker’s $200 Wagyu with his $3000 setup. I don’t mean this to come off as condescending but rather as a helpful tip for anyone that might be receptive to it in that it’s less about the meat and more about the technique. Have fun with the cheap stuff because most will never know the difference if done right.
I find one with the biggest point because I dont care about the flat
I look for one that is my preferred weight (around 14 pounds). I’ll take prime if I can find it, choice if not.
You can turn (almost) any brisket into a tender one… I just find it’s easier with a prime.
I’ve even purchased a few briskets from SRF, but I doubt I could tell the difference between theirs and a nice prime one from Costco.
Is this your video dude? Love the shirt hahaha.
Look for a good amount of thickness in the flat where I think I’ll trim the flat to round it off. Check the visible intramuscular fat for the highest fat content. Hold it up by the end and see how much bend is naturally there and select the one with the most bend.
If I feel I won’t do a trim, select the one with a good bend and the thickest flat.
Thicker flat
60$???? Damn the cheapest I find em at Costco is 100$
My tongue.
For it to be juicy and look delicious before I eat it. And for it to taste good when I’m eating it. 😋
If you can cook a brisket it doesn’t matter which one you get. Don’t blame the brisket if you don’t like the way it comes out.
Beef
Thick flat
I like lots of fat because I love to render the trimmings down. I really enjoy passing out mason jars of tallow to friends and family, especially now that people are moving away from seed oils—everybody loves it!