Went to Costco today and they had full packer PRIME briskets for $2.89/lb!!! Costco always has good prices, but that’s the lowest I’ve ever seen. Picked up this beauty...and just in time...
About an hour after I got home from the store our Governor issued a "stay-at-home" order for the entire state of California. At least we are fully stocked on food for a while.
Praying for our world during these difficult times. Keep cooking!
Equipment:
Weber Genesis
Weber Spirit Special Addition, with Griddle and Grillgrates (just got)
Thermoworks Smoke (2)
Thermoworks Thermapen (2)
Thermoworks IR (1)
Maverick IR (1)
Penzey's Spice rack with loads of spices
Hobbies:
Cooking, wine, guitar, golf, beach, board games, travel, herb gardening
And I have a choice packer I got for $3.99/lb. Cost me $60 for a 15 pounder. I never see deals like that on brisket in my area. Oh well, it'll hit the smoker this Saturday.
My wife is at Costco as I'm typing this. They only have Choice flats. The place is a zoo right now and they are limiting meat purchases to 1 item each. So she's bringing home a 4 pound flat and a 5 pound chuck roast. Both will be ground and used for: Meatloaf, weeknight chili and spaghetti meat sauce. I also have a 5 pound chuckie in the freezer that will be smoked in the near future.
Bob Hicks, from Mormon Mecca
I'm 81 years young and going as hard as I can for as long as I can.
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.
With just 2 of us, there is no way I'd ever buy a full packer. And finding flats in the 4 lb range is very hard in my area. And I shop both Costco & Sam's Club.
dubob you need to think about it this way. Think what you would pay for that brisket per serving at at a good BBQ restaurant. Around here, a plate lunch at a the only place in town that serves good brisket costs $15 for a one meat plate, and I doubt you are getting a pound. By getting the full packer, you are getting the best cost per pound. Same thing for other primal - I buy USDA Prime NY strip loins on sale for $6.99 a pound, slice them up into thick steaks, and freeze for future cooks.
dubob if you buy lets say a 15 to 18 pound packer, and separate it into the flat and the point, then cut the flat into two hunks, you probably end up with three 4-5 pound hunks of meat. Vacuum seal (salted for brining when you thaw), freeze two, cook one.
Made my 2nd foragin trip to Dillons today, same as a few days ago, re: brisket...$3.99/lb fer choice packers.
Semi temptin, exceptin I have a monster 19.5#er in my deep freeze, an lamentably, no fridge space to thaw it, at present.
Might well git me some bag ice, an toss it in a cooler tomorrow, git it started...
That monster's gotta go, an I'll be able to provide some (hopefully) good BBQ to neighbours, friends, an family...
Other side o town, they have one o them ice machine station things, where ya can buy filled bags, or fill yer cooler fer a small price, way more cheaper than buyin bags anywhere else around.
19 lbs of deliciousness. If you want to thaw it faster saw a thing on the food lab or serious eats with Kenji talking about putting your frozen item on an aluminum pan (I use jelly roll pans) and setting them out. The aluminum conducts the cold from the meat (great conductor of heat) and allows rapid thawing. Do that with a cooler and you might be in business quickly and safely!
Bob Hicks, from Mormon Mecca
I'm 81 years young and going as hard as I can for as long as I can.
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.
Since I've never done brisket other than a couple 3-4 lb flats I lucked into locally, I have a couple of questions.
1. If separated, should the point be cooked just like a packer or a flat? I really like to keep things simple.
2. Can/should a tri-tip roast be done like a brisket? I find them often on sale and the weight is usually in the 2 to 4 lb range. I haven't done one of them yet.
jfmorris, I guess I'll look for a cost break point of $3/lb or less on a packer. With 'Q' season fast approaching, I'm sure there be some sales coming up soon. But I don't think I'll see that price on PRIME in my area based on past shopping trips for meat locally. I may have to settle for CHOICE.
Since I've never done brisket other than a couple 3-4 lb flats I lucked into locally, I have a couple of questions.
1. If separated, should the point be cooked just like a packer or a flat? I really like to keep things simple.
2. Can/should a tri-tip roast be done like a brisket? I find them often on sale and the weight is usually in the 2 to 4 lb range. I haven't done one of them yet.
jfmorris, I guess I'll look for a cost break point of $3/lb or less on a packer. With 'Q' season fast approaching, I'm sure there be some sales coming up soon. But I don't think I'll see that price on PRIME in my area based on past shopping trips for meat locally. I may have to settle for CHOICE.
For #1, if you separate the flat and point, and cook them separately, they still have to reach "probe tender", which will be anywhere from 195 to 205 or so. I have always cooked full packers, and probed the thickest portion of the flat, and usually take the cook to around 205F. The point will usually be higher, but having so much more fat content, the point can take the extra heat. If I were to separate them, and cook them at different times, I personally would use the point to make brisket burnt ends. Mmmmm......
For #2, I cannot buy tri-tip here in Alabama, at least not at most stores, but understand that it is to be cooked to medium-rare (135F) in a hot and fast manner. Nothing like a brisket at all - its more of a large 2 to 3 pound steak than a roast, and it is important to slice across the grain for maximum tenderness, which changes direction at the mid point. The only tri tip I have ever seen on sale here was at Sam's and Costco in the frozen foods section, and it was a pre-marinated tri-tip that I opted to pass on.
If you treated tri tip like a brisket and cooked to 200-ish, you would have a burned hunk of carbon shaped like a meat boomerang....
One question to ask is whether you have a vacuum sealer. That goes a long way to preserving meat without freezer burn issues, and was one of the best purchases I have ever made for being able to buy meat in bulk and keep it.
Last edited by jfmorris; March 24, 2020, 09:54 AM.
We've owned several vacuum sealers for at least 15 years or more. We've found buried game/fish sealed packets in the freezer over 2 years old and ate them with little, if any, loss in flavor, texture, or tenderness.
I went to Costco one day specifically to buy brisket for my birthday party, and all they had was $6.99/lb CHOICE packers. This just wouldn't do, so I called the other Costco 15 mins away and asked if they had any in stock.
"Yes we do. Prime packers at $2.79/lb."
"I'm sorry, could you please repeat that?"
I drove over immediately and bought three.Haven't seen a deal that good since! Especially not now...
dubob My reply was too long, so new comment about tri-tip!
Here in CA we cook a lot of tri-tip. My favorite cooking method is reverse sear. How you get it up to temp is up to you. Wanna throw it in your smoker? Fine. Wanna put it on the cold side of a 2-zone grill? Go for it. Wanna cook it on a raised grill more than a foot above the fire? BAM (this is actually the traditional Santa Maria method).
No matter which method you use the most important part is never cook it over medium-rare. Always leave 15-20°F below target temp for the sear. Finish that bad boy over a rip roaring fire so you get a nice crusty exterior...but make sure not to overcook it. Can’t state that enough.
Second key to tri-tip is slicing. You must slice against the grain or you’ll end up with a hunk of meat you’ll be chewing for days. Because the tri-tip is shaped like a boomerang the best method is to cut the whole think in half after cooking, then slice. You’ll be able to cut against the grain easily for both halves.
Done wrong (overcooked or sliced with the grain), you’ll toss most of it out and never buy one again. Done right, tri-tip is a delicious, flavorful, tender cut that you’ll cook over and over again!
Final note: traditional seasoning is salt, pepper, and garlic.
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