Smokin-It 3D
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I probably cook 2 a year and it’s when I have our group of friends over. This brisket I just cooked over the weekend, I still have a good amount left which will be vac sealed and frozen for later….because you know….green chile brisket TACOS!!!!!!
but, 1-2 a year is it. We like brisket, but I also like to cook other things when we have our group together at the house.
I still cook brisket several times a year. I don’t feel the need to buy prime so if I can get a good choice or even a really good select I’ll still get them. I’m not above wet aging them for 60 to 80 days first either. It’s something I like to do and one of those things you can share with people who make your life better. The nurses in the local hospital infusion lab love my brisket and get it regularly. I take it to the girls where I get my hair cut, my plumber and electrician love it too. You’d be surprised what a difference it makes when you call to get help or an appointment. We use leftover brisket for tacos, in beans, hash, and sandwiches. It never goes to waste. I just checked on line, I can go to our local Brookshires and get a choice brisket for $4.49 a pound today. That’s not a bad price for protein. I cook my briskets hot and fast. I can normally put one on the smoker and have it cooked, rested, and ready to serve in 8 hours. Many of you have gotten so good at brisket that you don’t realize how rare a good brisket is to most other people.
I am similar to you. A couple of times a year. Live sharing a Knock your Sox’s off brisket with good friends and family.
Like you said, it never goes to waste.
Been at least 2 years. I think I recently saw $6.50 per pound for prime at my Costco in the northern Chicago suburb I frequent. Lot of money for a cook my family never asks for. And beef ribs are my favorite and more enjoyable in our house.
Yeah, bbqLuv posted above a $7.50/lb price at Costco. That's the worst I've seen yet. Not surprising, but again, I don't see them going back to $4/lb, EVER. For one thing... they're still SELLING them at that price. So, as long as they don't sit in the stores going bad, the prices are going to stay the same or continue climbing. I mean, why wouldn't they? They sell literally every one they bring in. I've NEVER seen 'marked down' briskets in the last few years.
As a whole packer, I cook 3 or 4 per year. Cut into 3 or 4 pieces, cured, and seasoned for pastrami, another 4 to 6 per year.
Right now, I have 2 packers in the freezer. One is going to be pastrami as soon as I clear out room in the fridge to do the cure. The other is probably going to wait until the holidays in December when people will be down here. I’ll do a nice 14-hour cook and have Texas style brisket as one of the meal options.
So, not as often as I used to, but I haven’t given up on brisket by any means.
For pastrami Draznnl are you just cutting it in 4 sections without respect to the flat/point, or do you separate the two muscles and then cut them in half or so?
The prime factors in my cuts, realdocBBQ are (a) will they fit in my containers? and (b) thickness. That second one usually means separating the flat and point, but the first factor takes priority.
I've definitely curtailed my cooking of briskets. I've only done one a year for the past two years and as pastrami. I'm not certain if it is the yield of meat or the cost that is more keeping me away. Still, I kinda miss it.
I've done chuck roasts, but they're just not the same (and are even more expensive per pound). I need to give dino ribs a try and see if that is the sweet spot for me.
Funny thing is, I've noticed dino ribs have NOT gone up in price like just about every other cut of beef. I still routinely see them under $10/lb. Sometimes as low as $7.99/lb. I ought to do more of these...
Probably 3 or 4 a year and mostly in conjunction with family gatherings. I have 2 in the freezer right now, but since it is just two of us we(me) has to be jonesing for one to make it for just us between gatherings.
1-2 per year. Grandkids grown and away at school decreased as much as price. Still like a whole packer where I can vacuum seal and freeze meals for later.
Same as jlazar and for the same reasons. I do, when the mood hits me, additionally pick up a flat every once in a while and do SVQ. Works best for just the two of us or a few extras stopping by.
MAK 2 Star pellet
Big Green Egg
Fuego gasser
Pitboss ceramic griddle
Eastman Outdoors wok burner
Ooni 16 pizza oven
Cast iron chimenea with pizza steel
Breeo smokeless fire pit, with Titan rotisserie and Titan Santa Maria style adjustable grate
Oklahoma Joe Bronco
For me, 2 or 3 a year. We have family around, so not hard to spread the bliss. I never freeze leftovers, unlike many here. Freezer and 2 refrigerator freezers are typically full of fresh protein, bread, vegetables. I like the brisket trim for tallow. But my normal low and slow are chuck roasts and pork butts.
I'm in the 1 or 2 a year camp as well. Nobody here especially likes brisket, my coward here calls it "gray meat". What I usually do is get a half brisket decal end for eating with sandwiches, etc. If I do get a flat it's usually for sausage, burgers or pastrami. To be honest, I have yet to do one in 2026. Maybe do one for Thanksgiving next month.
Also wanted to mention we're so blessed with killer brisket here in Texas that if I really want some, I just let others do the cookin'. Know what I mean Vern?
Last edited by Troutman; October 19, 2026, 01:51 PM.
LSG Adjustable Grill/Smoker, MAK Pellet Grill, Large BGE with Several Attachments from the Ceramic Grill Store, Weber Genesis E335 Gasser, Cast Iron Pans & Griddle, Grill Grates, Mostly Thermoworks Thermometers, Anova SV Stick, BBQ Guru Controller and Fan
I seen a whole brisket when I was in the meat market back a few months to purchase a pork shoulder to smoke. It was a Choice grade Angus so I could not resist. I did buy it and it was one of the best I have ever done. |I seperated the lower end of the flat and cooked seperately. Never had one turn out so moist and tender. Wiggled like jelly as you guys say. I did post pics of the smoke earlier. However it has been three years since I have done one. I switched to Choice grade Chuck Roasts for the lower saturated fat and the cost factor. I was crying when trimming this thing as there were a few pounds down in the garbage at $6 lb. When you get done you have a meal and usually a gallon of meat left over after cutting and putting away. That is a lot of work, cost and time for the small but wonderful result. I may shoot for another one next year as my brother is going to enjoy it when we are on our trout fishing trips next spring.
I only did one or sometimes two briskets a year. This year I anticipate it will be zero. There are two primary reasons. One is it doesn’t make sense unless there is a crowd, and it is just me and the wife. The price is ridiculous. If it goes on sale before the end of the year, maybe.
I do 3 to 4 whole packers per year. I usally give them to family members or to my neighbor with kids. Once in a while smoke up some burnt ends and take to work and share.
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