Wagyu brisket

[Ribber]

Today I ordered a 4 pound wagyu brisket from a farm local to me here in Florida. It's called Pasture Prime. Their website is pastureprimewagyu.com if anyone would like to check it out. I just learned of it about a week ago. They sell briskets that range from 3.5 lbs to 5 lbs. I spoke to a lady at the farm and asked if what they had was the flat or the point. She did not know and had to ask someone at the farm that did. I don't know if she posed the question right but she was told that all of the briskets they sell are whole briskets. I'll find out Saturday when I pick it up but from what I read on this site that sounds small. I would like to get some thoughts if I may.

This will be my first brisket so I hope I don't screw it up. That rascal cost me 50 bucks but my wife was all for it. It better be good, whole or not!

[DWCowles]

I don't know for sure but at that weight and price it might be just the flat. Especially for Wagyu

[Ribber]

That's what i was thinking. Does that sound like a reasonable price? That's $12 a pound.

[Jerod Broussard]

Grass fed Wagyu, I would expect no less per pound.

[Ribber]

My math is fuzzy. It's $12.50 per pound.

[fuzzydaddy]

Ribber Everything about me is fuzzy. All the best on your brisket. Post photos when it arrives and your cook.

[Ribber]

fuzzydaddy Thank you and I will.

[HorseDoctor]

I've got a good friend in WY who breeds his first calf (Angus) heifers to leased Wagyu bulls because 1, they have smaller calves & 2, they company he leases bulls from pays a premium for the offspring. Wagyu tend to run smaller therefore less calving problems, but not that much smaller. Would be interesting to see what a 3.5- 5 lb brisket looks like. Either not a whole brisket, or cut from a veal calf???

[Jerod Broussard]

Wow, smaller than Angus? Some folks back home starting using Longhorn bulls on heifers. Talk about some hardy little calves.

[Ribber]

When I asked the lady if it was flat or point, she did not know what I meant. So she may not have asked the right question. I don't have the impression that it is a veal calf. Guess I'll find out Saturday.

[Ribber]

My wife and I will be headed to the Farmer's Market in a few hours to pick up the brisket. We are both excited about the Farmer's Market, which we have not been to before and the wagyu, which we have never had or bought before!

[Ribber]

Thanks RonB. Will do. Not sure if I will cook it tomorrow since I have no idea how long it will take and how early to get started. I think I'll post questions on that later. Hopefully at some point I will be able to contribute by answering questions rather than just asking questions.

[RonB]

When you post your questions both weight and thickness are relevant.

[Ribber]

will do

[Ribber]

Well I confirmed that it is a whole brisket. I was told that they will get up to 7 lbs but that's it. It's from an adult. It's in cryovac and frozen. It's aged a minimum of 6 days. It's just over 4 lbs. I've decided not to cook it tomorrow. I'll have to wait until next weekend.

Should I keep it frozen or let it begin to thaw in the fridge? Should I go for an injection or keep it simple. Again, it's my first brisket? Thanks.

[HawkerXP]

looks nice!

[HorseDoctor]

OK, it's small, but also looks like they were quite agressive in trimming off a goodly portion of the flat. You got the point muscle & a portion of the flat that runs under it. That's OK cause the point end is the best part anyway. You want it thawed a day or two ahead of your cook to give it time to dry brine for a day or two. Could start thawing now or wait a couple days. FWIW: I don't inject brisket and even if I did, I wouldn't think the point end of a Wagyu brisket would need it. Good luck & enjoy!

[Ribber]

Thank you. I am surprised you could tell that much from the pic. So that's not the whole flat? Is it unusual to be sold that way? Obviously that helps to explain, at least a little, the low weight. He did tell me that these are smaller animals because they are grass fed.

[HorseDoctor]

Ribber Compare your pic with the brisket Jerod posted in "Go big or go home". Granted his pic just shows the flat side & yours shows the other fatty side but no way his 17.5# came from a critter 4 X bigger than your 4# brisket. It looks to be custom processed so they can cut it anyway they want & I'm pretty sure yours is just the point end. Should be good, just small. Grass fed, maybe I would inject??? Enjoy. Let us know how it turns out.

[Ribber]

HorseDoctor Thank you. The plan, so far, is to cook it this weekend. I don't have an injector yet unless I can find a cheap one I have done a turkey with. It LOOKS like both the point and flat but since I have never purchased one before I can't be sure. I'll unseal it probably Thursday and try to post a better pic. I appreciate all of your help and interest!

[HorseDoctor]

A full "packer" brisket has 2 muscles. A longer, thinner & leaner deep pectoral muscle aka flat. There is also a shorter fattier superficial pectoral muscle (point) separated from the flat by a layer of fat (deckle). What is often referred to as the "point end" is the end with both muscles including the layer of fat between the two. A typical full packer includes a fair bit more of the flat muscle than your cut appears to have. That's why I said it looks like you have the point end with much (about 1/2) of the flat cut off. I may be wrong but that's what it looks like to me. Been a long time since I took a bovine anatomy course and the few things I remember these days have to do with the parts I'm interested in cooking/eating. You got the good part. Enjoy!

[Ribber]

HorseDoctor I most definitely want the good part. I still have 4 lbs of meat for just 2 people and that is way more than enough.

The weekend is getting close and the questions in my mind are piling up. Here are a few:

1. I plan on cooking either Saturday or it could be Sunday. Friday, I will not have time to dry brine so it will have to be done Thursday night or even tonight (Wednesday). If I do it tonight, that means it will be unsealed at least until early Saturday morning. It has been thawed and of course refrigerated (set at 35°) since Monday. Is that safe? Should I wait as long as possible before unsealing? Is that too long for the brine?

2. For a wagyu, does the cooking time differ from that of a choice or prime cut? Does the amount of marbling, for instance, have an affect on cooking time?

3. Is the cook time similar to that of a pork butt? This brisket does not have the thickness of the butt I recently cooked but weighs about a half pound more. I have not measured it yet. I'm trying to gauge what time I need to get MY lazy butt out of bed to start cooking. We are hanging with some friends Friday night, you see, and we're doing Italian, and they are in their mid and low 30's and, well, we are not, but my wife and I can hang in there with the best of them and now I am getting off track.

I know I will have more questions but I don't want too long of a post and bore the $%&@^* out of everyone.

Thanks in advance. Happy cooking!

[Jerod Broussard]

1. I'm trimming and applying salt to a brisket tonight around midnight to put on the grill about 11 pm Saturday night to be served 7 pm Sunday night. You'll be fine on brining.

2. I would cook as long as you can uncovered for optimum bark. Maybe plan for a 10 hour cook running 225. You can always crank up the heat late if things are going slooooowwwww.

3. Slip tranquilizers to the younger couple about 10-ish.

[Ribber]

You are full of great suggestions, especially #3 😂. Thanks for the help... and for the brisket too!

[Ribber]

This is the latest. I did some trimming of the fat and membrane but not much and applied the salt, covered with aluminum foil and returned to the fridge. As HorseDoctor recognized the flat has been significantly trimmed. It's obvious from the strait edges on the ends. So did I get a whole packer like I anticipated? Like what I can get from the local grocer, in my neck of the woods. That's Publix. The answer is no. But that is what I was led to believe. But it was paid for on line and it was now mine. Maybe they don't understand that some people have been very well educated at BBQ U! No wonder it was so small! I do not know how good these photos are but hopefully someone can say "Bill, you got screwed, or, Bill, you lucky dog, you." I guess the proof will be in the pudding when it is served. I was talking to someone at work today and told them that the cattle are grass fed and he said "isn't grass fed tougher?" Hell, I don't know. What do you smart folks say? I'm getting stressed over this $50 cut of meat...errr!

[Jerod Broussard]

It would appear you obtained both muscles but a significant portion of the flat was removed pre-sale as noted. If it was paper thin and somewhat translucent maybe they did you a favor.

Maybe someone bought part of a Wagyu flat for $30/lb.

[Ribber]

Lol! Could be. Maybe they use it in their burger mix.