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Brisket meat quality - Grocery store vs Snake River Farms or Creekstone

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    Brisket meat quality - Grocery store vs Snake River Farms or Creekstone

    Hello team,

    I purchase Choice or Prime brisket from a local grocery store chain (called HEB in Texas).

    Would using SRF or Creekstone briskets produce a better product than the HEB briskets? Would there be a noticeable final product difference when using these meats?

    (The price difference is ~ 4X for me).

    Thoughts or suggestions? Or are there any other high quality brisket meat options that you would recommend?

    Thanks!

    #2
    I can't imagine paying 4X for brisket. Prime brisket at Costco is around $3 a pound. Less than $50 for a big 'un.

    Comment


    • reason92
      reason92 commented
      Editing a comment
      I joined Costco just for the prime brisket prices. HEB is great though for getting a 5 lbs flat for the family.

    • dmorgan73
      dmorgan73 commented
      Editing a comment
      I wish my Costco would sell Prime at those prices. Here they charge $10.99 per/lb. Haven't had brisket in a long while because of that.

    #3
    Agree with Willy. You may notice a difference in the final product using a "premium" brand. The question then becomes, is that difference worth the price differential to you? I'm quite content with the results of prime or even choice brisket from Sam's (or some such) for $3 or less. If I'm going to spend much more than that on a piece of meat it will be on a rib roast, rib eye or a porterhouse, not a brisket.

    Comment


      #4
      I've bought choice and prime from a local butcher as well as a SRF waygu during one of their sales. I enjoyed all of them, ironically one of the choice briskets has been my favorite so far. Took it a little too long and it fell apart while slicing but extremely moist and flavorful.

      My friends weren't told when I did the SRF and the difference in quality didn't seem to register for them. Knowing the quality going in, I savored that meal and hope to one day get a chance to try some of their steaks. As for regular cooks, the choice and prime can taste just as good when done right. Just wish I could find the $3 per pound that I see on here, it's usually $5-6 around me.

      Comment


        #5
        Quality in most things, maybe primarily food, seems to have an exponential rise is price matched by only a slightly rising arc representing quality. I think it boils down to what lemayp said. We have to each find our comfort spot. I won't buy a steak or rib roast unless it is high choice or above, while my PBC cooks standard grade tri tips to perfection. When it comes to brisket I want prime, but I would only be cooking wagyu if it was a gift. So, I guess it's different strokes for different folks.

        Comment


          #6
          Originally posted by lemayp View Post
          Just wish I could find the $3 per pound that I see on here, it's usually $5-6 around me.
          Yeah, I got a Prime packer at Costco for $2.69/lb, then went to WalMart and found their Select at $2.59. lol

          I guess it's all about location when it comes to this.

          Comment


            #7
            I usually cook either costco prime or SRF black grade. In my opinion, SRF comes out better and is more forgiving due to additional marbling, but not as many times better as the price. SRF or creekstone won't be 4x better than your HEB prime grade. However you do have to pick through the prime grade ones to find good marbling in the flat, or at least I do when visiting my local costco.

            Biggest difference I have found is a little more wiggle room for when the final product is done, and flat doesnt dry out as easy. I get a good price on SRF which is still almost 2.5x costco and I still would probably pick costco prime grade for the price point

            Comment


              #8
              When Aaron Franklin was still cooking in his backyard, before he opened his first BBQ truck, he bought all of his brisket at HEB. :-)

              I've bought Painted Hills brisket from my local butcher for $9/lb. And I've bought prime brisket from Costco for $2.79/lb. The Painted Hills was not noticeably better than the Costco Prime. Certainly not 3x better.

              Comment


                #9
                I've cooked choice briskets from Walmart, choice from Winn-Dixie, and wagyu from SRF (no packer, much less prime here at Costco/Sam's). And while the SRF briskets are good, the best I ever made was an excel choice from Walmart. I guess what I'm trying to say is it comes down to the cook. If you're making killer briskets with what you get locally than that's great. If you think you need that higher grade, or just want to splurge and get it than by all means kick the tires. I will admit I'm awfully jealous of everyone who has access to cheap prime briskets.

                Comment


                  #10
                  We have a place here where I get Prime aged brisket for $3-3.50 a pound. Has been my favorite. Anyone else use aged brisket?

                  Comment


                    #11
                    Love the question!

                    1.) I've only cooked 3 SRF Black Gold briskets. They were fantastic! I ordered a pair for a competition, and a 3rd for fun. They were really great. A different flavor than the grocery store select briskets I cooked along side them. My most foodie friends who were at the event we cooked the 3rd one for love the Waygu, but maybe the fact that I told them it was Waygu influenced them! After that, I stopped telling the tasters what was what until after the tasting and the discussion. Downside, is a 12 pound brisket costs $150 or so...that's a lot! The SRF Waugu briskets has a TON of fat on them, and I kept every morsel, rendered the fat and put it in ice cubes to use as Beef Love and other wonderful uses!

                    2.) As others have said, especially our most BBQ Revered Meathead , (article here, http://amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/...ef_grades.html) there is a wide berth inside the window of "Choice." So the upper grades and lower grades within Choice make a big difference. For about 2 years, I've been cooking this upper choice black angus brisket from 1855Beef.com, and they are great! (Purchased in a 5 brisket case from local restaurant supply wholesaler.) Some are clearly Prime marbling, and all have consistently produced a superior product to the Excel Beef Choice I would find at walmart, and what I have often found to be a slightly better than the Excel from IBP (Iowa Beef Packers) Choice, which is the other brand I typically at my Walmart or grocery. Like smokinfatties mentioned, you need to comb through the briskets in the grocery store and look on the side for the marbling in the flat.

                    Dry flat IS the issue I have found in lower grade briskets. I state this because of the Side-By-Side cooks of one vs. the other, same day, same smoker, same rub.

                    I have found that injecting these lower-choice briskets with something like Butchers makes a quite discernible difference in the moisture in the flat.

                    3.) The fortunes of Divine Providence (ok, I'm listening to this outstanding book about George Washington, it's 40 hours long, and I am so admiring our country's founder, so if i borrow some 18th century language, just keep loving me anyway) have shown brightly upon many of you and you can get PRIME briskets at HEB or Costco for $2 and $3 a pound. (I have neither of these in my area...but I did spot one at HEB in Texas upon visiting my wife's family over Christmas.) These are from IBP, and I'm guessing they are teriffic!

                    4.) I have added a new wholesaler, and tried their CAB (Certified Angus Beef) Prime briskets, by Iowa Beef Packers. I found the trim on the 1855Beef cases had changed on many of them, leaving an extra nose on the tip of the Point from the next cut, and the fat cap would have some big nicks in it. I'm glad I went experimenting, for these CAB Prime briskets have been great! My wholesale price has been about $4 for CAB PRime, maybe the premium over what you all are reporting from HEB and Costco is the price of that CAP designation.

                    Go buy some, cook them, share with friends, and SHOW US THE PICTURES!

                    Have fun,
                    paul

                    P.S. I miss HEB, here is an IBP Prime for $1.97 a pound... Lucky Jerod Broussard in Texas! (Do you have HEB Where you live, Jerod?)
                    Click image for larger version

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                      #12
                      I am fine with Costco prime brisket. I'd rather spend the difference on a couple good bottles of cab to go with it😊!

                      Comment


                      • HorseDoctor
                        HorseDoctor commented
                        Editing a comment
                        Oh hell ya!!!!!

                      #13
                      For a special occasion I get a Wagyu brisket from Heritage Foods USA. It ranges from $10-15 per pound and is very well marbled. Probably the best brisket I have ever made, however, was about $3 per pound. I think the result depends on things only mother nature can appreciate.
                      .

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                        #14
                        I can't comprehend how you guys are getting Prime briskets at Costco for $3 per lb. My Costco sells only flats (Choice grade), and they are currently $5.91 per lb.

                        Comment


                          #15
                          I did one Yesterday!! (it was 60 degrees!!) I've been able to get them for 2.69 too its actually cheaper (at 2.69) then the supermarket sells select ones for (usually around 2.79) Click image for larger version

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