So, after trimming (and I'm not the best at this), I ended up with the following

3 lbs flat for pot roasting (could have made this bigger, but I have a small family)
3.5 lbs stew meat (a pound and a half of this is already on the stove for Guinness beef stew)
4 lbs ground beef (2 lbs coarse/chili grind, 2 pounds medium grind--just eyeballing the meat, it looks like it's somewhere between 60-40 and 70-30).

So, 10.5 pounds of meat after trimming for a 15.34 lbs of brisket, or just over $4/lb. If I were feeling particularly efficient, I'd've rendered down the beef fat in a slow cooker, but I have enough animal fats in the house already.

Costco Mt Prospect has USDA Prime whole packer brisket $3.29/lb.
There were only 3, now there are two. ;^)

Per an email this evening, GFS has whole Choice briskets for $2.69/lb.

I was in Costco at Randhurst again on Tuesday and they had a larger selection of the Prime briskets for $2.89.

Note to self: 16 lb brisket does not fit in 18" Weber Smoky Mountain
I curled it as best as I can, but I fear it's touching the top.

And that's as least suggestive as I can get in describing the problem. Anything else regarding length or thickness just gets raunchy.

Time to upgrade.

Joel,

It will shrink down and fit properly soon enough. Just give it a couple of hours.

JoelF wrote:Note to self: 16 lb brisket does not fit in 18" Weber Smoky Mountain
I curled it as best as I can, but I fear it's touching the top.

Place a baseball size ball of aluminum foil under the center of the brisket. This will arch the brisket up allowing it to fit on the WSM 18" rack. When brisket shrinks enough to fit remove foil ball. Works like a charm.

I should note the original idea is not mine but Buzz Dean's a BBQ man of note from central Wisconsin.

Costco on Clybourn has USDA Prime whole packer brisket $2.79/lb. Plenty available in the case. Smallest one was a little over 11lbs.

EvA wrote:Per an email this evening, GFS has whole Choice briskets for $2.69/lb.

A belated thanks for the heads up. I picked mine up on Monday.

Dave148 wrote:

EvA wrote:Per an email this evening, GFS has whole Choice briskets for $2.69/lb.

A belated thanks for the heads up. I picked mine up on Monday.

You're welcome! Mine is cooked, sliced, and ready to pop in the oven to finish off tomorrow night. Happy Passover, everyone!

Sixteen t̶o̶n̶s̶ pounds of brisket smoked for about 12 1/2 hours, finished for another about 90 minutes in a 300F oven rather than set up a third bowl of coals, which took it from 182 to 192. I knew it was ready even before the thermometer registered, because there was no resistance at all to the probe of the quick-read.

Waiting in the bottom of my fridge to be sliced.

Costco again has prime whole briskets for $2.99/lbs, with the choice flats at $5.99. Go figure. I wish I had the freezer space right now, I'd buy a couple.

It's impossible to beat the Costco price for a USDA Prime brisket!
One very large brisket is in my freezer!-Richard

Any other reliable purveyors of brisket in the city besides Costco and GFS? Looking for a good quality brisket--really just need 5-7lb for smoking--and don't have a Costco membership. Would Peoria Packing be a good option?

Thanks.

rtb178 wrote:Any other reliable purveyors of brisket in the city besides Costco and GFS? Looking for a good quality brisket--really just need 5-7lb for smoking--and don't have a Costco membership. Would Peoria Packing be a good option?

Thanks.

Not sure what you mean by reliable, but almost any butcher can get brisket if they don't have it in stock. If you want to know if a place has it in stock, best to just call.

rtb178 wrote:Any other reliable purveyors of brisket in the city besides Costco and GFS? Looking for a good quality brisket--really just need 5-7lb for smoking--and don't have a Costco membership. Would Peoria Packing be a good option?

Thanks.

Peoria packing is NOT a good option for brisket. Pork is their specialty. Beef is an afterthought. You might try The Corned Beef Factory Sandwich Shop (formerly Excel). They mostly traffic in briskets, although looking for one that weighs in at only 5 - 7 lbs. might be a tall order.

The Corned Beef Factory Sandwich Shop
(Excel Corned Beef)
1009 W Lake St
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 666-2535

stevez wrote:You might try The Corned Beef Factory Sandwich Shop (formerly Excel). They mostly traffic in briskets, although looking for one that weighs in at only 5 - 7 lbs. might be a tall order.

The Corned Beef Factory Sandwich Shop
(Excel Corned Beef)
1009 W Lake St
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 666-2535

I thought that they stopped selling uncooked briskets to retail consumers a bit before they opened the sandwich shop.

ziggy wrote:

stevez wrote:You might try The Corned Beef Factory Sandwich Shop (formerly Excel). They mostly traffic in briskets, although looking for one that weighs in at only 5 - 7 lbs. might be a tall order.

The Corned Beef Factory Sandwich Shop
(Excel Corned Beef)
1009 W Lake St
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 666-2535

I thought that they stopped selling uncooked briskets to retail consumers a bit before they opened the sandwich shop.

That's entirely possible. It's best to call first.

Darren72 wrote:

rtb178 wrote:Any other reliable purveyors of brisket in the city besides Costco and GFS? Looking for a good quality brisket--really just need 5-7lb for smoking--and don't have a Costco membership. Would Peoria Packing be a good option?

Thanks.

Not sure what you mean by reliable, but almost any butcher can get brisket if they don't have it in stock. If you want to know if a place has it in stock, best to just call.

Thanks all. Turns out I should stop being lazy, and get on the phone to make some calls.

Happy to report that Local Foods came through with a lovely 6 pound flat of brisket. At $10/lb, not cheap, but LF's beef is beyond reproach, and I'm happy to pay the price.

JoelF wrote:Costco again has prime whole briskets for $2.99/lbs, with the choice flats at $5.99. Go figure. I wish I had the freezer space right now, I'd buy a couple.

Joel,
I appreciate you posting.
It will be a drive for me, but headed there today to see if I score.
Jilter

Ok, I'm really not getting it.
Costco Prime brisket: $2.99/lb
Costco Choice brisket: $5.99/lb
Both cryovac packs, the Prime ones are bigger, some of them appear to be whole (not flats), some not.

A 'whole' brisket is usually a top and bottom piece seperated by a fat layer and because I assume there is less work involved, a 'whole' brisket is usally less than a single piece.
As to Choice vs Prime, who knows?
I have switched to COSTCO Prime.-Richard

Someone who knows a butcher at costco just told me that their beef supplier, i believe IBP, sells them some of their excess prime inventory at a very cheap price but with the caveat that they can only be sold as the whole cut in cryovac and cannot be broken down at all. So this is why you see whole prime strip roasts for less per pound than the choice steaks, and the whole packer cut prime briskets for less than the choice flats, and whole unpeeled prime tenderloins for less than the choice cuts. I also assume that labor and loss to trimming is a factor.

-Will

Waukegan's Walmart had Excel full packer brisket for $2.56 per pound.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Waukegan's Walmart had Excel full packer brisket for $2.56 per pound.

Regards,

Did you happen to dine at a particular BBQ joint nearby?

Nope.

I went to Walmart to buy pint-sized freezer bags. These are not available everywhere.

Regards,
Cathy2

Cathy2 wrote:Waukegan's Walmart had Excel full packer brisket for $2.56 per pound.

Regards,

Picked one up yesterday at Walmart Kenosha.
Funny thing, Sam's, right next door had brisket flats at over $4/#!
-Richard

You folks are killin' me! Price still over $6 in NY's North Country. (Altho' Fairway in NYC & environs sent out a flyer yesterday with it on sale for c. $4.5.)

Ouf.

Geo

The only real downside to these prime briskets is that so much fat drips off them, that disposing of the Emil that is the water pan is a real peril.