Observation about Costco briskets

clintmiller · September 2015

I smoked a Costco prime brisket this weekend. When I carve briskets, I cut them into 3 sections:

---------------------------------------------------
|                      |             |            |
|         A            |      B      |     C      |
|                      |             |            |
---------------------------------------------------

A is the flat. B and C are both point with flat underneath them. After separating into 3 different parts, I carve in the following directions:

------------------------  ---------------  ------------
|  |   |    |    |     |  |-------------|  |----------|
|  |   |  A |    |     |  |------B------|  |-----C----|
|  |   |    |    |     |  |-------------|  |----------|
------------------------  ---------------  ------------

That is, I carve the flat A against the grain, while carving the B and C sections against the point grain but with the underlying flat grain.

Here's what I've noticed... The point B is absolutely incredible. Loaded with flavor. Super-marbled. It's everything that makes brisket the best tasting part of the cow. But the point meat in C is always disappointing with Costco briskets. It's really thick, perhaps 2 or maybe even 3 inches thick (the point in B is maybe 1 inch thick, roughly). It's not as well marbled and slightly dry, but not ridiculously dry. Most importantly, the meat is kind of tasteless. The meat in C tastes nothing like the meat in B. Also, B has a decent amount of flat underneath it, while the front half of C has a tiny bit of flat and the back half of C has no flat.

I've noticed this on several different Costco briskets.

I'm wondering if C is really point at all, or is Costco leaving some other muscle on the back of the brisket? Has anyone else seen briskets like this where the front of the point is much different and better than the back?

I'm thinking in the future of only serving the front of the point and chopping up the back half for chili.

DMW · September 2015

I have no idea because our Costco doesn't have briskets, but +1 for using ASCII art.

clintmiller · September 2015

I'm a long-time emacs user. I can't help myself with the ASCII art. :-)

clintmiller · September 2015

I just remembered that I have a picture from a brisket cook last fall that clearly shows the difference between B and C. For this brisket, I left the B and C sections together. So the slice you're seeing goes straight across both B and C. You can clearly see the thinner point at the front of the picture with flat under it. And then you see the really thick point towards the back with no flat under it. That's the C section. In fact, looking at the bark on the top of the slices, you can see where the C section extends out just a bit over the top of the B section.

Is that back part of the slice still part of the point or something else? Is this just something goofy about how Costco is butchering briskets, or is this pretty standard?

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/zj/p8mdrb0phess.jpg

coooltroy · September 2015

Brisket is a tough piece of meat.. Snake River farms Waygu/Kobe brisket is your best bet. Incredible marbling, above "prime" grade beef.

coooltroy · September 2015

@DMW has a great point as usual. great use of ASCII art.

cazzy · September 2015

clintmiller said:

I just remembered that I have a picture from a brisket cook last fall that clearly shows the difference between B and C. For this brisket, I left the B and C sections together. So the slice you're seeing goes straight across both B and C. You can clearly see the thinner point at the front of the picture with flat under it. And then you see the really thick point towards the back with no flat under it. That's the C section. In fact, looking at the bark on the top of the slices, you can see where the C section extends out just a bit over the top of the B section.

Is that back part of the slice still part of the point or something else? Is this just something goofy about how Costco is butchering briskets, or is this pretty standard?

Costco doesn't butcher their briskets. They come in a case from different suppliers. Excel, Swift and IBP are the regular players we get...with the occasional CAB mixed in. That is the only problem I see with Costco briskets...you will never really get a consistent cut of beef. Due to the inconsistency, I'm very picky with my selection and leave empty handed if they aren't up to snuff.

I haven't experienced the same issues you have, and I view the brisket as having two sections. I slice the flat until the point begins, then I turn the point and cut it down the middle.

Focker · September 2015

@cazzy said:
"That is the only problem I see with Costco briskets...you will never really get a consistent cut of beef. Due to the inconsistency, I'm very picky with my selection and leave empty handed if they aren't up to snuff."

That's why I never leave any store with one, not limited to Costco.

In my former brisketeering escapades, that seems to be the theme with the cut itself, not where it is purchased. And also why some folks drop a few hundred on a SRF, attempting to minimize that inconsistency. Unfortunately, if I jump into the comp arena next year, I will be forced to revisit these inconsistencies.

A31unit · September 2015

Only flats at my Costco

jimithing · September 2015

cazzy said:
Costco doesn't butcher their briskets. They come in a case from different suppliers. Excel, Swift and IBP are the regular players we get...with the occasional CAB mixed in. That is the only problem I see with Costco briskets...you will never really get a consistent cut of beef. Due to the inconsistency, I'm very picky with my selection and leave empty handed if they aren't up to snuff.

I haven't experienced the same issues you have, and I view the brisket as having two sections. I slice the flat until the point begins, then I turn the point and cut it down the middle.

It's the same thing on most suppliers around here. Unless you specifically seek out a locally raised cow you're going to be getting meat from one of those major national meat suppliers and they certainly aren't taking their time to make accurate cuts on a brisket.

I've been buying Costco prime briskets and I often get a brisket home only to find that it's got a huge slice in the fat cap. I've got my egg/smoker coming up to temp when I get to this point so it's not like I can take it back. For home briskets it's good enough.

chadpsualum · September 2015

I've never been able to find full packers at my Costco...usually just flats.

Ladeback69 · September 2015

We don't have a Costco close to us, but we do Sam's and I will get most my briskets there unless I make a trip to Restaurant Depot. I believe the part that it on top of the point may be the flat based on this photo, but I have made burnt ends out of both B and C so I will cut the both ways. They are usually very juicy and flavorful to me. The next photo shows them split and to me the one to the right is the falt and the one to the left is the point.

Image: http://www.kurtsbackyardbbq.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/FlatPoint.jpg

Image: http://virtualweberbullet.com/brisketselect_photos/brisket9.jpg

nolaegghead · September 2015

Maybe Costco uses....BUFFALO!

Ladeback69 · September 2015

nolaegghead said:

Maybe Costco uses....BUFFALO!

It would be leaner.

Plutonium · September 2015

I haven't had the same effect and all my briskets are Costco Primes, with the exception of a few Choice ones. I cook them fat side down, point towards the back, plate setter leg directly under the edge of the point (at the 12:00 position), at about 235 grate, wrap at the stall.

While the center of the point is the most juicy, I wouldn't call the end point of mine "dry". Perhaps it depends on how "pointy" the point is. Once I had a smaller packer, may be 10lb, with a rather narrow pointy point. The tip section of that definitely dried out more than bigger, wider 15lb ones.

It seems like you're getting consistent results, I'd suggest maybe start trying perturbations on your method to improve the overall product.

andres1987 · September 2015

have never had any issues with costco briskets, but agree with poster above that you should slice the point the opposite way (long-ways instead of across like the flat)

Observation about Costco briskets

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