Brisket - Education - Flat or Packer

Unknown

Someone please educate me as to the difference in briskets as to those designated "flats" and those designated "packers".[p]Thank you[p]Kyle

BlueSmoke

KL,[p]In my experience, "packers" are the entire brisket. Packers can be cut into "flats" (one layer of muscle, all fibers running in the same direction, basically rectangular) and "points" (two layers of muscle with a fat layer in between, fibers in one layer run at an angle to fibers in the other layer, basically triangular).[p]Ken

Nature Boy

KL,
Ken hit it good. All I can add is that the flat and the point (or deckle) are two seperate muscles. The flat being the larger (flatter) and leaner muscle. The point is the knobby grainier looking muscle that kinda sits on top of one end of the flat. Usually, at least around here, you are only buying part of the flat. Sometimes they label it first cut. I have seen the points sold alone, but rarely.
The packer has both the point, and the entire flat.
Happy cooking
Chris

BlueSmoke

Nature Boy,
Thanks for the amplification, Chris. I think, and I could sure be wrong, that most points end up being corned - which would be another reason (in addition to the fat content) that corned points are less expensive than corned flats.[p]I like 'em both: got a corned point lookin' like dinner tonight.[p]Ken

Nature Boy

BlueSmoke,
Yeah, your prolly right. I think the time I saw them was after St. Patty's day. Guess they were selling the points that didn't get corned. Anyways, I still can't help but wonder now....except for one butcher in my area, I cannot get whole briskets anywhere. Sams, Costco, all the grocery stores only carry flats now. Where are all those points going? You think they are corning them all?[p]The point just plain tastes better and feels better in your mouf. [p]Enjoy the corned beef!
chris

BlueSmoke

Nature Boy,[p]We have 3 major chains here, and the only place I see whole briskets is Albertsons. Costco has them once in a blue moon. Beyond that "it's flat and that's that", and we don't even get "non-corned" points after St. Paddy's.[p]What a revoltin' development! Thufferin' thuccotash![p]Ken

hounddog

Father forgive me for suggesting this, but the best place in my area to get the whole brisket is[p]please don't tell anyone i told you this [p]
Walmart.[p]
Is sad but true.