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Crazy Brisket Prices

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SciAggie
SciAggie Posts: 6,481
in EggHead Forum
So just a few weeks ago select grade briskets were $6.99 a pound at my local grocer. Here are the tags:


You can bet your sweet bippy I did NOT buy one of those. 

So how do you explain that on Thursday the same store had 600 briskets for sale at $1.58 a pound? They had select, choice, and PRIME grades mixed together - all at the same price. Well, I DID buy three of those... I picked up three prime briskets (the limit) and I have them on now. They are not SRF quality - but did I mention they were $1.58 a pound? I’m going to cook them, divide into 3-4 pound chunks, vacuum seal and freeze them. When I reheat sous vide, they taste just like they came off the smoker. 



I’ll post updates along the way today...
Coleman, Texas
Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
"Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                      YukonRon
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  • JethroBodeen
    JethroBodeen Posts: 524
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    Nice find! Chuck roast is still $7/lb. here. I did find butts for yesterdays events for $.99/lb.
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    23lbs! 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    Get some rub on the front and side of those things. That where all the crusty goodness is when you make chopped 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • northGAcock
    northGAcock Posts: 15,164
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    Chopped over Mac & Cheese would be awesome About right now. Outstanding score and bet you enjoyed the “keepin your eyes on them” while they did their majic. Cheers!
    Ellijay GA with a Medium & MiniMax

    Well, I married me a wife, she's been trouble all my life,
    Run me out in the cold rain and snow
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  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
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    Yeah, my buddy did one of the choice Kroger he got at 2.49 vs a Costco prime he had in reserve. No difference except the choice took longer to cook. Would have been exceptionally difficult to discern the difference in a blind tasting. 
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  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
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    These have only been on for three hours so far. They seem to be doing well. 
    Coleman, Texas
    Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
    "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                          YukonRon
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  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
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    The Cen-Tex Smoker said:
    Get some rub on the front and side of those things. That where all the crusty goodness is when you make chopped 
    Lol - yeah, it always seems like I’m behind on time and have two left hands when it’s time to get the rub on and get things on the smoker. I was making a huge mess so I skipped the front of those things. I did get a good coverage on the rest. Way to Go keeping me honest and on my toes...
    Coleman, Texas
    Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
    "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                          YukonRon
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,383
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    Briset cook and on the stick burner.  It doesn't get much better than that.  Enjoy the whole adventure.  
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
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  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,842
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    That's a great day right there.  At our store yesterday there were only Select briskets.  However, they have had a pretty good supply of beef ribs since the pandemic started.  Interesting times.

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

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  • FarmerTom
    FarmerTom Posts: 685
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    pgprescott said:
    Yeah, my buddy did one of the choice Kroger he got at 2.49 vs a Costco prime he had in reserve. No difference except the choice took longer to cook. Would have been exceptionally difficult to discern the difference in a blind tasting. 
    May be opening a can of worms here, but I've wondered the same regarding the SRF offerings that are often highly touted on this board.  I have no doubt it is exceptionally good meat, but in the final analysis, could you tell the difference in a blind trial?  I've come close to ordering a SRF brisket, but just can't bring myself to pay for one what two or three prime costco briskets would cost me.  

    Tommy 

    Middle of Nowhere, Northern Kentucky
       1 M, 1 XL, a BlackStone,1 old Webber, a Border Collie, a German Shepherd and 3 of her pups, and 2 Yorkies

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  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
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    FarmerTom said:
    pgprescott said:
    Yeah, my buddy did one of the choice Kroger he got at 2.49 vs a Costco prime he had in reserve. No difference except the choice took longer to cook. Would have been exceptionally difficult to discern the difference in a blind tasting. 
    May be opening a can of worms here, but I've wondered the same regarding the SRF offerings that are often highly touted on this board.  I have no doubt it is exceptionally good meat, but in the final analysis, could you tell the difference in a blind trial?  I've come close to ordering a SRF brisket, but just can't bring myself to pay for one what two or three prime costco briskets would cost me.  
    It’s a personal choice. The cost benefit is not worth it to me, but I have several customers and buddies who buy SRF and Creekstone briskets and steaks. I’ve had some of it and it’s usually exceptional. It’s just not so much better that I can justify it. It’s the same with Scotch and bourbon for me. I just won’t pay 300 or more for a bottle. Now if I ever win that Powerball, watch out! The rage is Bourne of the competition circuit IMO. Keep in mind those guys spend lots of money and stand to win lots of money. There is  also the desire to reach celebrity status or peddle their line of products. They have to keep up with the Jones’s 
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  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
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    @FarmerTom I don’t think it’s opening a can of worms but it does highlight a good point. The point being that many of us here on this forum are always chasing the very best experience of ________ food that we are cooking/eating. 
    You are right, many folks, like my next door neighbors who are great folks but not foodies, would never discern the difference between a select, prime, or Wagyu brisket. That doesn’t mean some folks can’t appreciate the difference. Is the $$$ for the better meat worth it? It surely depends on the person. 

    I’d make the same argument about cookers and cooking methods. Is my offset a better tool for smoking a brisket than the egg or a pellet grill? The real - honest - truth is that it depends...
    I can tell the difference between the clean smoke from my offset and other cookers but dang - it’s a thin line. If I have the time I like using the offset. The egg puts out a fantastic product with a fraction of the work. I agree most would never know the difference in a blind taste test - heck I might miss it. 

    So my answer to, “is _____ worth the money?” is depends on who you ask. 

    Coleman, Texas
    Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
    "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                          YukonRon
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    I’m fortunate that I can buy American Wagyu for $6 lb any time I want so it’s a no-brainer for me. 

    Better grade of brisket makes a huge difference. More so with How they are raised and what they eat than what grade of beef it is. I would buy an all natural choice from someone like creekstone or Meyer over the best looking Costco prime any day. No growth hormones or preventative antibiotics makes a huge difference in the feel and flavor of briskets. You could absolutely tell a snake river farms apart from a commodity prime brisket. You can feel in in the bag at the store and know they are not the same. One is way softer than the other and the fat is bright white and soft as opposed to yellow-ish and hard. The fat is where all the flavor is so better fat equals better brisket. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
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    @The Cen-Tex Smoker You and your shady parking lot deals...
    You said it all better than I did. In fact, between the three briskets I have on one of them is by far a better brisket. It has better marbling as well as the better fat that you mentioned. It may be the difference in a steer that came from a better producer, who knows?
    Coleman, Texas
    Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
    "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                          YukonRon
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    SciAggie said:
    @The Cen-Tex Smoker You and your shady parking lot deals...
    You said it all better than I did. In fact, between the three briskets I have on one of them is by far a better brisket. It has better marbling as well as the better fat that you mentioned. It may be the difference in a steer that came from a better producer, who knows?
    Could be. Some cows eat grass and grains and some eat expired Jolly Ranchers. When you get a brisket from a cow raised in the commodity/factory system, they eat whatever is cheapest and they are pumped full of hormones and antibiotics to grow them faster. The Antibiotic/hormone thing makes a huge difference. You can see it in the fat.  Picked that up from Aaron Franklin several years back and never looked back. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 19,089
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    The Cen-Tex Smoker said:
    SciAggie said:
    @The Cen-Tex Smoker You and your shady parking lot deals...
    You said it all better than I did. In fact, between the three briskets I have on one of them is by far a better brisket. It has better marbling as well as the better fat that you mentioned. It may be the difference in a steer that came from a better producer, who knows?
    Could be. Some cows eat grass and grains and some eat expired Jolly Ranchers. When you get a brisket from a cow raised in the commodity/factory system, they eat whatever is cheapest and they are pumped full of hormones and antibiotics to grow them faster. The Antibiotic/hormone thing makes a huge difference. You can see it in the fat.  Picked that up from Aaron Franklin several years back and never looked back. 
    All natural, is not always better.  We have a ranch in my part that touts their "all natural cattle methods".  I like the no hormone/antibiotic practice, but they are also range fed.  In the desert that means sage and other scrub brush.  The meat is very lean, gamey, and hard to cook.  It is very expensive and underwhelming.  I prefer corn fed beef, or at a minimum corn finished.
    They don’t want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don’t want well informed, well educated people capable of critical thinking. They’re not interested in that. That doesn’t help them. That's against their interests. - George Carlin
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    Ozzie_Isaac said:
    The Cen-Tex Smoker said:
    SciAggie said:
    @The Cen-Tex Smoker You and your shady parking lot deals...
    You said it all better than I did. In fact, between the three briskets I have on one of them is by far a better brisket. It has better marbling as well as the better fat that you mentioned. It may be the difference in a steer that came from a better producer, who knows?
    Could be. Some cows eat grass and grains and some eat expired Jolly Ranchers. When you get a brisket from a cow raised in the commodity/factory system, they eat whatever is cheapest and they are pumped full of hormones and antibiotics to grow them faster. The Antibiotic/hormone thing makes a huge difference. You can see it in the fat.  Picked that up from Aaron Franklin several years back and never looked back. 
    All natural, is not always better.  We have a ranch in my part that touts their "all natural cattle methods".  I like the no hormone/antibiotic practice, but they are also range fed.  In the desert that means sage and other scrub brush.  The meat is very lean, gamey, and hard to cook.  It is very expensive and underwhelming.  I prefer corn fed beef, or at a minimum corn finished.
    True. I was more referring to the larger producers who do it right (creekstone, SRF, Meyer, and the like) but you are right. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,731
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    @SciAggie you win today. Great brisket score, and a lovely day to spend some time with them. 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • Hoster05
    Hoster05 Posts: 312
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    Great score.  Prime went from 3.98/lbs to 5.99/lbs a few weeks back and hasn’t moved since then.  
    Mankato, MN - LBGE
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  • jdMyers
    jdMyers Posts: 1,336
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    20 lbs in ohio was $51 kroger


    Columbus, Ohio
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  • jdMyers
    jdMyers Posts: 1,336
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    Cut on half long ways
    Columbus, Ohio
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  • jdMyers
    jdMyers Posts: 1,336
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    Columbus, Ohio
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  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
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    @jdMyers That looks good. Nice price.
    Coleman, Texas
    Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
    "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                          YukonRon
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  • Gulfcoastguy
    Gulfcoastguy Posts: 6,303
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    A lot of meat prices are edging or even soaring up. I looked at baby backs and St Louis pork ribs yesterday and they are easily a dollar a pound up this year if not more :s . I would have committed to a 4 rack cook in a couple of weeks! maybe the 4th of July piracy will be over by then.
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    Man those look awesome Gary. The color is fantastic. You are going to have some insta-worthy briskets when this is all over. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
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    @The Cen-Tex Smoker Lol - you made me laugh and snort - I disturbed my wife’s nap. I had forgotten about that thread. I better get my dang thermometer out...
    Coleman, Texas
    Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
    "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                          YukonRon
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  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
    edited July 2020
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    Just wrapped them in butcher paper. I liked the way the bark looked. Now I just have to wait until they get tender.

    Coleman, Texas
    Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
    "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                          YukonRon
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  • danlbrown
    danlbrown Posts: 84
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    Those look great!  As far as price... been paying $6.98/ lb in NE Tennessee. Sure miss the $2.00 we paid when we lived in Texas. 
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