Sams Club - Pondering first packer....

$2.xx a lb is a good price compared to what I've been seeing around here.  Buy the best you can afford but I imagine choice is about the best you hope for in Sam's or Wally World which will turn out some GREAT BBQ.  If it's not labeled at all it's probably select and should be avoided.  Here's a good A to Z on brisket: http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/texas_brisket.html

The Sam's here does not carry Packers. They have Flats , they're good , however I preffer the big packers at Wally World ,and cheaper too ; $1.89. Best deal I find at Sam's is the  Spare Ribs @ $1.79 per lb. in case price , this is abuot $40 or so for the case. Nice big Spares too , with 3 slabs in each of 3 Cryo-bags. Probably 15lbs. per pack.

I made one from sams... brought it to 195 and it was tough threw it in crock pot on low overnite and it pulled nicely and tasted good

I bought a brisket flat from Sam's last week and smoked it in my MES last weekend.  It was the first brisket I have ever smoked.  It turned out well, but I have a lot to learn about doing brisket.  It came out a little dry and lacked a good smoke ring, but the taste and texture were good - if I say so myself.

You can see that it is marked "Angus Beef".  Someone else will have to tell you if that has any significance.

Here's the other side.  I trimmed most of that saddle of fat off with a boning knife.

Here it is after smoking.

I marinated it for about 36 hours (see recipe below).  I also used a rub that I bought already prepared.  http://www.fiestaspices.com/index.asp?page=brisketrub

I set the MES for 225* and stuck in the temp probe.  I set the time at about 20 hours.  It got up to about 170 before I caught it and took it out and put it in a pan of beef boullion broth along with the left over marinade that I had saved and cooked.  My goal was to get it up to about 190-195* IT and take it out; however, when it got past 16 hours I decided it I was over cooking it.  I took it out then.  I'm glad I did as it was little too dry.  I don't know what I did wrong with the temp probe.  It never read above 180*.  Next time I will NOT use as much boullion because I got it a little bit salty.  I guess I was lucky not to ruin it with the cooking time and the boullion; but daughter, wife and son-in-law all said they liked it.

Hope this helps.

Brisket Marinade 

Whether you are smoking or grilling a brisket, this marinade will add a lot of flavor and help keep the meat tender.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: Makes about 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups red wine
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon horseradish
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  
   

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients together. Pour over brisket and let marinate overnight in the refrigerator, turning occasionally. Remove brisket from marinade and boil remaining marinade for 5 minutes to use as a mop.

rabbithutch,

If you had left the fat on then the meat would not have been as dry.. Or what you could have done with that fat is place the fat on the top rack & place the brisket on the rack below. As the fat heats up it will drip on the brisket. It will self baste the meat. It will keep it nice & moist.

Also the MES will not leave a smoke ring. I have a MES40 & a Masterbuilt XL propane smoker. The propane leaves the most beautiful smoke ring you ever saw.. The MES will not. There are explanations on the forum on why electric smokers do not leave smoke rings.

Here is a pic of what the smoke ring can look like on the propane smoker..

Hope this helps..

Phil

Thanks, Phil!

I debated leaving the fat on or taking it off after reading various posts.  I will definitely leave it on the next one.  I really wasn't surprised to find that I didn't get a smoke ring having read here at SMF that the MES is not the best choice for that.

Again, thanks for the comments.  I really learned a lot on the first one and look forward to applying that knowledge on the next one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by heyer5 

Does anyone have experience or reviews using the brisket that Sam's Club has?  They looked like good cuts of meat and ran from $30-$40 depending on weight.  They were 2.xx a pound, at least I think that's what they were.  Just looking for opinions, not sure what I'm doing with beef!

I've smoked a few of them and they turn out really good for a nice price. The ones I did were full packers, which I imagine is what you're looking at as I think the flats are usually quite a bit more expensive when they're trimmed and sold singly.