I love me some brisket......but.....

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damon555

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
Jun 26, 2010
464
35
Middle Tennessee
I pay very close attention to meat prices and have been chomping at the bit for some time now to get a brisket on the WSM. But the problem is that every time I go looking I can't stomach the price. 40 to 50 bucks for a whole packer is just too expensive. So for now I'll just have to live vicariously through you guys and eat with my eyes.

Pork is getting outrageous too....
 
I feel your pain brother!  It's almost getting so you can only afford to eat red meat on special occasions!  

Fortunately for me, I live with one of the worlds great bargain shoppers...if there's meat (or anything else for that matter) on sale anywhere within 3 counties, Mrs. Red has the knack for finding it.  She does a good job of keeping our freezer pretty well stocked when she finds a good sale.

Red
 
My father and I split a whole beef once a year or so. So so much cheaper and better than store bought. Save your pennies and find a rancher. We just got one hanging a few days ago actually. Dang if they didn't throw away the head. I really wanted that head.
 
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Make me cry, two weeks ago, chickens even went up over night by 30%, 30% is no small or marginal mark-up.

I complained about the beef and pork when the pork went up, then after a small time of complaint, I decided it ain;t gonna change and once the price sticks it's not going to drop.

I was thinking of cleaning out the hog pens and the chicken coup. LOL..... then I realized it involved work! LOL
 
That is why when I saw 1.68 shoulder at super one the last weekend I emptied my bank account, literally. lol  I figured I had better stock up as it is not going to get any better. I just bought my place and am considering some farm animals. Namely a hog or two and some chickens. The local kids had a heck of a time this year finding wiener pigs for their FFA and 4H projects. Somebody said there is a virus out there that is killing them off.
 
 
I pay very close attention to meat prices and have been chomping at the bit for some time now to get a brisket on the WSM. But the problem is that every time I go looking I can't stomach the price. 40 to 50 bucks for a whole packer is just too expensive. So for now I'll just have to live vicariously through you guys and eat with my eyes.

Pork is getting outrageous too....
You know you can make flank steak and some of the other cheap cuts pretty dang good on that Weber. Keep your eyes open. I find skirt steak and sirloin tip, even london broil can be made pretty darn edible. Just a thought.
 
Yep they are driving us back into the old days where you raise what you eat. We are pretty lucky here to have lots of ranching and farming folks that we have known all our lives. Grass and grain fed baby.
 
Wal-Mart around here has whole brisket for 2.98/lb.

I'm itching to try my hand at brisket gotta finish my mods That I started a while back..
 
LOL... do like I do and it doesn't hurt as bad. Seems here lately when I buy a brisket or butt cryo-pack, I throw it in the freezer. Then I pull the oldest one from the freezer that was a high price when I bought it, although now it looks really reasonable...... I don't get as mad.
 
 
My father and I split a whole beef once a year or so. So so much cheaper and better than store bought. Save your pennies and find a rancher. We just got one hanging a few days ago actually. Dang if they didn't throw away the head. I really wanted that head.
Timberjet if you don't mind what did you pay hanging wgt?? I just had a offer of 2.80lb + Cutting and wrapping, and told him I would take it but he said something came up and he would get me the next one, he said his beef is better than any steak you would buy at a grocery store. 

Thanks DS
 
I think 2.60 cut and wrapped. It is Hereford Which is the most prevalent around here. I would imagine you would be getting Angus where you are. That would be a heck of a good price for Angus. The rancher I get mine from uses no antibiotics or any crap at all. It is the best steak other than the equivalent Angus I used to get out of Bellevue Idaho I have ever had. Even the lower end roasts and stew meat are steak quality.
 
I always cruise the local grocery stores for deals....It's getting tougher and tougher to find the deals on beef especially. For example...today I went to the local Food lion and couldn't find any beef reasonably priced in my opinion....But I was lucky enough to catch a few cryo packed 8 pound Boston butts marked down to $13 bucks each and the last 2 whole chickens they had in the case for $3.50 each (which was a great deal). And just last week I picked up a few racks of St. Louis cut spare ribs for $2.50 a pound....not a bad score either considering the recent prices. I'll keep cruising the meat section and eventually something in the beer category will go on sale.....
 
What is the price per pound you are seeing.

My problem is I see something I want I buy it then figure out how to pay for it.
 
The packers are in the 4-4.50 range and the trimmed up flats are even more.....I can get boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $1.88 a pound.....While I love beef this is an opportunity for me to start eating healthier.

If I have to think about how I'm going to pay for something (even afterwards) it's going to stay in the cooler or on the shelf. I don't need it that bad. 15 years ago I spent the better part of 5 years digging myself out of a pile of debt....that will never happen again!
 
The last cow that I sent to the slaughterhouse costed me 60 cents a lb to butcher. Highway robbery!!! It use to be 45 cents a lb... It might be more now.

They do come to my property and pick it up and three weeks later I fill the freezer and give the rest away to family, friends and neighbors. The cows eat the grass and I eat the cows...
 
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The packers are in the 4-4.50 range and the trimmed up flats are even more.....I can get boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $1.88 a pound.....While I love beef this is an opportunity for me to start eating healthier.

If I have to think about how I'm going to pay for something (even afterwards) it's going to stay in the cooler or on the shelf. I don't need it that bad. 15 years ago I spent the better part of 5 years digging myself out of a pile of debt....that will never happen again!
OK I just never looked cause I rarely do big chunks like that. I do buy Rib roast and cut them up into smaller one and steaks quite often I think the last one I got was $107 and it was 13lb that about 8 buck a pound so I guess 4.50 is a bit pricey for brisket.
 
The last cow that I sent to the slaughterhouse costed me 60 cents a lb to butcher. Highway robbery!!! It use to be 45 cents a lb... It might be more now.

They do come to my property and pick it up and three weeks later I fill the freezer and give the rest away to family, friends and neighbors. The cows eat the grass and I eat the cows...
I just got one done for 81cents a pound. Sad, dad and I were reminiscing about 35 cents just not that long ago. Total cost for hanging weight was $2.91 after all expenses. Water is your biggest expense here. Grain is plentiful, unfortunately grass is brown this year as we have had next to no rain at all. These are free range Hereford cows. Good eating I will tell you what. If I didn't already have a pork loin thawed out I would be eating fresh Filet tonight. Sure is pretty awesome to see both freezers packed to the gills. 
 
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