Selecting a Full Packer - I might need help....

[sandyut]

I have made a few, less than 6 (not counting exactly). the variability in the fat trimmed has been all over the place. The one I just trimmed was 13.5LB out of the pack - trimmed 3.5lbs of fat off. The one before was a similar start weight - cut off about 2.5lbs of fat off. try to pick ones with a thicker flat - but seems like once i unpack them they look so different...and the flats dont look quite as good as I thought.

Am I making poor selections at Costco or is it that variable and hard to tell for sure pretty much all the time? I have only been buying prime briskets.

End products have been good on all of them so I cant complain about that, but can buying 3.5lb of fat be avoided?

I feel mystified. Any advice or empathy is appreciated :)

 

[timmyk]

Briskets vary widely as you can see. Just the nature of the beast and one of the reasons the are hard to cook IMO

 

[Smokinoak]

Some guys I've seen grab one end of a packer and try to flop the other end over. If it won't flop over easily, it has too much hard fat that will have to be trimmed off.

 

[pigbark]

here's how I check them out. I take both ends and try to touch the ends together.. do the to several briskets and you will feel the firmness or lack of. you want the ones that take less effort to bend.. if they are partially frozen, you can forget any type.of bend or roll test..

 

[tallbm]

I have made a few, less than 6 (not counting exactly). the variability in the fat trimmed has been all over the place. The one I just trimmed was 13.5LB out of the pack - trimmed 3.5lbs of fat off. The one before was a similar start weight - cut off about 2.5lbs of fat off. try to pick ones with a thicker flat - but seems like once i unpack them they look so different...and the flats dont look quite as good as I thought.

Am I making poor selections at Costco or is it that variable and hard to tell for sure pretty much all the time? I have only been buying prime briskets.

End products have been good on all of them so I cant complain about that, but can buying 3.5lb of fat be avoided?

I feel mystified. Any advice or empathy is appreciated :)

If you save that good beef fat you can do a few things with it.

1. Add it to ground Venison for a burger blend
2. Save it for making some TX style sausages (has beef and pork)
3. Save it for making Ground Venison Pastrami sandwich meat loaves. You season and form into a rectangle, smoke, slice, and eat like pastrami sandwich meat... mmmmm!
4. Save along with good trimmed brisket meat scraps or other cheap lean beef scraps and grind all together to make all beef bologna :)

I hope this gives you some ideas on what to do with that good brisket fat :)

 

[pigbark]

If you save that good beef fat you can do a few things with it.

1. Add it to ground Venison for a burger blend
2. Save it for making some TX style sausages (has beef and pork)
3. Save it for making Ground Venison Pastrami sandwich meat loaves. You season and form into a rectangle, smoke, slice, and eat like pastrami sandwich meat... mmmmm!
4. Save along with good trimmed brisket meat scraps or other cheap lean beef scraps and grind all together to make all beef bologna :)

I hope this gives you some ideas on what to do with that good brisket fat :)

Season your smoker with it..

 

[chef jimmyj]

These guys Nailed! At Refer Temps, Fat it hard and stiff. Lean meat is Soft and Flexible. Floppier is better, but not a Dish Rag, you want some Fat.
If you do a Google Search, "Which Brisket is more tender? " You will find info picking a Left or Right side Brisket. While I forget which, Bovine lay on the same side. I believe they use the opposite Brisket muscle to get up. Supposedly the less used Brisket is always more tender. There is a way to tell which is which.
Old Wives tale? Fun Gag for Pit Masters to send their Apprentice to go get only Left Briskets? Some folks Swear it's factual???...JJ

 

[chopsaw]

@sandyut look thru this , if you haven't all ready . Great info in there , and he covers how he chooses a brisket . Fat content and packed date .
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/texas-style-brisket.243295/

 

[sandyut]

@chopsaw , that was a good read (hadnt seen it before). I definitely need more practice in picking FPs out. they have been fine eats, but the tossing $13 is paying 25% too much for what we are actually cooking. Hope to do better next time.

 

[daveomak]

I did a check on that left side vs right side brisket... My neighbor has about 1500 head of Angus... I drove by his herd a couple of times and it seems they lay about 50/50 right vs left... wasn't too scientific a test.. I think the bend test may be a better way to go...

 

[tallbm]

I did a check on that left side vs right side brisket... My neighbor has about 1500 head of Angus... I drove by his herd a couple of times and it seems they lay about 50/50 right vs left... wasn't too scientific a test.. I think the bend test may be a better way to go...

My understanding of this phenomenon is more about which leg they used to get up from laying down vs which side they lay on.

I've been told that most cattle are right side oriented (like most people are right handed) so when they get up off the ground the use their right front leg more than their left front leg. This leads to the thought that the left side briskets are less used by the animal and therefore more tender lol.

 

[chef jimmyj]

No South Paw Steers? Considering, in many areas, you are fortunate to see 1 or 2 packers in a cold case, outside of TX, I'll take what I can get and be happy about it...JJ

 

[tallbm]

No South Paw Steers? Considering, in many areas, you are fortunate to see 1 or 2 packers in a cold case, outside of TX, I'll take what I can get and be happy about it...JJ

Hahaha according to Micky (Rocky's trainer) "They ought to outlaw southpaws." :P