USDA PRIME BRISKET BURGERS

[SmokinAl]

Great write up Al and welcome to the world of a Prime beef burger!!! The flavor is ridiculous!



Oh there is a noticeable difference between a prime burger vs a choice burger provided everything is cooked properly.




I can give a little input here. The taste is like a very rich savory beef flavor. I wouldn't really compare it to steak flavor as there are a number of different things going on with steak.

I've spent quite a bit of time in Australia in my life and their food quality is much higher than the US. This seems to be a luxury they have since they don't have to feed more than 24 million people (population last time I was there) lol.

When you eat a burger or buy ground (minced) beef it all seems to be Prime quality. They had the BEST burgers simply from the fact that you are (when I was there) always eating Prime ground beef!
It is freaking amazing! Just think you go in the grocery store and all the ground beef is prime, no other option hahaha.

I don't know if things have changed in this regard since 2008 (last time I was there) but man the quality of meat there is/was outstanding!

Prime burgers are worth it. Also good quality Bison (American Buffalo) burgers are outstanding as well.
If you live near a Ted Turner's Montana Grill go get a bison burger ASAP!!!! :)

Thank you, if I get the chance I will certainly try a bison burger!
Al

Another great post that shows the limitless possibilities you can learn on this site. Thanks Al

Thank you Sir!
And you are right, most of what I have learned, I learned right here!
Al

Wow those look great! That's what I was planning on doing with my brisket trimmings from now on since I got a meat grinder. One thing about Sams, we got a prime from there the other day. Funny thing is, each packer, choice or prime (they were right next to each other) was a different price per pound. There was one choice that was more $$ per lb than the prime that I got. I thought it was interesting and couldn't tell you why each brisket was priced differently. I haven't smoked it yet but it will be my first prime! The marbling on the prime didn't look much different than the choice briskets but since a few of the primes were actually cheaper by 1-2$ per pound I got a prime! lol

I think you will be very happy with the Prime, I sure hope our Sam's keeps carrying them!
Al

Dont smoke it then Al, costco carries prime packers and i cant smoke another brisket ever again, now i wanna grind some burgers and try them.

If I new how good they would turn out, I probably would have ground up the whole brisket except for the point, which is destined for pastrami. We'll see the next time I get one!
Al

I've never had Prime! Those burgers look fantastic! I am not a fan of corned beef, my better half would be all over it though.

Thanks Mike,
We love corned beef & pastrami, so I'm really looking forward to getting these out of the cure & finding out how Prime corned beef & Prime pastrami taste!
Al

Those burgers look awesome Al. I am going to have to make a trip to my Sam's and look for some Prime packers.

Thanks for the great idea... Points

Thanks John!
I hope your Sam's carries them!
Al

 

[tallbm]

On a kind of related note.
I have tried tons of different ways to cook Venison backstrap and nothing comes close to breading and frying it for me. I don't eat much fried food like that and avoid it for the most part (oily fried food is one of the few things that may give me heart burn).

SO, one year I hesitantly decided to just grind up my Venison Backstrap for my "prime" venison burger :eek:
WOW, it made such amazing grind that I will never hesitate again. Plus it saves me gobs of time in processing the backstraps when I'm processing 5-7 whole animals after my yearly week long hunt :)

Just figured I would share that info as well since we are talking about amazing burger grind that people may way to try :)

 

[SmokinAl]

On a kind of related note.
I have tried tons of different ways to cook Venison backstrap and nothing comes close to breading and frying it for me. I don't eat much fried food like that and avoid it for the most part (oily fried food is one of the few things that may give me heart burn).

SO, one year I hesitantly decided to just grind up my Venison Backstrap for my "prime" venison burger :eek:
WOW, it made such amazing grind that I will never hesitate again. Plus it saves me gobs of time in processing the backstraps when I'm processing 5-7 whole animals after my yearly week long hunt :)

Just figured I would share that info as well since we are talking about amazing burger grind that people may way to try :)

It sounds delicious to me!
As someone else said, you learn all kinds of new stuff on here!
Al

 

[mrad]

I think I'm going to stop at costco tonight and pick up a 15-20lb prime packer to smoke this weekend. I'm hopin got end up with enough trimmings for a couple of burgers. In the past I hated trimming the meat since it ended up in the garbage. Now I'll try to get extra trimmings

 

[tallbm]

I think I'm going to stop at costco tonight and pick up a 15-20lb prime packer to smoke this weekend. I'm hopin got end up with enough trimmings for a couple of burgers. In the past I hated trimming the meat since it ended up in the garbage. Now I'll try to get extra trimmings

Try a trim job where you cut the flat so that it is about the same/uniform thickness throughout. See the following image as an example:

BrisketFlatTrimAway

• tallbm
• Oct 7, 2017

That good portion of the flat that is trimmed off and any other good meat trimmings should grind right up for a few burgers! The other bonus is that you will wind up with less burnt up or super crusty brisket meat and left with more of the desirable tender and juicy meat on the brisket :)

Win win!

 

[Bearcarver]

On a kind of related note.
I have tried tons of different ways to cook Venison backstrap and nothing comes close to breading and frying it for me. I don't eat much fried food like that and avoid it for the most part (oily fried food is one of the few things that may give me heart burn).

SO, one year I hesitantly decided to just grind up my Venison Backstrap for my "prime" venison burger :eek:
WOW, it made such amazing grind that I will never hesitate again. Plus it saves me gobs of time in processing the backstraps when I'm processing 5-7 whole animals after my yearly week long hunt :)

Just figured I would share that info as well since we are talking about amazing burger grind that people may way to try :)

My Favorite ways to use Venison Backstrap are:
#1---Venison Dried Beef.
#2---SV'd into a very Tender Roast.
#3---Ground up & mixed with Beef & Pork for Deerburgers. (50%-25%-25%)

Bear

 

[CharlotteLovesFood]

I was in Sam's a few days ago & they had Prime packers. This is the first time they have ever had them. I sure hope that this is something that they are going to carry from now on. Boy what a difference in Choice & Prime. Anyhow here is this guy, over 19#.
View attachment 362283 View attachment 362284 View attachment 362285
I separated the point & flat & trimmed off all the fat, including the thin end of the flat & the small end of the point. I took the soft fat & saved it with the trimmed meat for grinding up into burgers.
View attachment 362286

This is the bowl of scraps that the fish & turtles in our backyard pond will get this morning.

View attachment 362287
I measured out cure, salt, sugar, & pickling spices for both the point & flat. Then vac packed them for a 2 week cure in the fridge. I will flip & massage them daily.

View attachment 362288
I ran the meat & fat thru the grinder with the big plate first, then a second grind with the small plate.

View attachment 362289 View attachment 362274
We ended up with 6 lbs. of ground brisket. I made 12, 6 oz. patties to freeze.

View attachment 362275
And we had exactly 1 lb. left, so I made 2 half pound burgers for dinner.

View attachment 362276
A little bacon grease in the CI pan to get started!

View attachment 362277
And in go the burgers.

View attachment 362278
Flipped them one time.

View attachment 362279
And added some baby Swiss cheese.

View attachment 362280
Onto a homemade bun, with some ketchup! And a homemade pickle!

View attachment 362281
Sliced in half & ready to eat!

View attachment 362282

This was absolutely the best burger that either Judy or I have ever had!
I will be doing this every time I buy a brisket, I don't think I would enjoy a burger that wasn't ground brisket again. I'm definitely spoiled!
Al

Now that's a burger I could just sink my teeth into, what a good looking burger!

 

[tallbm]

My Favorite ways to use Venison Backstrap are:
#1---Venison Dried Beef.
#2---SV'd into a very Tender Roast.
#3---Ground up & mixed with Beef & Pork for Deerburgers. (50%-25%-25%)

Bear

Those all sound good to me!

 

[SmokinAl]

I think I'm going to stop at costco tonight and pick up a 15-20lb prime packer to smoke this weekend. I'm hopin got end up with enough trimmings for a couple of burgers. In the past I hated trimming the meat since it ended up in the garbage. Now I'll try to get extra trimmings

I totally agree, it always seemed like such a waste to throw all those trimmings out. But this time I over trimmed it so I would have a nice chunk to put through the grinder.
Al

Try a trim job where you cut the flat so that it is about the same/uniform thickness throughout. See the following image as an example:

BrisketFlatTrimAway

• tallbm
• Oct 7, 2017

That good portion of the flat that is trimmed off and any other good meat trimmings should grind right up for a few burgers! The other bonus is that you will wind up with less burnt up or super crusty brisket meat and left with more of the desirable tender and juicy meat on the brisket :)

Win win!

Yep that is exactly what I did, and I ended up with 2 real nice pieces of meat to cure for pastrami and/or corned beef.
With the added bonus of 6 lbs. of meat & fat to grind up for burgers. As you said, Win! Win!
Al

Now that's a burger I could just sink my teeth into, what a good looking burger!

Thank you for the kind words Charlotte!
It is much appreciated!
Al

 

[megabrisket]

Try a trim job where you cut the flat so that it is about the same/uniform thickness throughout. See the following image as an example:

BrisketFlatTrimAway

• tallbm
• Oct 7, 2017

That good portion of the flat that is trimmed off and any other good meat trimmings should grind right up for a few burgers! The other bonus is that you will wind up with less burnt up or super crusty brisket meat and left with more of the desirable tender and juicy meat on the brisket :)

Win win!

I've been wondering about saving trimmings for burgers. If per say I didn't get enough trimmings off of one, can/should I just freeze the trimmings until I get the amount desired? Or should I grind what i have first and then freeze it? Should I freeze it at all?

 

[hardcookin]

Al burgers look awesome. Thanks for sharing!!

 

[SmokinAl]

I've been wondering about saving trimmings for burgers. If per say I didn't get enough trimmings off of one, can/should I just freeze the trimmings until I get the amount desired? Or should I grind what i have first and then freeze it? Should I freeze it at all?

I would just freeze the trimmings until you get enough, then grind them up. I make the patties & freeze them on a cookie sheet on freezer paper. Then when they are frozen solid I vac pack them. This way they hold their shape & the vacuum doesn't smash them down.
Al

Al burgers look awesome. Thanks for sharing!!

Thanks Doug!
I appreciate it!
Al

 

[browneyesvictim]

Great looking burgers Al! I've been grinding up and making a few burgers with chuck lately. Simply fantastic! I get the whole primal chuck roll and get some steaks and roasts and the rest is all burger. But I think I will try your brisket burgers next time. I don't see many prime grades either, but I am still looking. Now I am really craving a burger!

 

[tallbm]

I've been wondering about saving trimmings for burgers. If per say I didn't get enough trimmings off of one, can/should I just freeze the trimmings until I get the amount desired? Or should I grind what i have first and then freeze it? Should I freeze it at all?

What Al mentions is a good way to go.
If you buy a 12 pound or larger brisket and you do the cut/trim like the pic I posted, you will at least have enough for 2-3 burgers with that flap of meat alone. Any other meaty trimmings just adds on to it.

I don't know what your grinding setup is like but if you have a simple small setup then you can grind you up the burgers and be done. My setup with a fold up table, my grinder, and other factors would lead ME to store up like 10-15 pounds for it to be worth the time in setup, grinding, cleaning, and storing efforts. Again, your setup may be much simpler than mine and if so grind away without needing to save up :)

FYI, I also save the good fat (not the stringy or extremely hard stuff) and freeze it to grind for later in my Pastrami Loaf or my future sausage projects. In TX we do plenty of kinds of sausage with beef and beef fat so it wont go to waste, and soon I will have much more space and ability to do more sausage included those of the dry cured variety!!!!!

 

[SmokinAl]

Great looking burgers Al! I've been grinding up and making a few burgers with chuck lately. Simply fantastic! I get the whole primal chuck roll and get some steaks and roasts and the rest is all burger. But I think I will try your brisket burgers next time. I don't see many prime grades either, but I am still looking. Now I am really craving a burger!

I think you would be pleasantly surprised in the difference between ground chuck & ground brisket, you would think the chuck would be much more tender & juicy, but believe me it's just the opposite. I used to grind my own chuck too, but it's expensive & the brisket trimmings would normally go into the pond for the fish or some of the fat would be saved for sausage. So it's like getting free burgers, but not just free, the best tasting burgers you ever ate!!!
Al

What Al mentions is a good way to go.
If you buy a 12 pound or larger brisket and you do the cut/trim like the pic I posted, you will at least have enough for 2-3 burgers with that flap of meat alone. Any other meaty trimmings just adds on to it.

I don't know what your grinding setup is like but if you have a simple small setup then you can grind you up the burgers and be done. My setup with a fold up table, my grinder, and other factors would lead ME to store up like 10-15 pounds for it to be worth the time in setup, grinding, cleaning, and storing efforts. Again, your setup may be much simpler than mine and if so grind away without needing to save up :)

FYI, I also save the good fat (not the stringy or extremely hard stuff) and freeze it to grind for later in my Pastrami Loaf or my future sausage projects. In TX we do plenty of kinds of sausage with beef and beef fat so it wont go to waste, and soon I will have much more space and ability to do more sausage included those of the dry cured variety!!!!!

Yep, that's real good advice. I over trimmed my brisket so I would have enough for burgers, but if your doing a light trim, then you may want to just get out the grinder & grind up a couple of burgers. As I said in my original post I really like the ability to add some extra fat to the burgers, IMHO that really made a big difference!
Al

 

[73saint]

Al, those burgers look incredible...I can’t wait to try this. I have a prime packer brining now, 10 days in. Had I seen this first, I would certainly have tried it!!

 

[SmokinAl]

Al, those burgers look incredible...I can’t wait to try this. I have a prime packer brining now, 10 days in. Had I seen this first, I would certainly have tried it!!

That's cool, mine is in a cure now too. I think I may use the flat for corned beef & the point for pastrami. But I still have a few days to decide.
Al

 

[Mattyt7]

Wow those look great! That's what I was planning on doing with my brisket trimmings from now on since I got a meat grinder. One thing about Sams, we got a prime from there the other day. Funny thing is, each packer, choice or prime (they were right next to each other) was a different price per pound. There was one choice that was more $$ per lb than the prime that I got. I thought it was interesting and couldn't tell you why each brisket was priced differently. I haven't smoked it yet but it will be my first prime! The marbling on the prime didn't look much different than the choice briskets but since a few of the primes were actually cheaper by 1-2$ per pound I got a prime! lol

From what I’ve seen at my Sam’s, the reason the choice is more expensive is because it’s not actually a full packer. It’s a flat that has been trimmed of most if not all of the fat cap. The prime packer has several pounds of fat still on it. So once you trim it, the price per pound of actual meat probably works out to where the prime is more expensive. I’ve never seen a point for sale on its own, so I don’t know what effect that has on the price of the packer.

 

[browneyesvictim]

Looked at Cash and Carry Ads, and Low and behold! Guess I will be making some brisket burgers soon.

 

[idahopz]

Oh man Al, that looks fantastic! At that price (I get it about the same), it is still cheaper than ground beef chubs in my area, so I too like to use brisket for ground meat.

The only ground meat I personally like better than brisket is a nicely marbled tri-tip, which we can get for less than $3/lb at C&C.