How to buy a brisket? Picking a good one.
Top things to look for in a brisket
When you’re looking to buy a brisket there are a few main checkpoints you want to look at. I’ll list the main things you’re going to look for in a brisket quickly below. Then, I’ll dive deeper into each item later in the post.
- Look for the size of brisket you want.
- Try to find the most even thickness throughout the brisket.
- Make sure there aren’t any gashes in the meat from butchering.
- USDA Prime is preferred, USDA Choice is next best.
- Try not to pay for too much extra fat.
- Look for a reddish colored meat and white colored fat.
How to buy a brisket video:
Check out my video of what to look for in a brisket. Link to video.
Look for the size of brisket you want to buy
The first thing you’ll be asked when you go to a butcher looking to buy a brisket is how big of brisket you want. I shoot for around 13 to 15 lbs for a competition Packer’s brisket but to each their own. Either way, knowing what size of brisket you want is going to be important information to go into the store with.
Weight will usually be the first factor in narrowing down which briskets to look at when shopping. You want something large enough to feed your target audience but small enough to fit in your smoker. It’s a fine balance and for that reason worth noting.
Try to find the most even thickness
This is, in my opinion, the most important step of buying a brisket. You want to have the most even thickness that you can. Meaning you want the thickness of the flat side of the brisket and the point side of the brisket to be as close to the same as possible.
Thickness is important because you want your entire brisket to cook evenly. If you have an uneven thickness, the flat end will get overcooked while the point end is still cooking. There are ways around this and tricks to prevent it but the first step is getting an even thickness brisket.
Make sure there aren’t any gashes in the meat
Briskets are cut by butchers who are very skilled at cutting up beef. But they can still sometimes slip. Now and then you’ll find a brisket with an accidental cut or gash along the flat. You can see these by inspecting the meat side of the flat when picking out your brisket. For competition, any cuts or gashes on the flat will be fatal to the appearance of your brisket slices.
USDA Prime is preferred, USDA Choice is okay too
USDA Prime is your best bet when buying a brisket. It’s the fattiest of the grades and generally has the best marbling. USDA Prime brisket can be hard to find but it is worth the search. Try shopping for USDA Prime brisket at Costco, Sam’s Club, local restaurant supply stores, or your local butcher.
USDA Choice is the next best. With 2nd best marbling and slightly less fatty than the USDA Prime it isn’t going to have quite as much flavor. That being said, it is often much easier to find a USDA Choice brisket than a USDA Prime brisket.
I would personally avoid using a USDA Select brisket unless you have no other choice. USDA Select brisket is going to be too lean for smoking and will probably dry out and be bland.
Try not to pay for too much fat when buying brisket
You’re going to get a fat cap on the back side of your brisket, almost guaranteed. And this is actually a good thing. Because we smoke brisket for so long it makes sense to keep about 1/4″ thick layer of fat on the back to protect the meat from burning. But anything more than about 1/4″ thick is too much fat that you’ll end up paying for.
The color of your brisket is important
The meat should be a shade of red and the fat should be white. Anything other than that and I’d probably move on to other choices. I’m not saying you can’t eat a brisket that is a little gray or with the fat being a little yellow. But I definitely wouldn’t use it for competition.