# Prime vs choice brisket



## scamper

Hi Jeff and gang of smokers,

I bought a prime brisket from Costco.  I was amazed at the thick layer of fat the butchers left on it.  I trimmed as much as I could and then smoked it for 14-hours.  

It turned out to be delicious and tender but again, the amount of fat rendered out in the cooking was huge.  In the end I doubt the amount of edible meat was half the weight of the brisket.  

My question is should I just stick to choice grade and avoid the fat battle?

Scamper


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## dr k

scamper said:


> Hi Jeff and gang of smokers,
> 
> I bought a prime brisket from Costco.  I was amazed at the thick layer of fat the butchers left on it.  I trimmed as much as I could and then smoked it for 14-hours.
> 
> It turned out to be delicious and tender but again, the amount of fat rendered out in the cooking was huge.  In the end I doubt the amount of edible meat was half the weight of the brisket.
> 
> My question is should I just stick to choice grade and avoid the fat battle?
> 
> Scamper


No, I would stick with the prime.  I saw trimmed prime briskets at Costco @ $10.00/lb. and you can see the flecks and streaks of marbling in the meat much more than USDA Choice.  The untrimmed was @ $3.00/b.  That intramuscular fat in the flat keeps it juicy and flavorful.  That's the key.....fat in the meat.  Not many places offer USDA Prime and if I can get it at that price I'll make a special trip.  The whole prime packer didn't appear to have a larger external amount of fat other than the deckle on all packers.  Check them over next time to see if it was a fluke.
-Kurt


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## paulr44

If you cook an un-trimmed brisket, just be aware of temps when inserting your thermometer. Brisket has a really big fat area that will read easily 30 degrees less than the meat area when sampled. I made that mistake once, and it was a learning experience, as it was overdone. I found no reason to have a huge mound of fat in my brisket, so I trim it. This is one of the best examples I've found for trimming...


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