Rockin Rooster
Senior Cook
I hear most look for Choice grade brisket over Select. Would you pick Prime over choice for a brisket? If not why?
boar_d_laze said:I buy Black Angus briskets from a meat market (Prime Meat in Rowland Heights) that carries (almost) nothing but prime meat. I used to buy Choice briskets from a different meat market (Hows in San Marino) that specialized in Prime and Choice meats. I asked How's manager and Prime's owner to price Prime briskets for me. Both got back to me with the same answer. Their (different) suppliers told each of them that the USDA does not "roll" (aka stamp) briskets as Prime, because no matter what a given animal was like the brisket flat was too well exercised to be sufficientlhy marbled for Prime. I don't know if that's true or not, or if it's a California thing. :? :? :?
If you do get a brisket rolled Prime, post a pic. I'll print it and show it to my butcher. :P
But if someone told me they were selling me a Prime brisket, I'd sure as hell want to see the stamp on the brisket itself. [smilie=a_holyshit.gif] Not to say that a brisket from an otherwise Prime animal won't be great. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's what I'm getting from Prime Meat and it is great. :twisted:
While I do inject, I don't use FAB. For one thing, I avoid using MSG because so many people claim to be allergic, and it makes me thirsty. For another, I think FAB adds too much of a "buillon-cube" taste. :roll:
As to the difference between Select, Choice and Prime -- the inspectors aren't 100% by any means so it's worth trying to pick the best brisket by sight and feel if you've got the luxury of selection. But almost every time, everything else being equal, a Choice kicks Select's ass.
Where do you guys live that you get to rummage through cases of various grade briskets? :? When I, and lots of other people, try to by "packers," we're stuck with the one or two briskets the butcher held out of the case for us. Under those circumstances, it's better to establish a relationship with a butcher and buy the best grade available. [smilie=bowdown.gif] SoCal is not great brisket territory. The only place I know of that usually has a selection of packers is Smart and Final -- and their meat is Select. I've never had good luck with a Select brisket from them. Our Costco has flats only. You can buy an untrimmed flat, but you can't buy a whole brisket. Our WalMart doesn't carry brisket at all.