Snake River Farms vs. Costco Brisket - Complete Carnivore (2023)

FAQs

What is the highest quality brisket? ›

The three most well-known grades, in order from highest degree to lowest, are Prime, Choice, and Select. (There are grades lower than Select, but we'll leave those out of this discussion.) The beef is graded primarily on the marbling of the ribeye between the twelfth and thirteenth rib bones.

Costco Briskets are Prime Grade

These ratings are made by the USDA and reflect how much marbling is in the meat. The amount of marbling impacts tenderness and flavor.

Bottom Line on Choice vs Prime Brisket

Prime beef brisket is usually sold as a whole brisket, while Choice and Select cuts are most often trimmed and separated into smaller pieces that result in a more affordable cut.

The thicker the meat is at the end, the better it will be for you! So, look for a brisket with the thickest flat that you can find! The sweet spot is between 14-18 pounds. For your convenience, Costco is also selling the smallest brisket of 8 pounds, medium as 14 pounds and the largest brisket of 18 pounds range.

When looking for a brisket for your smoker you want an untrimmed or “packer” cut. This cut has the point and the flat part together. These briskets should have a nice even fat cap with no gouge marks exposing the meat. The fat should be a nice white color.

When buying a whole brisket, choose one that has the thickest and most uniform flat that you can find. Some briskets taper off too much in this area, which will result in uneven cooking and dry, wasted meat that you'd have to discard anyway. Choose a brisket with a flat that is at least 1 inch thick at the end.

USDA Prime Commodity Beef Brisket, 14 lb avg wt | Costco.

As was revealed in his book “Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto,” Franklin buys his Prime briskets from Kansas' Creekstone Farms.

Are Costco Meat Prices Competitive? Costco tends to run on the more expensive side. This is especially true when compared to supermarket specials and coupons that often undercut Costco pricing significantly. But when comparing the Costco price to your local butcher shop, Costco will usually win.

How much is beef brisket per pound at Costco? ›

Choice beef is high quality, but has less marbling than Prime. Choice roasts and steaks from the loin and rib will be very tender, juicy, and flavorful and are suited for dry-heat cooking. Many of the less tender cuts can also be cooked with dry heat if not overcooked.

But to cook the perfect piece of meat, you must know the anatomy of a brisket. Butchers refer to the whole brisket as a full packer. It consists of two subprimal cuts that are known as the point and the flat, and you can cut the brisket in half by separating the flat part from the point.

It's a tough cut of meat, which is why the best way to cook brisket is a low-and-slow method: Long, slow cooking makes it tender.

You'll need to cook brisket at 250° for about 30-40 minutes per pound. Upping the temperature to 250°, from the established tried and true rule of smoking at 225°, has some shocking and actually delicious results! You see, when we smoke brisket at 225° F the timing is around 1-1.25 hours per lb.

Slow-smoke at a temperature of 250˚F, allowing about one hour of cooking time per pound of meat. So, if you have a 10-pound brisket, expect to smoke it for about 10 hours. Keep the fat side up so the juices can drip through the meat. Wrap in foil.

We cook our brisket at 250 degrees Fahrenheit (F) using cherry or apple wood from the Northwest. This temperature will break down the connective tissue, rendering some of the intramuscular fat, which in turn keeps the tenderness, and juicy flavor.

The numbers simply refer to 3 hours in the smoker unwrapped, then 2 hours wrapped in foil, with the final hour unwrapped at a slightly higher temperature.

If you really want to know how much brisket to serve per person, **account for one pound of raw brisket (or half a pound of cooked brisket) per adult and half a pound of uncooked brisket (or a quarter pound of cooked brisket) for your little ones.

A 15-pound brisket will feed over 20 people (23-27 depending on how much your guests eat). That may even be enough for them to come back for more — because they'll want to.

How many briskets to feed 50 people? ›

That means, if you need to feed 20 people, get 12 pounds of brisket. Need to feed 50? Cook 30-33 pounds of brisket.

We recommend a final serving of half a pound per person.

Choose one pound per person for uncooked brisket and you'll strike a good average between the big eaters and kids on the guest list.

The first lesson learned here is when you are at Costco and see a brisket you want go ahead and buy it even if you don't plan on cooking it any time soon. It will keep well in the freezer but in the cryobag it will also be just fine in the fridge for 30+ days.

Brisket can cost between $4 and $14 per pound, depending on the quality, store, and much more!

The smoked meat is already fully cooked and there are two different methods on the box to heat your meat, boiling it or in in the microwave. We boiled ours which involves putting the pouch in a pot of boiling water and cooking it for 7 to 10 minutes. You can heat the pack of Schwartz's Smoked Meat in boiling water.

Finally, for larger briskets (10-14 pounds or more), a resting time of 1-2 hours is necessary. These larger cuts of meat require more time for the juices to fully redistribute, resulting in a more tender and flavorful final product.

No matter the cooking method (smoking, roasting, etc.), cooked brisket should rest for at least one hour but not more than two hours. After more than a couple of hours at room temperature, the brisket starts to get cold, and reheating it can cause it to dry out.

One half pound per person, so 50 lbs would be a good estimate. Some would eat less, some would eat more.

Our brisket is smoked for at least 13 hours in a pit smoker. We top that delicious smoked beef with smoked gouda, crispy onions, mayo and BBQ sauce and serve it all on an artisan-style roll.

After the first 2-3 hours start spritzing your brisket with water, apple juice, hot sauce or apple cider vinegar every 30 minutes to an hour. This helps keep it moist and stops it from burning.

What is top pay for a meat cutter at Costco? ›

As of May 24, 2023, the average annual pay for a Costco Meat Cutter in the United States is $39,500 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $18.99 an hour. This is the equivalent of $759/week or $3,291/month.

Many Costco stores don't necessarily put the untrimmed cuts out in the cases. But if you ask, they will package one up for you in the back with the appropriate reduction in price. So, if you don't spot what you need, speak up; they are notoriously accommodating.

A landfill is the last resort. Costco re-uses some products it fails to sell, such as turning rotisserie chickens into pies, soup, and wings (per Coscto's website). Meatloaf, stuffed peppers, and shepherd's pie are all filled using unsold beef, too.

Ask for a chub of beef

One of the most important things frequent shoppers know about Costco is that it pays to ask for what you want. Often, the butcher and bakery workers are happy to see what they can do. This works for getting cheap ground beef too.

Summary. Always smoke brisket with the fat side facing down. Fat-side down helps keep the seasoning on the brisket and makes it look better. Cooking brisket fat side up does not add moisture to the meat.

Cuts of Brisket and What to Expect

A raw brisket's average price can range from $3 to $6 per lb for a Select grade brisket, the lowest grade, in a local grocery store. USDA Choice briskets and USDA Prime briskets are closer to $5 to $10 per lb, and are known for their higher quality and amount of marbling (fat).

Look for the USDA grade mark when you shop the meat section, and choose either a USDA Choice or USDA Prime brisket to get the best results.

Costco Briskets are Prime Grade

If you are unfamiliar with the different grades of beef then “Select” is the lowest grade, “Choice” is in the middle and “Prime” is the best. These ratings are made by the USDA and reflect how much marbling is in the meat. The amount of marbling impacts tenderness and flavor.

I actually recommend letting it go 45 days. That is where I've found the best results. If you haven't used the brisket by day 60 it needs to be frozen. Anything over 60 days and you risk spoilage.

It doesn't take a time as much as it takes a temperature. When the meat reaches about 225 degrees F it will begin to fall apart. You want to pull a brisket from the smoker anywhere between 195 to 205 in my opinion. It will be plenty tender but maintain its integrity within that range.

What temp does brisket pull apart? ›

At What Temperature Do You Pull a Brisket Off the Smoker? You can take the meat off the smoker when the internal temperature of the beef brisket reaches between 190°F and 210°F.

Second Cut / Point Cut

The second cut has much more intramuscular fat, or marbling, that makes it extremely tender and flavorful when cooked. These cuts are smaller — about 1.5 to 3 pounds. The second cut is also extremely forgiving while cooking, due to its higher fat content.

Prime roasts and steaks are excellent for dry-heat cooking such as broiling, roasting or grilling. Choice beef is high quality, but has less marbling than Prime. Choice roasts and steaks from the loin and rib will be very tender, juicy, and flavorful and are suited for dry-heat cooking.

What Are the Different Types of Brisket? There aren't different types of brisket, but there are two components: point (or deckle) and flat. The point is attached directly to the rib cage and is a thicker cut with dense meat and large hunks of fat. The flat has some fat but is mostly meat and connective tissue.

Select Grade

The lesser the fat, the firmer the meat will be. If you're hosting a dinner party, it's best to dip this brisket in brine to achieve tender and moist meat. However, if you're participating in a competition, it's best to avoid this grade. Otherwise, you might end up cooking dry meat.

Most retail and restaurant beef is graded as Select, Choice, or Prime, with Prime being the most expensive because more fat is suspended within the lean meat. The extra fat helps it stay juicier as it cooks, while Select briskets, especially the lean half, can easily dry out over the long smoking time.

USDA Prime Beef Ribeye, 16 lb avg wt | Costco.

Tri-tip cut is more difficult to find and is twice the price of brisket. Nevertheless, this beef cut is high quality and healthier because of its lower fat content. It also requires limited prepping and a shorter cooking time, which is ideal for beginners.

Although the two brisket cuts can often be used interchangeably, the flat cut is most often used in braises that are sliced, like those popular on Jewish holidays and for corned beef. The fattier point cut, meanwhile, is preferred for pulled beef, beef sandwiches and smoked barbecued brisket.

Most grocery stores carry the first cut, also called the flat. It's leaner and slices neatly. But your butcher may have the second cut, also known as the deckle point. It's marbled with fat and falls apart when you cook it.

What cut of meat is a poor man's brisket? ›

Both cuts are optimal for low and slow cooking methods like smoking, roasting and braising. Chuck Roast is referred to as “poor man's brisket” because it's a cheaper cut of beef that can be prepared the same way.

Always smoke brisket with the fat side facing down. Fat-side down helps keep the seasoning on the brisket and makes it look better. Cooking brisket fat side up does not add moisture to the meat.