That $60 whole packer brisket was the worst meat I've ever cooked

I fought with that thing for 14 hours on a Tuesday last August and it came out like shoe leather. When I sliced into it, the flat just crumbled apart and the point was pure gristle. Has anyone else had a bad experience with those discount grocery store briskets?

3 comments

3 Comments

ray_miller4120d ago

Gotta trim those discount packers way harder than the expensive ones...

thomasshah20d ago

actually with the discount ones you gotta be more careful about over trimming because the fat content is all over the place and you might cut into a spot where there's barely any marbling left. the expensive stuff is so consistent that you can pretty much eyeball it and still end up with a good steak. with cheap cuts i find myself checking both sides constantly and trimming way more conservatively just to make sure i don't ruin it. plus the discount ones sometimes have those weird silver skin patches that blend right in with the fat so you really have to feel for them. bottom line is i actually stress way less about trimming the expensive packers compared to the budget ones.

lilykelly17d ago

actually with the discount ones you gotta be more careful" - i see it the opposite way though @thomasshah. cheap trim is cheap so i just hack off anything that looks sketchy without worrying, but the expensive stuff makes me second guess every cut.