TIL that cheap brisket ain't worth it - lost $60 on a bad cut

Picked up a choice packer from a discount grocery last week for $30. Looked fine in the wrap but after trimming I lost nearly half to fat and silver skin. Cooked 14 hours and it came out like shoe leather. Shoulda just spent the extra at Costco. Anyone else get burned on a cheap brisket gamble?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_beth27d ago

Oh man, that's rough... I did the same thing with a chuck roast from a no-name market once. Figured I'd save a few bucks and ended up with something you could have resoled a boot with.

kai_bennett27d ago

@the_beth you got that right, boot leather is exactly what it was. My buddy Tom tried the same thing last summer from a little butcher shop that was closing down. He bragged about saving $40 on a whole packer. After trimming and 16 hours of smoke, he said it tasted like a dry eraser. He was so mad he actually took a picture of the finished brisket and sent it to the shop's old number, but nobody answered. Cost him a whole weekend and a tank of propane for nothing. He still talks about it every time we fire up the smoker.