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Prime is better than Choice. It has more marbling than choice, which is a lot leaner. If you are picking a brisket, prime is the best grade to get.
Prime is definitely worth the money, but if you are on a budget, choice can be just as worth it. You can tell a good brisket by how even the thickness is throughout the length of the brisket.
For smoking, I recommend a prime brisket, it cooks faster and is frankly the best type of brisket to cook.
Is Choice or Prime Better?
Prime brisket is generally better than Choice grade brisket.
When you are selecting a brisket to get – you will want to look at the fat contents, the thickness throughout the meat, and what grade it is. A prime grade brisket will indicate to the buyer the level of ‘quality’ present within the meat.
This quality is scored on the basis of the items mentioned above:
- Thickness of the meat
- Marbling (fat contents between muscle fibers)
In prime grade briskets – you will find the marbling to be of excellent quantity, with enough thickness to go around.
Furthermore, here is an excerpt from the USDA which give further credence to how a brisket grade is ‘scored’:
Quality grades for tenderness, juiciness and flavor; and yield grades for the amount of usable lean meat on the carcass
Is Prime More Marbled than Choice?
Prime is more marbled than choice. That is one of the indicators on what to grade a brisket.
As mentioned by the USDA themselves, prime beef is more of a delicacy compared to choice:
Prime beef is produced from young, well-fed beef cattle. It has abundant marbling (the amount of fat interspersed with lean meat), and is generally sold in restaurants and hotels. Prime roasts and steaks are excellent for dry-heat cooking such as broiling, roasting or grilling.
With regards to Choice, the USDA notates that although Choice grade is still high quality – but a lot more lean than prime:
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. Such cuts will be most tender if braised, roasted or simmered with a small amount of liquid in a tightly covered pan.
This should serve as a good indication as to which cut of brisket is more marbled than the other.
Despite which one you happen to pick – any type of brisket can come out great if you are willing to expend the extra effort.
Is Choice Leaner than Prime?
Choice is leaner than prime as it does not have as much marbling compared to Prime.
The USDA mentions that many of the traditionally non tender cuts of meat, such as brisket, will be best prepared basically by slow-cooking or smoking:
Many of the less tender cuts can also be cooked with dry heat if not overcooked. Such cuts will be most tender if braised, roasted or simmered with a small amount of liquid in a tightly covered pan
Since the Choice grade of any cut of meat, including brisket, is a lot leaner than brisket – it is best to take more of a concerted approach to cooking it properly. Leaner grades will require more attention since the marbling content within the meat is not as strong as a prime grade piece of meat.
In other words, having marbling within your brisket matters a lot when considering the amount of fault tolerance you have in cooking it.
What is the Best Grade of Brisket?
Prime Grade Brisket is the best. The juiciness, tenderness, fat content, and ease of cooking make it worth the extra money.
Juiciness & Tenderness
The Juiciness and tenderness of a prime grade brisket is superb. Since the USDA specifically picks out the types of briskets that will give the most juicy and tender results to a prime grade brisket – it makes complete sense why someone would choose it over a leaner version such as Choice.
Fat Content & Ease of cooking
Prime Grade Brisket is a lot more marbled and has more fat content intertwined within the meat, which makes it a lot more forgiving when cooking. Briskets have a history of being very finicky cuts of barbecue. They dry out easily, and are really hard to get right. With a Prime Grade Brisket, the marbling can serve as a shield and lubricant to your meat which not only protects the leaner portions from drying out – but also give you incredible taste.
Is Prime Brisket Worth the Money?
Prime Brisket is worth the extra money you would spend normally on a lesser cut such as Choice.
Furthermore, the main issue between whether or not you should get a prime or choice brisket is your budget.
Ask yourself whether or not you are willing to expend a little more money per pound for a substantially more marbled, juicy, and tender Grade of Brisket.
Is the difference meaningfully different in taste/texture?
The difference in taste and texture is attested to by the USDA themselves when they mention that in the selection process that a Prime Brisket is selected on the basis of how juicy and tender it is.
Therefore, a Prime Grade Brisket has the potential to be a lot different in taste and texture than that of a Choice Grade Brisket.
Also look at the actual prices associated with both a Choice and Prime Grade Brisket:
- Choice Grade: $2.99/lb
- Prime Grade: $3.99/lb
These are just rough estimations based on my local grocery stores – but in reality – Prime Grade Briskets are largely just a few dollars more in total than a Choice, which makes it a very compelling reason to always go with Prime.
You don’t have to shell out over a $100 or more for a Prime Brisket.
Is Choice Brisket Worth the Money?
Choice Brisket can be a great alternative to Prime Grade Brisket when budgeting is a concern.
Prime Grade Brisket’s are worth the money, but if you have tight monetary restrictions that lead you to consider otherwise, don’t worry! Choice Grade Brisket is still a fantastic option.
After all, it is still considered top quality by the USDA:
Choice beef is high quality, but has less marbling than Prime.
Even though there is less marbling, you can still be rest assured that your Choice Grade Brisket can come out excellent. It will probably be more lean, but that’s just fine. Lots of people will tend to like a leaner piece of meat anyways.
How Can You Tell a Good Brisket?
If you have even thickness throughout your brisket, either choice or prime grade, and if your brisket has great marbling – you have a good brisket in your hands.
To reiterate, there are multiple factors that would lead someone to determine whether or not a brisket is in fact a good one:
- Thickness of Brisket
- Grade of Brisket
- Amount of Marbling
Thickness of Brisket
The thickness of Brisket should be at least 2 inches thick all throughout the meat. When selecting one, you want to ensure that the thickness is as even as possible from end to end. Both the flat and point should be roughly the same in the amount of thickness.
Grade of Brisket
Grade of Brisket can be a good indicator of a good brisket. Prime and Choice Grade briskets are indicators that your end product for your brisket will come out great. Given that the thickness and marbling are up to par – I will want to choose a Prime brisket. Otherwise, a choice grade brisket can be just as good if the marbling and thickness are superb.
Brisket Marbling
Brisket Marbling is a very important factor in selecting a good brisket. It gives you more leeway when actually cooking the brisket, and has the propensity to make the texture and tenderness absolutely fantastic.
Choice or Prime Brisket for Smoking?
Prime Brisket is best for Smoking. Choice can be a good alternative when you are on a budget, but Prime gives more consistent and predictable results.
When you are taking the effort to smoke a Brisket – ensure that you select the right Grade of Brisket.
Prime Grade Briskets will generally give you a more consistent cook and end product than choice.
The reason Prime Grade Brisket will give you those consistent results is due to the marbling, fat content, and general thickness present throughout.
It goes back to how a Brisket is graded.
Prime Grade Briskets are scored on their propensity of how juicy, tender, and marbled they are. This means that a Prime Grade Brisket will overall taste way better than a choice brisket ever will.
For smoking, high marble content will smooth the meat and make it less prone to drying out. That is why most experienced pit masters will often suggest you spend the extra money per pound on a Prime Grade Brisket to ensure the end product is superb.
Does Prime Brisket Cook Faster Than Choice?
Prime brisket cooks faster than choice due to its’ higher marbling and fat content. There is less connective tissue to cook through.
Cooking a Prime Brisket produces amazing results in part because of it’s high marble and fat contents. This is one of the scoring factors in your brisket.
Furthermore, when going out and smoking or cooking the piece of meat – there will be less cook time. The cook time is decreased since there is less actual lean connective tissue to render down at the famed 200 degrees internal.
Many of the Prime Briskets I have smoked have Smoked have always come out quicker than the Choice Grade Briskets.
What Type of Brisket is the Best for Smoking?
A brisket that is either Choice or Prime grade is the best for Smoking. Those are the two primary indicators of a great brisket to be smoked. Besides the Grade of Brisket being selected, you will want to look for one that has even thickness throughout, and has excellent marbling content.
Head on over to your local grocery store – or Costco – and take a look at the Brisket container.
In there, you will find a variety of briskets in multiple sizes, weight, and Grades.
If you want a Brisket that gives you great results – your first measure to select the best type of brisket for smoking will be the Grade. Always select Prime over Choice if the thickness and marbling are constant.
Otherwise, let’s say you select a Choice Grade Brisket that has way better thickness and marbling – just pick that one.
Best Way to Smoke Choice or Prime?
For Prime Briskets, you can either smoke them hot and fast or low and slow. For Choice Briskets, you may want to consider low and slow due to how lean they are.
Smoking Prime Brisket
Smoking a Prime Brisket can be done in one of two ways:
- Hot and Fast
- Low and Slow
The reason there is a high variance in the method of smoking you brisket is simply due to the Prime Brisket’s fat and marbling content.
Remember as we discussed earlier – a high marbling and fat content will generally produce ensue a more forgiving and tolerable brisket.
That just means if you happen to really crank the heat up on your Prime Brisket – you don’t need to worry as much about the internal temperature going too crazy where it will cause the brisket to overcook and dry out.
Smoking Choice Brisket
It’s recommended to smoke a Choice Grade Brisket in the following way:
- Low and Slow
The reason you will want to at least consider smoking your Choice Brisket low and slow is due to how lean it is. A lean brisket is especially prone to drying out, compared to a Prime Brisket. Temperatures can fluctuate wildly, and you don’t want them to spike too hot and dry it out.
There isn’t really anything magical about smoking either hot and fast or low and slow – just more of a philosophy and recommendation to consider when smoking your awesome brsiket.
Robert is a certified Pitmaster, with over a decade of experience in smoking the best meats you’ll ever feast upon. He also has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. When he’s not researching technical topics, he’s most likely barbecuing in his backyard.