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How much to charge for smoked brisket
Brisket prices can vary greatly depending on where are you buy them.
If you were the one doing the smoking and selling of the meat, consider offering roughly 15 to 20 dollars per pound of sliced brisket.
Usually, whenever you go to a restaurant or a catering event, you will be paying about that amount per pound of brisket.
That is the average cost of the typical slice from a whole packer style piece of barbecue.
Why brisket can be expensive
One of the reasons why a brisket can be considered a relatively expensive coat of me to be selling to other people, is due to the intense labor and effort that goes in two preparing and cooking the meat itself.
Usually, a brisket will take over 12 hours just to cook all the way through, not to mention several more hours required to rest the brisket and then finally serve it.
Customers aren’t really paying just for the meat itself.
Again, you are paying for all of the preparation, labor, effort, and time that has definitely gone in to the entire process.
Of course, meat shortages and what not I can certainly rack up the price as well.
However, consider the aspect of labor intensive nurse to be the primary factor in the high cost of brisket at catering events and restaurants.
Average price per pound for a smoked brisket
The average price for a piece of brisket is around $15-$20 per pound.
This can vary between the grade of brisket, and that area of the brisket that you were obtaining the slices from.
For example, if you are getting a Wien piece of brisket, you are most likely getting a slice from the flat portion of the meat.
Leaner pieces of brisket typically are a little bit more expensive and can run towards the higher end of per pound when selling to customers.
If you were getting a fatty or type of brisket slice, then consider it to be from the point area of the brisket.
This is not his favorite among many people, therefore it can be very cost-effective for customers to be buying this as opposed to the portion of the brisket.
Price per pound of brisket flat
As noted above, when you are selling brisket to your clients and customers, consider the average market rate for brisket.
Use the rough estimate of around $15-$20 per pound of sliced meat.
When selling a brisket flat solely on its own, consider offering it to people at around $20 per pound of sliced brisket meat.
Price per pound of brisket point
Selling a brisket point in slices can be a great way to obtain market share.
A lot of people don’t have tons of money to be spending on me, so if you can cater towards a certain price range that is acceptable to the average person, you will certainly gain market share from them.
That means selling brisket point slices at around $15 per pound.
Not only is it cost-effective, but it can be a great alternative to the wiener portion of the brisket itself.
Personally, I love the point because it is so fatty and melts in your mouth.
Choosing to sell the entire packer brisket
If you have a lot of people that love your barbecue, then consider offering an entire packer brisket to them.
Aaron Franklin actually does this here in Austin, and all he does is pre-smoked the entire brisket, then vacuum seals it and probably ships it over to whoever orders it.
This can be a great way to sell in bulk to many people while also obtaining a lot of money in the process.
How much does a brisket weigh?
Briskets usually weigh about 15 to 25 pounds for an entire packer style brisket that has not been trimmed.
If you were trimming a brisket or buy one that has already been trimmed, you will find that briskets can be around 12 to 20 pounds.
That means about five or so pounds of the brisket is entirely fat that you can certainly choose to cut off.
Not only does the amount of fat factor in to the weight of the brisket, the grade and type of grocery store that you are sourcing from can definitely play a factor in the overall amount present.
Price to sell an entire brisket
If you’re selling a brisket packer and are wondering how much to sell the entire thing for without even slicing it first, consider selling at a bulk discounted rate.
That means selling it for about $14 or $15 per pound.
For a 20 pound brisket packer, that means about $300.
Selling a brisket for that much is a great source of income and can certainly make the buyer happy when they receive an entirely smoked brisket just for them.
Final Thoughts
Again, one of the reasons why a brisket can certainly cost quite a bit of money, is because of the labor time, and preparedness that it is necessary to produce amazing quality barbecue.
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.