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Costco is one of the best places for you to shop for a brisket. You will find that they will have the cuts you are looking for as well as the packer style if you are looking to cook an entire brisket. The weights will vary allowing you to choose the best brisket for your needs.
How Does Costco Cut Brisket?
When you shop at Costco for your brisket, you will find that you can choose from several cuts. You can select the flat brisket, the point, or you can pick the packer-style brisket. Each cut will offer you a different amount of meat, with the packer style offering the most meat since it’s the whole brisket.
The flat will offer about 10 pounds of meat and the point about 6 pounds of meat. Each cut can offer you an awesome taste and texture. Costco does trim their brisket some before packaging it. You may find that you’d like to trim off more of the fat, but be careful not to trim away too much since that’s where a lot of the flavor comes from.
Is It OK To Cut A Brisket In Half Before Smoking?
You can definitely cut your brisket in half before placing it on the smoker. You will need to keep your cooking time in mind and remember to cut it in half as well. Monitor your brisket with a meat thermometer to make sure you don’t over cook it.
Cutting the brisket in half is a good way to cut your cooking time in half as well. If you’re in a hurry or if your brisket won’t fit on your smoker, cutting it in half may be the best solution.
How To Trim A Costco Brisket After Smoking
Once you’ve smoked your brisket and are ready to cut it, cut it in half so that you are able to separate the point from the flat. When you are slicing the flat, slice it against the grain. When cutting the point, turn the point 90 degrees and then slice it in half.
Make certain that you slice the point against the grain as well. Make your slices about a quarter of an inch thick. You are ready to serve your brisket.
How To Trim A Costco Brisket
Trimming your brisket is important. You don’t want to have too much fat on your brisket, but you also don’t want to cut it all away. Trimming too much can leave you with a dry brisket that can be tough to eat.
Costco and many other stores will trim their brisket before packaging it, so you may not need to do any more trimming prior to cooking it. If you see spots where you feel the fat is too thick, then you should cut that thickness away. Use your best judgement for your preference but remember once you cut it off, you can put it back.
How To Butcher Costco Brisket Flat
When you are ready to butcher your brisket flat, you will want to make sure that you leave about 1/4 inch of fat on the brisket. Too much fat will prevent the flavors from getting to the meat of the brisket. You do want to have scores of fat on your brisket so that you are able to have a brisket that is moist and juicy.
You will know the areas of the brisket that you need to trim the fat from as the fat will be thick in some areas. When your brisket is ready for slicing, remember that you want to cut against the grain so that you get nice smooth cuts, like brisket steaks. The slices should be about a quarter of an inch.
How To Butcher Costco Brisket Point
When you need to butcher your point, keep in mind that the point is going to have more fat in it than the flat. The fat will help add flavor to your meat. You can trim off any that you feel is too much but don’t trim too much, you don’t want to trim away your flavor. Your point will be so tender that you can shred that meat if you choose too and the fat will help add all of the delicious flavor you want.
When you’re ready to slice your point, you will want to make sure that you cut against the grain on it. Cutting against the grain is going to give you some really great pieces of meat that are to die for. Flavors and juices are going to explode in your mouth when you bite into it.
How To Butcher Costco Brisket Packer
Trimming is an essential part of creating the best brisket. When you’re ready to trim, put your brisket fat side up and cut off the fat so that you begin to expose some of the meat. Exposing the meat will allow the flavors of your seasoning or rubs to penetrate into the meat. You will notice a large fat cap from the point to where it meets the flat. This is the part you want to trim.
You can leave about a quarter of an inch of fat in some spots to add flavor. You do want to expose the meat that is on the point and leave more fat on the flat. Trimming a brisket can seem like a difficult task but you will get better at it each time you do it.
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.