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Packer brisket
Packer briskets are perhaps one of the most popular types of barbecue meats that you can buy and smoke. They are basically a whole and uncut piece of brisket that is derived from the breast area of a cow.
It contains both the flat and the point parts of the muscle. The flat is really lean in nature, and has high connective tissue content within it.
The point is a lot more fattier in nature and Cooks quicker than the flat because of the high fat content ratio compared to the connective tissue ratio in the flat.
Both provide different experiences for eating and provide different flavor profiles as well, making a packer brisket an excellent choice for someone with a diverse palate.
How to find a whole Packer brisket near me
It’s really actually pretty simple to find a whole Packer brisket near where you are located. All you have to do is either go to a meat market or a grocery store that has a meat market in it. In either of those establishments, go up to the counter and ask the butcher if they have briskets.
If they do, they will either redirect you towards the meat bins that usually have the briskets already inside of them. If they don’t have those bins filled with briskets, The Butchers will most likely just go in the back and give you one that has already been cut for you.
You can request a whole Packer brisket that has not been cut or trimmed, or you can further request that they trim it for you, or perhaps even begin slicing it up into the different parts known as the flat and point.
It’s really up to you, but I like to always just get a whole packer style brisket because that gives you the most bang for your buck in terms of price per pound.
Packer brisket vs. flat
A packer style brisket is a lot different than just the flat part of a brisket. That’s basically just because a packer brisket has both the flat and the point still intact. They have not been separated, and are usually a lot cheaper on a per pound basis because you don’t have to pay for the labor that goes into cutting up a brisket into just a flat.
Now, a flat is really just half of a whole packer style brisket. It’s a lot more lean, and has higher connective tissues than the point does.
This is something that a lot of people actually really like because most people don’t like eating large fatty cuts of meat. That’s why flat only brisket is a thing. Despite getting just a leaner part of a brisket,, it’s usually a lot more expensive on a per pound basis regardless of what grade it is, so just keep that in mind when deciding between the two.
Average Packer brisket weights
Depending on the grade and the overall thickness of a particular Packer brisket, the Average weight can vary greatly. Since it has both the flat and the point still intact, you can expect a packer brisket to weigh anywhere from 10 to over 20 lb. That is a huge hunk of meat.
Not only that, but due to the economies of scale in a sense,, you’re actually getting a great bargain for buying that large piece of meat, even for a prime brisket. It’s a lot cheaper on a per pound basis than buying just a select cut of flat or Point brisket.
For higher grade Packers, such as Prime and choice, they usually weigh in a lot more because there is more marbling and fat that has been instituted between all of the different muscle fibers within the overall brisket itself.
This adds quite a bit of weight.
For lesser grades of brisket such a select, you can expect about 10 to 15 lb per packer. That’s simply just because there is less marbling but more connective tissue within them. It weighs a lot less but also provides a different flavor profile than those higher grades.
Buying a Packer brisket online
You can even start to buy Packer briskets online from various grocery stores. A lot of the different grocery stores that you can buy them from online include Costco, H-E-B, Walmart, and Kroger. There are a lot more other grocery stores, but these are the main ones that I have bought them from.
I haven’t really noticed a stark difference in price by buying it online versus buying it in person, but if you don’t want to have to travel all the way to any particular Meat Market or grocer, then buying them online is a no-brainer.
Final thoughts
Packer briskets are an excellent choice for anyone wanting to smoke a large piece of barbecue. It’s one of those Staples here down in Central Texas, and can produce amazing Quality Meat.
You get different flavor profiles that are present within both the flat and the point portions of the overall muscle, and you have a wide array of grades that you can select from.
Not only that, but they are very cost-effective because of the large amount of meat that you are actually buying. They are also a lot cheaper on a per pound basis than most other cuts of meat out there.
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.