Beef brisket - what did I just buy? Help!

[WideGlideMike00]

Finding a "packer" beef brisket seems to have turned into a search for the Holy Grail for me.
After reading several posts here about packers and where to buy them, I high-tailed it straight down to my local Costco. (I am in Central Ca. / Sacramento area)
Strike one! Butcher says they quit carrying them due to their lack of popularity.
Went to Sam's club - Strike 2! They like Costco said they quit carrying them.
Went to my local Bel-Air / Raley's (was saving for a last resort) All they had were flats, like 2 lb range. $4.99 lb!! Strike 3!
Another few weeks pass and a friend mentions he just got a packer brisket at Sam's. yay! I head straight to Sam's again! - Nope. Strike 4? I said what gives? I friend said he just bought one here!?! Go back home and make a call to Sam's corporate. Seems that individual stores can opt to carry them .. or not. So Roseville Sam's carries them. But then they tell me that I can go back to my local and special order them. Shazam! I drive back and tell them I want to order a packer brisket. No problem says the butcher man, and starts to take down my information. He then asks me "Whatchya gonna do with 80 Lbs. of brisket?" What?!?! Seems the special order is 80 Lbs at a time. Crappola. Strike 5.

Was out shopping today and drove past a Savemart - decided to go on a scavenger hunt. Go direct to the butcher counter. Ask if they have an packer brisket. The guy thinks about it for a minute and asks if I am a Greenbay Packer fan. WTF? He didn't have a clue what a packer brisket was. Maybe I am asking/looking for the wrong thing.
So then I say "a whole brisket" and he says, yeah we've got one and they are called "trimmed briskets" ....err ok. Out of frustration I bought it (9.7 lbs) as it sure looked better than the 2 lb rectangles the Bel-Air had. The trimmed brisket was $2.49 Lb. Not as good as the $1.89 Lb. that my friend got his brisket in Roseville Sam's but that the hey, it's an experiment.

Anyways, sorry for the long intro on this post... but here is a picture of what I got. So, what is it?  ;)
(I didn't take a pic of the other side, but it is all fat. A serious layer)

[ronbeaux]

Looks like your good to go. The left side is the flat. I usually cannot find a packer that small, mostely they are 12lbs minimum. That one should cook up just fine if you don't trim it anymore.

[GusRobin]

This may help
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57882&highlight=brisket+flat+point+fat

[WideGlideMike00]

This may help
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57882&highlight=brisket+flat+point+fat

Perfect!!

[SL2010]

Heck for 1.89 a pound i would of got all 80 pounds there is nothing wrong with buying in bulk it will be a hit to wallet it at the time but it almost always pays off in the long run

[ghost9mm]

Yes Sir if I can get a real good price I am going to buy more as long as I have room in the freezer... we picked up some chicken last week at 99 cents a pound and we bought a bunch...

[WideGlideMike00]

Heck for 1.89 a pound i would of got all 80 pounds there is nothing wrong with buying in bulk it will be a hit to wallet it at the time but it almost always pays off in the long run

Agreed, I had been thinking about that for sure. I just asked a friend with a smoker (Big Green Egg) if he wanted to split the 80 lbs. No problem!
So if they were 10 Lb. average, that would *only* be 4 briskets! (when we split the order)

[Gizmo]

Call one of the Smart & Final stores in your area.  The ones here in San Diego all carry the whole briskets.  You will need to look at the package to tell if it is a select or choice grade of meat (they carry both here mixed in the same bin).  I wouldn't let the grade deter the purchase, just good to know for price comparison if you find they carry both or find another store carrying the whole brisket.