Opinions on Fresh vs Frozen Briskets

Thumpinbass · February 06, 2015, 01:39:15 AM

Here's my dilema,

I will be doing a big smoke consisting of 3-4 briskets to serve on Feb 18th. Since I am doing this for a church, I have to keep the costs down. So I am getting my packers from Walmart. Because of needing 3-4, I don't want to wait til the last minute to get them just in case they don't have the amount that I need. So, Is there a problem getting the briskets now and freezing them til sometime the end of next week or take my chances and wait til the end of next week to get them.

Or The other big question is if i buy them now, will they last in the fridge for 10 days so I don't have to worry about freezing them?

Thank you

Habanero Smoker · February 06, 2015, 02:28:27 AM

If you are ordering from Wal-Mart, make sure you get choice grade. Lately I've been only seeing select grade at my local Wall-Mart. Some say it is best not to freeze. Others say it doesn't matter. One thing you can look for is the use by/sell by date on the package. If they are cryovac, which they will be if you age getting them from Wal-Mart, they should have an extended "sell by" date. So you can go by the sell by date.

Since you are ordering the briskets, ask them to provide you the packing date. That information is marked on the case the briskets come in, so ask then ahead of time. As long as you are within 30 days of that date (many sources state 50 days), and the meat has been handled correctly, the briskets can be held in the refrigerator. When people hold their brisket in the refrigerator for 30 - 45 days, it is called wet aging.

Thumpinbass · February 06, 2015, 04:54:43 AM

Hello habanero, I probably could talk to the meat manager and get them ordered in also, but our Walmart stocks them in the meat section so I was just going to grab them from there.

How can I tell if they are select or choice grade? Will it say on the packaging?

Last time I bought a brisket, it was around $2.69 lb. last summer. Now the Last time I was at Walmart and looked at them, they were around $3.49 lb. so I'm hoping they didn't go up more from there.

Probably heading over to Walmart today to see what they have in stock. I will be sure to check the sell by date.

Allen

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KyNola · February 06, 2015, 07:14:14 AM

The packaging should have the grade, select or choice, printed on it. If not, be sure to ask.

TedEbear · February 06, 2015, 08:53:06 AM

Quote from: Thumpinbass on February 06, 2015, 04:54:43 AM
Last time I bought a brisket, it was around $2.69 lb. last summer. Now the Last time I was at Walmart and looked at them, they were around $3.49 lb. so I'm hoping they didn't go up more from there.

Seems like a decent price. I bought a brisket about a month ago and it was $5.99/lb. That's the regular price in my area. I don't buy briskets very often.

Thumpinbass · February 06, 2015, 09:46:59 AM

So I'm at Walmart now and it's $3.68 lb. briskest are avg 12-13 lbs each and they are USDA Choice.

Allen

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Habanero Smoker · February 06, 2015, 01:12:41 PM

Finding a meat manager at my local Wal-Marts, is almost an impossibility. :) You are good to go. Are the sell by dates going to take you through the 18th?

You got a good price. Depending I where I shop; briskets are going for $5.50/lb. to $7.60/lb.

renoman · February 06, 2015, 02:44:45 PM

You will always lose some moisture if you freeze.

Thumpinbass · February 06, 2015, 02:48:08 PM

I found someone in the meat dept. they are ordering a case of them. So I'm taking 4 of the 6 in the case. Was originally going to only do 3 but that was at 16-17 lbs each. Since these are around 12-13 lbs, I'm taking 4. Even though they are only that weight, they are long and not all that thick so I will have to 'bend' them into the trays still.

They will be in on Monday.

If only I could do all 4 in my BDS at one time it would make it easier.

Allen

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KyNola · February 06, 2015, 06:16:49 PM

You can do all 4 in your Bradley for the smoke process then move them to your house oven to finish the cook. Set your house oven at whatever temp you feel good about cooking a brisket and let them ride. I would cook them at 225-250 in your house oven. When you move them to the house I would wrap them in foil with some beef stock in the packages and let them ride until you hit the internal temp you want.

That's the way I would go. Folks much more knowledgeable than me about cooking briskets will come long and give you better advice.

Habanero Smoker · February 07, 2015, 02:18:20 AM

Below is a link on how Pachanga cooks multiple briskets in his six rack BDS. You may be able to fit three of the four briskets in your smoker. If you are using the original water bowl, you should check it every 3 - 4 hours to make sure it has not filled up with grease. I've never tried applying as much smoke as he has, so you may want to stick with 4 - 6 hours.
Brisket Pachanga

In another thread I recall you mentioning you could not fit more than two briskets in your oven. Another alternative is to smoke two in the Bradley. After the smoke has been applied, transfer them to foiled pans, add some low sodium broth, cover with foil and cook them in the oven. While those two are cooking in the oven, start the other two in the Bradley. You may be able to completely finish cooking the last two in the Bradley, or transfer them to the oven when the first two briskets are finished.

Thumpinbass · February 07, 2015, 06:14:47 AM

That's what I thought about doing. 2 for smoking, move to house oven and then smoke and continue the other 2 in the smoker. I'm still up in the air whether I am doing 3 or 4 yet. 50 lbs of brisket seems like a lot for 100+ people.

Since the weight is a pre-cooked weight, does anyone know how much you loose during smoking? 10% maybe? You almost have to take this into account how much you will need for the people.

At least 12 lb briskets won't take as long as 16-17 lb ones will. :-)

Allen

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Habanero Smoker · February 07, 2015, 01:10:20 PM

I was on Steve Raichelin's site earlier today. He states it could be anywhere from 40% - 60% loss. This includes trimming, then fat rendering and moisture loss during cooking. So for every pound of raw brisket, you will end up with 6 - 9 ounces of cooked brisket. As for the amount needed, he states it depends on the crowd, but the rule of thumb is the 1lb. per adult; and 1/2lb. per child. But in the adult category; women and older adults will eat less, and men, especially young men will eat more..

Thumpinbass · February 07, 2015, 01:18:14 PM

Wow, Thanks for the info. That 40-60% sounds like a lot. Not saying that's not accurate. Just seems high.

I have a 4.3 lb flat brisket (still with a fat cap) in the BDS right now. I'll weight it when it's done. Been in since 2.

Thank you for the info as always.

Allen

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Habanero Smoker · February 07, 2015, 01:32:05 PM

Flats you will find the percentage less, because there is less fat to render out. He also points out; I'm paraphrasing here; if you don't trim before you cook, it will just be trimmed at the plate. :) Fortunately I relocated the site that I recalled getting the information from. It has a lot of additional information about brisket.

Brisket FAQ