Alright, gonna do our first big event -- barbecue for the church this weekend. Will need 7-8 briskets, and with that many, a few cents a pound can save a few bucks. HEB has them for like $1.68 a pound. What is Costco's price? Isn't it around $1.59? Does anyone have a cheaper source?
You're killing me. In Alabama, briskets are running $2.50-$3.50/pound, and that's at Sam's. Gotta try Costco for this weekend.
So what do the experts out there recommend as far as precooked weight per person when buying briskets?
I generally presume that, with a mixed crowd (women and kids included therein), a 12+ pound brisket will serve 20. A 12 pound brisket yields about 7+ pounds of edible meat, so about 1/3 lb per person, on average. (Guys eat more like 1/2 lb, kids eat more like 1/4 lb). Now that I think about it, we're going to be serving 140 people. I was counting on 7 briskets. To make for a safe margin of error, I either need to make it 8, or I need to make sure that they're all over 12.5 pounds or so.
I don't know about TODAY, but it used to be that HEB's less than 3 miles apart would vary as much as a dollar a pound on brisket. The HEB out Austin Hwy would be competing with the Ft. Sam PX and 3 miles down the road you would have the predecessor to Central Market (I know Central Market doesn't count - back in the day it was just a regular old HEB). I can't speak for today.
Some items prices at HEB do vary store to store. The main reason is to do with the competition in the area. If there is a super walmart across the street the prices will usually be lower than an HEB all by itself.
Costco's briskets are friggin huge - the biggest I've ever seen. Not sure about price, but it's gonna be way better than HEB.
Anyone ever find a brisket @ Costco outside of Texas? I'd like to pick one up for cheap here in L.A, but I'm not sure if they'll stock them.
If you don't see it at the supermarket, try asking the butcher. At my local stores they sometimes have them in the back. You gotta ask for it the right way of else you get the half brisket with all the fat trimmed off.
I have been going to Sam's this tailgate season. I believe that they are either $1.49 or $1.59/lb. I can tell you tomorrow. I need to get some briskets for the big showdown with SHSU.
I had to stop at CostCo for gasoline on the way home from work, so I popped in to check out their briskets for you. They're $1.55/lb.
I was once told that all the California brisket gets sent to Texas and all the Texas Tri-tip gets sent to California. Try to find Tri-tip around here. There might be something to it.
I have no idea how to cook it or even where you rip it off of the cow. I've just always heard Texans don't get Tri-tip and Cali doesn't get our fascination with brisket. I don't really give half a **** one way or the other. I find that I get to eat things that please me often enough. So long as I don't have to please things that eat me.
I can usually find brisket at super wal mart for $1.49 everyday low price. Often has a big fat cap that needs trimmed down tho. Cooks nice. Have found as cheap as $0.79 - $0.99 on sale at Kroger/ Fiesta.
I saw a tri-tip at the Costco in South Austin. The package price was $77.00 for something a little bigger than a standard brisket. You can send it to Cali with my blessings.
dolla fiddy five a pound at Costco -- I bought $140 worth of meat (7 briskets, all around 13 lbs) last night. And I NEVER EVER EVER trim a fat cap before cooking, even if it's "too big." It will trim just fine after cooking. I will see if I can take some pics of the finished products on Saturday.
I was on the lookout for $0.99/lb briskets before Labor Day weekend and never did find 'em. Kinda pissed me off as i've become quite used to those deals and had begun to think of it as a constitutional right. $1.55 sounds decent, though.
I realize that some of you (Brak I think) said that prices do not generally vary from store to store, but that is misleading. If you are talking about standard grocery items and GM - your right. If there is one place you can find variation - it is the meat market. I know a couple of the meat market managers down here in SA and when we play golf they talk about what they have on sale. They typically all run the same sale as per the HEB mailer, but they all have different issues with the individual meat at their store. Somtimes I can find tbone or sirloin or strip for 1-2 dollars less per pound at one of their HEBs. They will call me and another buddy and tell us something along the lines of "hey, the strip is on sale today. You should come by and get some. Its an unadvertised because we are (overstocked, short life left, etc.). Happens all the time. As for tri-tip. I used to work at a bbq in high school and the first few years in college. We served tri tip serloin on Sundays. It is a great cut. I am not sure how they come in the stores because I have never looked at buying them. But they used to send them to us in 60 pound boxes. There were several vaccuum packed packages of a few sirloins apiece. They were about 4 pounds uncooked or so. We just bbqed them like we did our briskets. when keeping the fire at about 300 they took a little over 3 hours. They come out very tender and with great flavor. They are a very lean cut of meat and drastically different than brisket, but they are very good.
$1.46/lb at Sam's. I bought 2. I think that makes an even 20 briskets for the month of September. Not too shabby...
