How to Choose the Best Brisket in the Store, According to a Pro

Like so many things, even the best cooking plans can benefit from a little expert advice. Something like brisket (which most people reserve for special occasions when they make it at home) requires even more attention. Unlike, say, an everyday butterflied chicken breast or a simple broiled steak, a big, beautiful cut of beef brisket requires valuable care and careful attention before it even makes it into your shopping cart.

On this topic (including, incidentally, the part of the cow from which the brisket is taken), Chowhound reached out to Derek Piva, executive chef of the restaurant at Tu Tu’ Tun Lodge, for some exclusive tips on choosing a top brisket. “When choosing a brisket, look for one with good marbling,” Piva said. “The fat throughout the meat is essential for flavor and moisture during the long cooking process. A uniform thickness brisket is ideal because it cooks evenly.”

Derek Piva’s procedure is easy to follow in a regular supermarket meat department: maximize the fat content and aim for a consistent amount. And if you see a cattle professional, you can get an even deeper cut, so to speak. “When you buy from a butcher,” Piva said, “request a brisket that hasn’t been over-trimmed. Ask for the ‘packer cut,’ which includes both the flat and pointed sides to ensure a balance of lean and fatty meat.”

A packer cut is also made from the cow’s brisket and differs from a regular old beef brisket in its fat content and fat distribution. Instead of just the flat side of the brisket, which is leaner, or just the tip, which is fattier, get both halves to make a perfect whole. Not only is this larger portion necessary to serve large, festive groups, but it also provides a little more variety for any picky eaters in the group. If you have the baby at home and have prepped it with the fat cap intact, expect to smoke it for most of the day.