Which brisket

[Chris__M]

Tiny

The "Packer Cut Brisket" on T&G's website makes no mention of USDA.

From the T&G FAQ:

Q: Where does your meat come from?

A: Our meat is sourced from various farms and smallholdings around the UK. We have personal and longstanding relationships with our farmers, and can guarantee the provenance of all our meat. We know and have visited the fields and pastures that our animals lived on, and know that they went from there to slaughter, and then directly to us.

From that, I have been assuming that - unless stated otherwise - their beef is UK bred.

[essexsmoker]

As far as I remember someone said previously that you even get a little bit of info with the TG one stating which breed the meat is from, normally British.

I only thought about the TH because ISTR that Tom said he uses Aussie grain fed.

All I want is good fat covering and marbling. If that means I have to go to Australia for it then so be it.
I'd like some Hereford as I believe they have good intramuscular marbling but it's so hard to source.

Think I will give the TG a try first as they are British. Then if no good I'll go with TH until I can find another source.

[Scantily]

As far as I remember someone said previously that you even get a little bit of info with the TG one stating which breed the meat is from, normally British.

I only thought about the TH because ISTR that Tom said he uses Aussie grain fed.

All I want is good fat covering and marbling. If that means I have to go to Australia for it then so be it.
I'd like some Hereford as I believe they have good intramuscular marbling but it's so hard to source.

Think I will give the TG a try first as they are British. Then if no good I'll go with TH until I can find another source.

I cooked one of the T&G briskets last year, they are from British breeds (mine was a dexter) and you get a little card telling you the breed and kill date. It was absolutely fantastic.

[essexsmoker]

As far as I remember someone said previously that you even get a little bit of info with the TG one stating which breed the meat is from, normally British.

I only thought about the TH because ISTR that Tom said he uses Aussie grain fed.

All I want is good fat covering and marbling. If that means I have to go to Australia for it then so be it.
I'd like some Hereford as I believe they have good intramuscular marbling but it's so hard to source.

Think I will give the TG a try first as they are British. Then if no good I'll go with TH until I can find another source.

I cooked one of the T&G briskets last year, they are from British breeds (mine was a dexter) and you get a little card telling you the breed and kill date. It was absolutely fantastic.

Ahh. Thought so. Was it well marbled?

[Scantily]

As far as I remember someone said previously that you even get a little bit of info with the TG one stating which breed the meat is from, normally British.

I only thought about the TH because ISTR that Tom said he uses Aussie grain fed.

All I want is good fat covering and marbling. If that means I have to go to Australia for it then so be it.
I'd like some Hereford as I believe they have good intramuscular marbling but it's so hard to source.

Think I will give the TG a try first as they are British. Then if no good I'll go with TH until I can find another source.

I cooked one of the T&G briskets last year, they are from British breeds (mine was a dexter) and you get a little card telling you the breed and kill date. It was absolutely fantastic.

Ahh. Thought so. Was it well marbled?

No, It wasn't hugely marbled, but it was still juicy and tender, not dry at all. It had a good fat cap and a decent sized point. Delivery was quick, it was vacuum sealed and surrounded by cool packs. Next time I want to cook a brisket T&G will be high on my list.

Their porterhouse steaks are fantastic also.

[Chris__M]

Thought folk might be interested in seeing the T&G Brisket that has just arrived.

[Jash Monolith]

Online works well, but for UK beef, with decent butcher just get them to bring through the section and pick the piece you want, pick the best bit with the most marbling. I use both USDA and UK and like both.

[Kiska95]

Hi jash
It's finding that butcher that buys on the bone which is the problem

[Chris__M]

If you can find a butcher who can supply what you want, that is great. But in my experience many butchers are geared to supply the popular British cuts and that is all.

I have tried to order a brisket from two different local butchers, neither of which are "bad" butchers - in fact one of them is very good, within their own product line. But even going in with a specific request, and diagrams of the cut I was looking for, neither were willing/able to supply what I wanted. In one case it ended up with the butcher getting in a large piece of cow with skin and bones still attached, which bore no resemblance to what I had asked for - and this was not as a prelude to butchering it for me, they thought I was going to walk away with that. The other butcher insisted that all I needed was a rolled brisket, which I could then "unroll". Except that all their rolled briskets were under 1kg.

A friend recently pointed me at another meat retailer in Peterborough, who they thought would help me. I ended up talking to the butcher there about their ability to supply briskets and bone in pork shoulders. Eventually, he asked "so what's this for?"

I told him I was into BBQ, and his eyes lit up, and he said "I have just what you need". He disappeared out back, and came out with a large shrink-wrapped tray, filled with burgers, sausages, ribs and chicken.

What was it that - after a lengthy and detailed conversation about large pieces of meat - made him think that what I really wanted was burgers, bangers and drumsticks?

So, given the choice of trying to order from a local source, and being constantly frustated and disappointed; and ordering British beef from an online supplier who I can see "gets it", I know which I will choose.

[Kiska95]

I'm defro with Chris on this one.

I tried the rolled version even bought a big piece (5KG) from a meat wholesaler/retailer who has loads of whole cows from local farms hanging in his chiller but when the strings were cut it was very thin, all lean (just silver skin) with another piece of meat packed inside. Obviously you wouldn't notice it if you were doing a pot roast. These guys don't want to cut in an American fashion and wont change for 1 brisket. Its stack em high, show them lean and sell them cheap. I ended up using it for Pastrami and corned beef!

My friend who who does BBQ as a street foodie vendor has to ask the same people for "Score" a north east term for beef shoulder to get the same tender meat but obviously not the traditional cut that a true brisket will give. They wont do it for him and he buys a lot!

I've got 2 "farm" shops I have yet to try but I was told that one has stopped bringing in full beasts and is buying in more cryo bagged as its more cost effective and less labour intensive

But that's my experience exactly, just very disappointing so T & G or Mr Hixon it is for me too