British BBQ Society Forums

So the wife decided she wanted me to cook brisket this weekend and has unbeknown to me, gone to the local butcher and brought a full brisket (flared from the bone with the ribs separate) - she said it cost £65, and i realised that I had no idea what the going price for a full brisket is and if she had been done like a kipper?!?!

I didn't buy a whole one, but I paid somewhere in the region of just under £6 per KG i think.

Expect between £6 -£9 per kilo at the moment. I would typically expect a while brisket to be in the 6-7kg range.

Cool, so it was the higher end of the spectrum - although, from what she tells me, it was weighed as bone-in, hence the freezer full of beef-ribs, which might explain the price - back to my regular catering butcher next time i think!

Mine for MIM cost £35

I can alwaYs get for you at £4.80 per kg if you pick up from Portslade

I now pay about £5.50/kg untrimmed from my butcher although it does cost me a couple of gallon of petrol to go pick it up, but I have had decent meat from him every time.

The bonus for me is that its all traceable as the livestock all comes from the estate's herd of South Devons where the butcher is situated. The meat is hung for a couple of weeks before I ever see it, but then I can go look at it hanging in the cold room and choose my animal and how many ribs we cut to and help sheeting out from the ribs etc. Both the guys are really interested in what we do just as they're truly interested in meat unlike most of the "meat sellers" around who I don't know how they dare to call themselves butchers. They often supply me with pork butts too also from local stock and butchered just how I want it.

So in all its probably not the cheapest of briskets by the time I trim off probably 3kg from a 10kg untrimmed brisket but I've always had a great tasting piece of meat at the end of it even when I've been less than perfect with my smoking.

Not disputing the rest of your post but I thought all UK beef had to be traceable?

It does, but I think he means he can go and see it on the hoof rather than look at paperwork. My butcher reckons on around £3.99 per Kg On The Bone and 6-7 boned and trimmed for 28 day hung beef.

it is my personal opinion that , unlike higher end cuts such as steak, brisket does not benefit greatly from dry ageing. It does seem to improve with wet ageing if you have a fridge that you can keep your cryovacced beef in without opening the door too often.Please note though that when it is removed from its packaging it may smell strongly and you should rinse it well and pat it dry before applying any rub or , dare I say it, injecting.