Just got my first smoker

[MileHighGrowler]

(10-31-2021, 01:34 PM)jfkbengals Wrote: Fortunately this was already trimmed, so no waste.  At $10/lb I better not have to throw any of it away.

Although I have decided that the next time I have a large piece of meat that needs trimming, I will vacuum seal and freeze the waste.  Once I get enough scrap beef and fat (it would all be ribeye and/or brisket); I'll pick up a couple of sirloins and throw all of it through the meat grinder together to make some tasty ass burgers!

$10/lb?  That's crazy.  And it's just a flat, so you're missing out on the best part of the brisket!  

I'm waiting to see if the prices drop, and then I'll probably grab a couple of briskets to keep in the freezer.  Choice here has been $5/lb (whole/packer brisket), which is just too much in my opinion.  It was $2-3 not that long ago.  Prices might stay high from what I'm hearing from ranchers around here, but more than $5/lb is just more than I'm willing to pay unless I know the prices aren't going back down. 

Costco/Sam's are my go-to spots for brisket, but I've really only seen Choice lately and the higher cost. Find a whole brisket at my grocery stores is super rarity (flats, yes, all the time). 

Trimming the fat and either rendering it down for tallow or using it to mix in with leaner cuts for burger is a great idea and avoids the waste!  Nothing worse than dumping 3 pounds of fat in the garbage.