CommonBrisket
Packer brisket
Also whole brisket, point and flat
The full chest muscle, point still on the flat. The cook that teaches patience.
- Per animal
- 2 (one per side), 8–16 lb each depending on the animal
- Per half-cow
- 1 packer
- How to cook it
- 250–275°F, post oak, wrap when bark is set, pull probe-tender around 203°F, rest hard.
- Rarity
- Two per steer. Grocery ‘brisket’ is often just the flat.
- What to buy
- 12–14 lb USDA Choice or better, even flat, flexible. If the packer is stiff and triangular, pick another.
- Money
- Two per steer. Grocery ‘brisket’ is often just the flat — buy a packer or do not bother.
- Trim
- ¼-inch fat cap, square the edges, thin the hard deckle fat so it renders. Keep what will baste.
- Leftovers
- Burnt ends from the point, hash, tacos, chili. Freeze sliced with a spoon of drippings.
~4–5% of hanging weight. Trim will take more off.
How many
Buy 6 lb · ~3 lb to the table · 6 plates at 8 oz
How to cut
Two muscles, two grains. Separate point from flat after the rest. Slice each across.
4 cooks in the library for packer brisket.
The whole animal
Every retail cut we track, how many you generally get, and how often it actually shows up in a case. Tap a line to pin it on the chart.
Cook through a half-cow — the order that keeps scarce cuts from becoming grind.
Chuck
26%
Rib
9%
Short loin
8%
Sirloin
9%
Round
22%
Brisket
5%
Plate
6%
Flank
3%
Shank
4%
half-cow counts are typical, not a promise from the plant.
