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[reubenray]

How would I know what the meat grade is for a brisket I would get from my local meat market?  They have brisket flats for $4.99 a pound vs getting one from Costco for $5.99 a pound.  I got some bone-in ribeyes from the local meat market before which was the best I have ever had.

[triplebq]

I would ask the butcher. Get to know them and they will treat you well.

[GREG-B]

If it's cryovaced the grade is in color.   Black is select, blue is choice, purple is prime.   Hope that is what you were asking.

[reubenray]

If it's cryovaced the grade is in color.   Black is select, blue is choice, purple is prime.   Hope that is what you were asking.

Nothing is in cryovace.  If they don't have what you want in their display they will go into the big
 walkin freezer/refrigerator to get what you want.  When I got my ribeye's all they had in the front display was 1" thick.  The butcher brought me out two 1 1/2" thick one's out of the freezer/refrigerator.

[Kristin Meredith]

How lucky to have an actual butcher to go to!!!  I second just asking him/her.  And I also second making friends.  Butchers have a lot of good info to share!

[urnmor]

A good butcher would know what grade it is and also where and how the animal is raised.  Unfortunately this is not always the case even with butchers and/or their assistants.   

[reubenray]

I got a brisket flat from the meat market.  The butcher said the meat grade normally is select which I was disappointed in.  Hopefully I will not have a bad hunk of meat.   I was surprised that the butcher brought out a cryovac whole brisket and then cut the flat out of it.  He then trimmed it for me.  It looked good to me, but what do I know.  I will smoke this for Christmas.  It cost $4.99 a pound.

[triplebq]

I got a brisket flat from the meat market.  The butcher said the meat grade normally is select which I was disappointed in.  Hopefully I will not have a bad hunk of meat.   I was surprised that the butcher brought out a cryovac whole brisket and then cut the flat out of it.  He then trimmed it for me.  It looked good to me, but what do I know.  I will smoke this for Christmas.  It cost $4.99 a pound.

I would think in a perfect world the butcher would break down a cow for their customers. But I don't see that as being common place today. I'm sure the cost would be too expensive but for a few butchers around the country. There was a report on the local news a few years ago were a local butcher was caught buying meat from Costco. Buying meat from Costco wasn't a crime but the local butcher was marketing the meat as locally farm raised 

[reubenray]

We have bought a lot of steaks, stuffed pork loins, fresh made sausage and roasts from this meat market and everything has been great.  Hopefully this brisket will be OK also.

Many, many years ago I would use my income tax refund to buy a side of beef from local butchers.  I have not seen anything like this in a long time.  I have been looking for just a meat market and I was surprised to find this one only 10 minutes away.

[pmillen]

My observations–

• Meat grading was a skilled position.  Beef Graders made excellent middle-class incomes in the 1950s and 60s when I was around them.  Their skills were as highly regarded as the slaughterhouse Federal Meat Inspectors who were graduate veterinarians.
• Meat grading must not be required today.  Omaha Steaks sells ungraded meat, so do two different chain stores in my vicinity.  I say that because the USDA grades are not listed on the packages or displays.
• Meat counter help in most chain grocery stores are generally experts at unboxing meat, cutting it into salable portions, weighing and wrapping.  They probably couldn't cut and wrap a side of beef and would only guess at the grade.
• When a side of beef is graded it's stamped by the Grader.  You can sometimes still see it on the fat that you might cut off before cooking.

[Redapple]

I got a brisket flat from the meat market.  The butcher said the meat grade normally is select which I was disappointed in.  Hopefully I will not have a bad hunk of meat.   I was surprised that the butcher brought out a cryovac whole brisket and then cut the flat out of it.  He then trimmed it for me.  It looked good to me, but what do I know.  I will smoke this for Christmas.  It cost $4.99 a pound.

Most packaged meat from supermarkets are Select. You can get higher grades from the supermarket butcher counter, and they will be able to tell you what that cut of meat is.

[urnmor]

Actually many super markets have there own grading system.  As to one's knowledge of those who work in the meat section I guess it depends on who you ask.  A couple of years back I needed some additional ground beef for a dish I was making.  I went to the meat section and looked at what they had.  The ground beef was not graded in the standard way i.e. prime, choice or select.  So I asked the clerk in the section if he could tell me the grade.  He said it was marked on the packet.  I informed that it was not.   So he proceeded to point out to me that it was my showing me the fat content 90 per cent 80 per cent.  I said no that is not what I wanted to know and could you tell if you had USDA  choice.  He looked at me like a deer in the headlights and repeated the fat content.  Nope have not bought any meat from that store since.

[Bentley]

I like a high fat content in my GB, but I think your meat department goes a little beyond reason...

I have to harken back to when I made some 20/80 burgers, it was a one time deal!  Although, as I look at these for the 1st time in quite awhile, it seems as if all the fat is left in the skillet, so does it really matter?

So he proceeded to point out to me that it was my showing me the fat content 90 per cent 80 per cent.

[triplebq]

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