Brisket Questions

[jacksyee]

Hi guys. I get my meat from a Danish butcher here in hong kong who is super helpful (making me sausage by hand). He is in awe of the KK and spend a lot of time discussing various smoking techniques.

I had him get me some brisket. He got me some, by did he. It came wrapped in palstic and it was really big. LIke the size of a big couch cushion etc.

It was thicker, bigger and longer than briskets I used to get in Texas. In Texas I'd get a 10 pound brisket and it would be a piece of meat vaguely triangular shaped with fat cap on top but not on bottom and like 3 inches thick and if you wanted a heavier one your triangle was bigger and all the dimensions expanded.

The thing he had probably wieghed 40 pounds, not really sure so, I had them slice off a piece weighing about 10 pounds. It was about 6 inches thick. Was this a whole bow brisket or was it half of a brisket (Evidently each cow has 2?)

It seemed like it was going to be far too thick so I had them slice it in half so I had 2 pieces about 3 inches thick. Neither had a proper fat cap.

I smoked them like I would normally smoke a brisket. Came out ok but less firm than I was used to.

Question is I suppose, what was the piece he brought out? Was that 40 pound piece of meat a "Packer Cut" brisket? (He actually wasnt there when i picked it up, his boys were and they dont speak much English)

http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/beef ... isket.html

How do I tell him exactly what I want in butcher terms? I'm going to print out some pictures and take them to him but I thought maybe someone on here could tell me the "butcher friendly" instructions to get exactly what I want.

Maybe someone has some photos showing how to cut it etc?

Figuerd it cannot hurt to try

[Syzygies]

Just a guess, but the holy grail of Texas bbq, if you want to move up from brisket, is beef clod, right? Easily weighs in 40 lbs. I've always wanted to try one, but never found the right opportunity (e.g. 40 hungry grad students).

I'd use pictures, to get instead brisket. Of the cow (good butchers point to themselves, explaining where a cut comes from) and of the brisket.