Butchers that have quarter briskets.

Regional Dining Discussions SF Bay Area, NorCal, Tahoe
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@brisket44

I did a brisket for the first time in December 2025. I did a smoked chicken and a brisket at the same time.

I had a hard time finding a brisket. Sprouts, Lucky’s, didn’t have them.

I had placed an online order for Safeway, but they called and said they don’t carry them.

I then went to Whole Foods. They had it. But the butcher said they only carry it seasonally, mostly for the Jewish holidays.

Where else can I get it? I don’t want a full. I want a quarter or less.

  1. Schuab’s Deli in Palo Alto. They can do a quarter. But they also seem expensive, at $24 / lb. That’s double the price of Whole Foods.

  2. Custom Cut Butcher in San Jose. This was recommended to me. But they only sell whole briskets, which is 14 lbs.

Where else can I go, preferably near Fremont, Milpitas, Union City, or Hayward?

I can do Schuab’s if that’s really recommended. I’ve liked other things I’ve bought from them over the years.

Other questions:

  1. When smoking a chicken, I’ve realized I like doing a zero seasoning approach. That’s been the new way to do it for me, and it brings out the smoke flavor.

Can the same thing be applied to a brisket?

  1. Is it ok to cut the brisket into smaller pieces?

I had wanted to do the chicken and brisket both on the top rack of my Weber Smokey Mountain.

However, the lid wouldn’t fully close.

So I had to take the chicken off; take the brisket off; move the brisket to the lower rack; put the chicken on the top rack.

When the chicken was done, I transferred the brisket to the top rack.

I realized how hard it is to move meat that heavy, between the racks. I want to avoid this next time.

I’m thinking if I could have cut it into two pieces, I could have fit both the chicken and the brisket on the top rack. I need to measure the dimensions I want, for next time.

So would either cutting it into two pieces, or having the butcher cut the dimensions that would allow me to fit both the chicken and the brisket on the top rack, be ok?

2

Aldi’s sells smaller briskets. I have no experience with them but last year researched brisket for small home project that I didn’t do. Like you found only whole briskets around 14 lbs.

LINK

I assume you can cut a brisket down, but how or the best way I don’t know. I was looking at a 14 lb vacupack at US Chefstore.

3

Marina Meats in SF will have it but make sure to ask for a “3–5 lb brisket flat” or “a quarter of a packer brisket” as most butchers will not label something as a “quarter brisket”

Of course, if you want something truly bespoke, you can always go to Sonoma County Meat Co.

4

You could give Mayar’s Meat Market (Hayward), Gambrel (RWC), La Rosca (San Jose) a call and see what they have available.

5

You can also check in with Baron’s in the Castro Valley Market. Sometimes they do cuts to order.

6

Berkeley Bowl West has various sized briskets, but that’s probably too far away for you.

7

We have been buying brisket from Whole Foods regularly. They seem to be available often.

8

I called my Whole Foods today. They don’t have it. So what the butcher said in December was probably true, that they only get it seasonally.

Will call Mayar’s Meat Market, and Baron’s, tomorrow.

@ernie_in_berkeley I checked delivery for Berkeley Bowl, but I am out of their delivery range. But, just to keep my options open, I can consider them. If I were to buy from them, should I do the Berkeley Bowl Choice Brisket, or the Akaushi Beef Brisket?

9

I’m sorry, I’m not familiar with brisket cuts. I just saw them in the butcher case. I don’t know about their varieties.

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10

Also does anyone have advice about whether I should cut the brisket in two so I can fit both the smoked chicken and brisket on the top rack of the smoker?

Or should I keep the brisket in one piece and leave it on the bottom rack?

11

I am not an expert in smoking meats but I would expect that cutting the brisket in smaller pieces will generate more surface area which on one side might give a stronger overall smoke flavor but at the same time increases the risk of drier meat

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12

Good points. Thanks.

13

You can cut the brisket down in size, but bear in mind that it may impact the fat content and moisture level of the piece and that some additional techniques may need to be applied to bring out the best-- added moisture, a wrap, etc… If you aren’t able to smoke a whole brisket can you get part of it ground or cubed and used it other ways-- would you be interested in curing one part and making corned beef and smoking the other piece? Lastly, it seems paradoxical, but the time and space saving on cutting a brisket into chunks isn’t massive. It still takes a long time to tenderize if cooked low and slow. There are ways to speed that up, but there are compromises.

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14

I want to do whatever is easiest. So if cutting it is going to require a more careful or harder technique, then I don’t want to do that.

I did smoke the 3.58 lbs for 5 hours, and then wrapped it for an hour before serving.

Everyone liked it. One person had suggested that it cooks while wrapping, so I could have pulled it sooner.

I was also concerned more about space than time. If I put the brisket on the bottom rack, I thought it would block the smoke from reaching the chicken on the top rack. Didn’t seem to be the case, as the chicken was as good as the previous few times when I did the chicken alone.

Taking both space and easiness into account, as well as not doing something that would make it drier, do you think there’s more net benefits to trying to put both the brisket (cut in two) on the top rack with the chicken, or keeping the brisket on the bottom and chicken on the top?

If I keep the brisket on the bottom, should I also move the brisket to the top when the chicken is done? I think I did that last time, but I am not sure anymore.

15

If you put the brisket on top of the chicken it will drip on it rather than the chicken dripping on the brisket. Usually the top racks will cook hotter and faster. If it is solely for space reasons, I understand your predicament, but I also suggest cooking in disposable pans which can help with the drips and provide a vessel for you to contain juices and added liquid as desired.

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16

I’m using a drip pan under the chicken. I smoke it on a vertical roaster like this:

https://i.imgur.com/bKZnSP3.jpeg

This pic was before I had tried to close the lid, and realized I couldn’t fully close it. I then moved the brisket to the lower rack afterwards.

So do you think I should also use a pan for the brisket?

17

Mayars: 100% prime, $14.99 / lb. I have to call back tomorrow to find out what exactly they have, since their order will come in tomorrow. They said there’s a Creekstone one. I didn’t understand if they were getting two different ones, or if the Creekstone was the same one. I’ll figure it out tomorrow when I call back.

Baron’s: Wagyu, $17.99 / lb

Wish I had taken a pic of the label from the Whole Foods one, so I knew what I got back then.

18

definitely

19

Just for learning purposes, what type of brisket did your whole foods have?

I am new to brisket so I don’t know much about different types. I was just happy to find something, last December.

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20

What are your thoughts on seasoning? If I brine it, dry it in the fridge, then smoke it, can I go without seasoning it?

Because I’m thinking if I liked the chicken the best without seasoning, just smoke, maybe the same principle for a brisket?

I’m also thinking of just leaving it on the lower rack, and also keeping it intact. I’d rather not cut it and risk it drying out.

Also, last time I got a prime brisket. I am thinking of trying wagyu this time.

I’m thinking I start the smoke with the brisket naked. Then around the time I take the chicken off, I’ll foil boat the brisket, or use a drip pan.