SAMS Brisket & Pork Belly

[Walt]

As I indicated in another post, a couple weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised to find Prime brisket & pork belly @ SAMS. I went back yesterday & restocked. I hope this is a permanent addition.

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[old sarge]

I get prime at Costco. I've gone the select and choice route at the commissary on brisket and the results are never optimum.

[ibbones]

Our Sams does not carry Prime, but we do have Pork Bellies.

[Walt]

You may not have prime brisket in Victoria, TX but you have some great boat builders. I had a 24' El Pescador built there in 2010. Small town, really nice boat. Still love it! elpescadorboats.com

[BobM]

At Sams Club you can push the butcher button and ask if they have pork belly.  Sometimes all they have in the customer cooler is the 2" strips but they can package a whole belly in the back. I now buy my pork belly at an Asian market.

[SconnieQ]

At Sams Club you can push the butcher button and ask if they have pork belly.  Sometimes all they have in the customer cooler is the 2" strips but they can package a whole belly in the back

Good to know. I don't think Costco has a butcher button. They don't seem to want you talking to the employees in the meat section. I can never find any. They are usually behind a big sheet of glass. I get the feeling they don't want you asking for anything "in the back".

[RG]

I feel left out, my Costco doesn't have anything other than flats and they are not even prime. Pork belly is out of the question at Costco and Sams. You'd think Metro Atlanta would be a market that would desire such things but for whatever reason they don't carry the good stuff. If I want pork belly, I have to order it from Publix or a butcher.

[JustChillin]

You can find just about anything at the Buford Hwy Farmers Market.

[EFGM]

Sams in Dallas did have small pork Belly's but no Prime Goodness. Same in Plano had both and said they would have Prime going forward. Excel label at $3.49#

[ibbones]

You may not have prime brisket in Victoria, TX but you have some great boat builders. I had a 24' El Pescador built there in 2010. Small town, really nice boat. Still love it! elpescadorboats.com

I had to look up those boats.  Really nice looking.  Sad that I am so close to the water but I do not fish.

[SuperDave]

At Sams Club you can push the butcher button and ask if they have pork belly.  Sometimes all they have in the customer cooler is the 2" strips but they can package a whole belly in the back

Good to know. I don't think Costco has a butcher button. They don't seem to want you talking to the employees in the meat section. I can never find any. They are usually behind a big sheet of glass. I get the feeling they don't want you asking for anything "in the back".

My Costco butchers always come out with just a wave but I have seen the button too.  There has been more than once that I asked for something that I didn't see out in the counter but they retrieved from the back and got me what I wanted. 

[SconnieQ]

My Costco butchers always come out with just a wave but I have seen the button too.  There has been more than once that I asked for something that I didn't see out in the counter but they retrieved from the back and got me what I wanted.

Thanks. I'm going tomorrow and will look for the button.

[SconnieQ]

Talked to an actual human in the Costco meat department today. She was very friendly, and eventually, the meat department manager came by too. Confirmed that there is no butcher button or bell at Costco, but it is okay to wave at someone behind the glass to get them to come out. They also have more in the back that they will bring out if you would like. Here is what they told me about the Prime whole Packer brisket situation at Costco. There currently is a shortage of Prime briskets, and Costco will eventually have them again, but don't know exactly when. When they start to get them back in, they will go to the Costcos with highest sales first, such as in large urban areas like Chicago, etc. In the meantime, they are carrying Choice whole Packers. They had five Choice whole Packers at my Costco today, plus more in the back. They looked pretty good to me. $2.79 per pound. They ranged from about 16.5 to 20 pounds. I would not hesitate to buy one of their Choice whole Packers, but at $3.79 per pound for Prime, naturally that would be my top pick. They said they get beef deliveries on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

[drains]

We just started getting pork bellies here but so far only select packer trimmed briskets. They do have flats and whole "ultra trimmed" briskets but they are still select grade. Local Kroger and HEB have prime. Sams does have the best ground beef I've run across.

[jagdad]

Just picked up some prime at Sam's in anticipation of the arrival of my #2, can't wait to try it out although I may have to cut it to fit or possibly "bow" the middle to fit whole.