So...
Interesting... Which part of the country are you at? I'm in the Northeast. Around here the butcher can separate, charge much more for the flat and slightly less for the point so it's worth the labor. Perhaps pricing is set by the local demand.
This time of the year pre-cured corned beef brisket is on special for St. Patty's day. The points are ~$2/lb and the flats are ~$4/lb. Similar pricing ratio for non-cured year around around my parts. I'm going to buy a bunch and make pastrami:
I don't agree with you on that. I've always been very happy with my reheated brisket, but I don't boil it. I reheat at a simmer for around 30-45 minutes (depending on the size and what else might be in the pot). I'm careful not to overdo it.
I vacuum pack and freeze a lot of brisket. Since it usually takes me 15+ hours to cook a brisket, it's not very often that we eat it the same day. Plus, if I am going to fire up the pit all day, I usually cook two briskets and a whole bunch of other stuff that winds up in the freezer. Finally, it sure is nice to be able to have brisket on demand (i.e., under an hour).
There's a difference in buying the cuts separately and separating a whole packer yourself. I don't often find points sold on their own. They are out there, but I actually see the flats sold separately more often. I don't know for sure, but I expect the points wind up in the meat grinder. Also, I don't know that I ever have seen a separated point sold for less than a packer--usually more. The butcher charges a premium for any extra labor. Then, there's the matter that a lot of them seem to be mechanically separated, so it's a sloppy job. A separated point always has a chunk of flat on it, and vise versa. While that might make one think "bonus," it isn't. It's more of a pain in the neck.
So, in the end, I would just as soon buy a whole packer and deal with it.
Interesting... Which part of the country are you at? I'm in the Northeast. Around here the butcher can separate, charge much more for the flat and slightly less for the point so it's worth the labor. Perhaps pricing is set by the local demand.
This time of the year pre-cured corned beef brisket is on special for St. Patty's day. The points are ~$2/lb and the flats are ~$4/lb. Similar pricing ratio for non-cured year around around my parts. I'm going to buy a bunch and make pastrami: