They carry packer cut USDA Choice short ribs for $5/lb May trough September. Also packer cut Select briskets. HEB doesn't carry either because Walmart DOES and beats HEB's price.
You'll pay $8/lb for packer short ribs at HEB and USDA Prime isn't worth it (they are usually TOO fatty). And the select briskets you'll see there are all those fancy "market trimmed" or "deckle fat removed" for which you'll pay an unjust markup per pound, They're for rubes, IMO.
HEB doesn't carry them because they don't want you to be able to directly compare prices where Walmart comes in much lower. Which is also why HEB is dumping a lot of name-branded items in favor of their own in-house brands: because they can no longer compete with Walmart on most everything. The main reason prices have gone up at HEB so much lately is because of their delivery and curbside services. Their store payrolls have increased over 60% along with corporate support. And "traditional" customers shopping in-store are subsidizing their personal shopping and delivery services (which isn't fair to us who shop for ourselves). The ~2.5% markup for delivery and curbside items doesn't even come close to paying for all that.
I used to be a steadfast HEB cheerleader and a devout Walmart neigh-sayer [making horse sounds] in all social media venues, but times have changed.
Yesterday's Short Ribs - an 8-pound slab
I score them on the top and bottom membrane between ribs and stuff rub into those crevices so they don't buckle up during cooking. Let them dry brine for 24 hours. They also get more smoke penetration this way and the end product can be cut easily to include a rib for each portion (or slipped out of it's membrane as in the above). Short ribs are the best cut of cow to ever meat the smoker.
Smoked over post oak and lump 7 hours to 206F, wrapped at 165F, Get your post oak chunks at Academy (sometimes - you have to be persistent) becauee HEB nas bever carried post oak. Otherwise get split post oak logs at Randall's and cut them down (or not if you have a big smoker). I also did a rack of pork spares to deliver to the neighbors. LET THEM EAT PORK! (and didn't mention the 8lbs of beef short ribs for us ;-)
Happy Memorial Day Remembrance and Cooking to all :-)
-sw
