Costco Shoppers Outside The Midwest Are Missing Out On This Brisket

Smoked beef brisket is not just notoriously difficult to make, it's also notoriously time-consuming. You could try to find out the real reason brisket "stalls," and then find yourself spending the next nearly nine hours hovering over your homemade smoked brisket with a food thermometer in one hand and a roll of tinfoil in the other. Unless you're some kind of BBQ fanatic, that doesn't exactly sound like the ideal Saturday.

Or, as @costcobuys reveals on Instagram, you could tromp on over to your local Costco and pick up some Lillie's Q Smoked Chopped Brisket that's fully cooked and on the table in only 25 minutes (plus however long it takes to drive to your local Costco). Then you're free to actually enjoy the rest of your day, instead of watching a hunk of meat for signs of sweating as you yourself sweat profusely into your barbeque or smoker. Doesn't sound like a hard choice. So why are some Costco customers up in arms about Lillie's Q's product? Here's the lowdown.

It seems that some Costco fans have beef with Costco's new seasonal smoked brisket. Specifically, these shoppers are feeling left out. Lillie's Q's Smoked Chopped Brisket debuted at Costco about three weeks ago, according to a post Lillie's Q made on Instagram saying, "We've been keeping a little secret!" Apparently, it's a little too secret for some shoppers.

To benefit from this Costco deal, you have to live in the midwest. The ready-made brisket, which is smoked for 12 hours and "rested for another 12," is only available in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin (as per Costco Buys on Instagram).

At least at this time, brisket fans in other states will just have to fire up the grill. Or, try out an oven-based beef brisket recipe. If that doesn't sound up your alley, you could always check out the absolute best 13 barbeque restaurants in the U.S. and give yourself, your grill, and your oven all a break for the night.