Wilbur,
I use brisket because I don't have to add any additional fat like I would using another type of cut. if you use a choice or select grade brisket, trim a bit of the really hard fat off and grind it, you will end up with basically 80/20 ground beef.
lets be real here, I am not trying to win any james beard awards for the house (different types of exotic cuts / meats) and when it comes to the all mighty $$$ brisket is already leaps and bounds above the lips and a$$h*&^s you get with regular ground beef.
now if I had true access to live cows, I would be buying a full side straight from the processor. I would know what it was fed, inoculated with, and how it was handled / processed.
tate,
one of the things that will be implemented in my permanent residence will be a truly open kitchen with some industrial grade equipment as well as having a full working outdoor cooking / working area.
I forgot to take a pic of the end result. out of the 10.56lb brisket I got exactly 9 lbs of finished product.