Chipotle begins testing smoked brisket in two cities Monday. One is Sacramento

Chipotle Mexican Grill will begin testing diced smoked brisket at some Sacramento-area locations Monday, according to a news release.

Only 64 stores between Sacramento and Cincinnati are selling the new meat in burritos, bowls and tacos; the rest of Chipotle’s 2,700 worldwide locations will have to wait and see if it makes it onto the permanent menu.

The brisket is seasoned in a spice blend, grill-seared daily and finished in a salsa with Mexican peppers, according to the release. It costs a dollar or two more than other meats at Chipotle and contains 330 calories, about twice as many as chicken or barbacoa.

“We’re thrilled to offer a new, responsibly-sourced brisket that tastes terrific and meets our industry leading Food with Integrity standards,” chief marketing officer Chris Brandt said in the release. “The richness of our real Smoked Brisket recipe delivers a craveable new flavor to our guests as we continue to innovate across our menu.”

Not all area restaurants currently offer the chest cut, but a quick look around Chipotle’s website shows the midtown, Land Park and East Sacramento locations all do. The Natomas and Delta Shores outlets do not.

Chipotle has expanded its relatively narrow menu considerably in the last two years, adding carne asada, supergreens salad mix and queso to restaurants nationwide after localized testing. The Newport Beach-based chain debuted cilantro-lime cauliflower rice at select locations in Colorado and Wisconsin earlier this year.

CEO Brian Niccol told CNBC back in April that Chipotle was developing a brisket recipe, but said it wouldn’t be introduced until the coronavirus pandemic ended — a time he, like most, surely thought would come sooner than it has.

This story was originally published November 30, 2020 at 8:06 AM.