I've always just accepted this, not finding a solution, but now I'd really like to solve it.

When I do a pack and go I get every file that was ever referenced.  I even broke all references, then pack and go and all of those broken reference files are still in the pack and go.

There has to be a way to eliminate those references.

Also if the answer is to uncheck them, 1, that is super annoying as unchecking an assembly doens't uncheck the components within the assembly, so on a large assembly it takes all day, then you realized you missed some, or worse checked an extra and have to start all over. 

Please tell me there is a way to just break the references then pack and go and the references aren't there.

Beyond that, is there a way to break only selected external references?  If I go into external references it's either all or none.  Yes I am aware that sketch relations I can eliminate in the sketch, but I'm talking about when I insert a part into a part, I don't have a way to break that reference individually.