I cured two 2.5lb briskets over the past two weeks, using Prague #1, salt and spices in the proper proportions, vacuum sealed individually, refrigerated, and flipped regularly.
I took them out after 14 days. One has been in a desalinization bath and is going on the smoker today for a pastrami. My first!
The second one I'm a little concerned about. There was a little more air and liquid in the bag than expected, and the brisket looked like it shrank a little, more so than the other brisket. I was planning on just dropping it in the bath at 140 for 48hrs to make a corned beef, but because of the air I decided to rebag it just to be safe. It has now been in the bath for 10 hours.
My concern is that it looks like the beef has shrunk quite a bit and a significant amount of fluid has developed in the bag. I doubt the seal had been compromised on either stage since I double sealed and there has been no fluid leaks.
Should I be concerned?
by HuffDuffDog
1 Comment
Brisket/corned beef will shrink a pretty good amount! I think if you’re not noticing leaks you’re all good. Think of all that intramuscular fat in there rendering out. Good luck with the pastrami! One of my faves. Personally, I’ve been a bug fan of 175° for 15 hours – turns out phenomenal. But, there are many time/temp combos that work for SV brisket