Corned beef.

[JimD]

Hi all I have a weird question about timing. I am going to be preparing Corned beef for dinner on Sunday the 11th of September. I am using the Ruhlman/Polcyn recipe but will be cooking it sous vide at 140F for 72 hours. The recipe says to let it cure for 5 days and I started it this morning.

My problem is this; the brine will be done on Sunday morning (9/4) but I don't need to start it in the water bath until Thursday evening (9/8). What should I do with it for the 4 days in between? I am afraid it will get over salty if I leave it on the brine what do you guys think?
JimD

[Vindii]

Hi all I have a weird question about timing. I am going to be preparing Corned beef for dinner on Sunday the 11th of September. I am using the Ruhlman/Polcyn recipe but will be cooking it sous vide at 140F for 72 hours. The recipe says to let it cure for 5 days and I started it this morning.

My problem is this; the brine will be done on Sunday morning (9/4) but I don't need to start it in the water bath until Thursday evening (9/8). What should I do with it for the 4 days in between? I am afraid it will get over salty if I leave it on the brine what do you guys think?
JimD

Im far from the expert that some of these guys are but I did one of these using the same brine recipe. I was told that it could be left for longer periods of time without any effect. I soaked it in the brine for 2 weeks and then soaked it in fresh water for 24 hours changing the water a 5 times or so and it was great.

Here the thread.

http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewtopi ... highlight=

[JimD]

Thanks Vindii! You just don't want to mess up something that takes a week and a half to make!

[JimD]

In reading your link I have a new concern. The brisket usually boils for 3 hours or so. Mine is going to be sealed in a vac bag and not giving up that salt. Should I soak it and if so any idea how long?

I am assuming that I am going to leave it in the brine for 8 days any help would be appreciated.
JimD

[Vindii]

I only boiled the half I made into corned beef. The other half I smoked for pastrami. Both halves were soaked for 24 hours in cold water in the fridge.

The pastrami wasnt too salty to me.

Im curious what others here think as Ive only done this once.

[wheels]

Jim

Can you post the recipe, method and meat weight.

I've just clicked - I've been watching this thread thinking everything's going to be OK, but completely overlooked the fact that sous-vide will not allow anything to escape.

Phil

[JimD]

Wheels,
The recipe is this.
450 g kosher salt
100 g sugar
25 g pink salt
3 garlic cloves
20 grams pickling spice
4 Liters water
4 pounds flat cut brisket

I combined all of the ingredients in a pot and simmered to dissolve the salt and sugar. I let the mixture cool then refrigerated it over night. Then I put the liquid and meat into a large zip top bag and put it in the refrigerator. It is supposed to stay in the brine for 5 days and then get rinsed thoroughly under cool water.

To cook it says to put in a pot just large enough to hold and add 20 g more pickling spice and boil for 3 hours. I will vacuum pack it (front seal type food saver) and put it in a water bath with an immersion circulator set at 140 for 72 hours.

Thanks for the help.
JimD

[NCPaul]

I calculate the meat could reach 7.4 % salt, which might be a little salty. The meat probably wouldn't reach full equilibrium with the salt in this timeframe however so this would be a worse case analysis. It's also hard to tell how much soaking the brisket before sous-vide might remove. I would drop the pink salt to 15 g personally, but that's just my own opinion. Good Luck.

[JimD]

Thank you Paul.

Since the brine is made and the beef is in I am going to have to stay with the 25g of pink salt. I think what I will do is on day 5 pull it from the brine and rinse it really thoroughly and let it soak for an hour or so in cool water. Then I will vac pack it and let it rest in the fridge for the 4 days until it's time to start cooking it off. Does that sound reasonable?

[Vindii]

I would soak in fresh water for 24 hours changing the water 5 times or so before vac sealing.

[wheels]

I agree with Vindii, I'd soak it for longer than 1 hour, either before or after vac-pacing. FWIW, calculations based on 5 days give a salt level of just over 4%.

Phil

[JimD]

Wheels,
What is the happy zone for salt level? 3-4%?
JimD

[wheels]

That's down to personal taste - and I'm known for making 'lower salt' cures than most. My corned beef is just above 1% salt but I don't soak it at all before cooking, Oddley's is around 3.4% and likewise, he doesn't soak his.

Phil

[JimD]

Thank you everyone! I wish I had found this site when I started making sausage. I think I would have had fewer failures!
JimD

[JimD]

Last night I took the Corned beef out of the Immersion Circulator bath after 3 days. I was amazed at the amount of pink liquid that cooked out of it. Most of the meats that I have cooked by that method have come out soft and crazy tender. The Corned beef was very tender but was very firm. It must be a combo of the cure and the lean quality of the brisket but it was quite dense.

I did soak the brisket for 1 day in water with several changes. The meat will be perfect sliced with my deli slicer and put into a Reuben. I have to say that I was a tiny bit dissappointed considering that it took a week and a half to prepare. Oh well, it was an experiment all along and as we say in the lab, a negative finding is still a finding.