How long to brine for corned beef/pastrami??

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

I just realized, I am planning a pastrami for Christmas Eve, but I ordered my spices and they won't be here 'till Friday. So the earliest I can get my brisket in the brine will be Friday afternoon, but could be Saturday morning - I leave for work at 5PM and Amazon may not deliver in time.

I believe the recipe says 5 days, possibly more... my question is, how do I KNOW it's brined long enough? I mean, do I pull it out and cut it open to see how well it's penetrated or what? I don't like the idea of handling things too much, plus I'm going to be doing it in bags, not a bucket. I know that the thicker the cut, the longer to penetrate, and there may be no way to really tell how long it will take, but I guess what I'm asking is, how do you know that is it complete? Short of cutting it open, and even if you do cut it open, is it easy to tell how deep it's penetrated? Like a smoke ring, kinda? I saw a post here about an undercured pastrami, and I sure don't want that happening to me on Christmas Eve!

I'm starting to worry now that I don't have enough time!

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

Oh, I suppose my other option is to buy a pre-brined corned beef, but... ugh! I'm REALLY not digging that possibility!

[Huskee]

I don't corn my own, I always use storebought corned beef and it works excellent! Just desalinate a min of 8 hrs, I like 10 myself. To me using pre-corned beef is less messy and only uses up fridge space for a day when it's desalinating.

Otherwise, if you follow the meat thickness, curing additives, and timing rules outlined in the recipe to a T, it will be corned properly.

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

I get the "follow the recipe" thing... really, I do, and that's my plan. But looking at the recipe for the corned beef, here is what it says,

When you are done, the exterior of the meat will be pale tan or gray and if you cut into it, it should not look too different than normal raw meat, just a little pinker.

So, is that the way you tell? Just look for a differentiation between outer "pinker" meat and inner "less pink" meat? I'd rather skip the whole thing than end up with half pastrami/half brisket. Like I said, I'll go buy a store-bought pre-brined one if I need to on the last day (assuming there ARE any that day!), but I'd really rather have my own from start to finish.


<edit> Or maybe I'm overthinking it, lol. Feel free to tell the new guy to chill out.

[fohlby1959]

I've made Pastrami both ways. I really can't tell the difference (as long as you desalinate). In the time crunch you are in, go the store bought route. You can always try the scratch method and tinker with the corning recipe over time so that it matches your own taste buds, because once you've made and tried your own Pastrami, you WILL do it again.

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

Well, I've got a Choice flat coming in today, have all the stuff for brining. I'll go ahead and try it, and if it comes up the 23rd evening and I cut into it and it looks like it's not done, I'll go buy one at the store, desalinate it and cook it on Christmas Eve. Then I'll still have my own in the brine for a few more days to cook the following week and do a comparison.

I'm really excited about it, if you can't tell? lol. The wife is just rolling her eyes, but hey, once she tries the final product, I'm sure she'll understand.

[Sterling7771]

Any updates tRidiot? I have been experimenting with other cuts other than brisket. I cut a chuck roast in half for corned beef and it tasted was great in sandwiches.

Tomorrow I am doing a 6.6 lb eye of round. I will cut it in half and then horizontally cut it in half so it is about 1.5 inches thick. I will make corned beef with one half and make pastrami with the other half. Will post pictures in the coming days.

[gcdmd]

I used to corn venison hams in my hunting days, and they were delicious, especially in sandwiches. I wasn't into smoking then, so I never did it.

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

I did, I made another thread about it.

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/the-pit-mastery-program/beef-steak-brisket-roasts-prime-rib-etc/129010-today-s-the-day

Turned out... umm... not so good. Actually had some more tonight on a couple sammiches and liked it a bit more, but I didn't do things quite right. I will try again, just gonna be a bit.

Bottom line, I need to plan more in advance, have more time. I'll do it better next time. Longer curing, longer debrining, slightly less rub, then steaming for sure. It was an experience, and I'm glad to sort of spread my wings from a smoking/BBQ standpoint. I have plenty of years to perfect it all (I hope! lol).