Dry brine question

[Finster]

I have 2 beef roasts (1 chuck, 1 eye round) both around 3 lbs. Gonna do them on the barrel tomorrow. They got pulled from the freezer late so are only partially thawed. Can I dry brine as is, or do they need to be completely thawed?

[hoovarmin]

That's a great question. I would go ahead and do it. Are you planning to pull them? Cause if you are, it doesn't really matter. When you pull them the seasonings on the outside get all mixed in with the meat.

[Finster]

The chuck will be pulled.
The round I plan to slice thin for sammies

[smokin fool]

Your good, I cook from completely frozen all the time with no problems at all.
Dry brine em up, just may take time to get a temp probe into the center.
They're not a long cook 2.5-3ish hours to get the inside temp to 130 for rare to start depending on how well done you want your meat.
I let mine go for an hour then start rotating the roast a 1/4 turn every 15-20 mins helps. Not for everyone but I do this.

[Finster]

These, i think, will be mostly thawed by the time I start the cook in the morning. Was just wanting to do an overnight salt brine.

The round roast I'll probably take to medium rare. Planning to thin slice it for sandwiches. Just want to get some smoke on it. The chuck I'll take to 200+ and shred it like I usually do. It will get used for tacos, or enchiladas...
Interesting that you cook from frozen..
Have you done that with larger pieces, or just smaller ones?

[smokin fool]

Usually 4-6 pounders and honestly glitchy was the one that opened my eyes to this method of smoking.
I always made sure I took something out of the freezer to be thawed, now if I goof up and forget, no problem, outta the freezer, wet the meat so dry rub will stick and onto the grate.

[RonB]

I have gotten to the point that I try to dry brine before I freeze. I like to brine and refrigerate as normal before I freeze.

And don't forget to mark the package as brined if you do this.

[Finster]

Too late in this case, but something to think about for the future
What's the advantage do you think of doing it that way?

[RonB]

It saves time. I don't dry brine frozen meat because salt doesn't stick to frozen meat, You can wait a bit for the surface to thaw, but I don't know how fast, (or if), salt penetrates frozen meat. And you can cook frozen meat - it just takes more time.

[DaveD]

Partial thaw, no problem. Full speed ahead.

[texastweeter]

Your fine

[SmokeyGator]

Got me. I just dry brine as is. If the meat is still 1/2 frozen but the plan is to cook it until it is VERY DONE - then who cares.

Now if it is something like fine ribeye and temperature matters, then fully thawed. But it it is pulled pork or brisket? Does not really matter. Do the best you can, but if that means starting the cook when the center temperature is below freezing then as log as you know it is all good! So says I....

[Huskee]

As is my friend. They'll only thaw more.

[FireMan]

Seems, to be a consensus, so brine away. Yessir, the brine will hepp it a little Mo faster.

[Bob K]

I dry brine while thawing in fridge overnight all the time. Works great - by the time it’s thawed, it’s brined. Sometimes I’ll let the frozen meat set out a few minutes first so the surface is damp enough to grab the salt, or use a Worcestershire slather.

[Draznnl]

Do you find that the salt in the Worcestershire sauce penetrates the meat? If so, how do you compensate for that when calculating how much salt to use in your brining?

[Bob K]

Valid point. I don’t really calculate the salt amount, I just eyeball it and make sure it’s even. It usually looks like a bit more than if you were salting an unseasoned something at the table. I use Diamond Crystal Kosher, which is about the least salinity by volume you can get (except maybe Maldon, but that’s pricey), so it’s forgiving. I don’t do the Worcestershire too often but when I do, I definitely use a bit less salt. Not too precise I guess but works for us.

[holehogg]

Another thing to do is cure the round and make pastrami. Takes it up a couple levels for sammie's.

[Redwng]

I have done that frequently but with different cuts. I leave them unwrapped in the fridge and each time they were completely thawed when I put them on the cooker. I do run my Thermapen to the middle just so I know where I am starting at.