Question on Meatheads Rueben patty melt

[Rocinante]

I picked up this corned beef flat at GFS. According to the label, it's up to 35% solution. Being that the per serving portion of 100gm is 1200mg Sodium, it's got a lot of salt in it. I plan on beginning a water soak tonight, with several change outs before grinding it Friday afternoon.

My question is, after soaking in water, will it still contain ~35% solution? Obviously some of the Sodium will move into the water solution, but I was wondering about patty size, pre cook. If so, I would be needing to make at least 7oz patties for a 4-4-1/2oz patty once cooked. I'm thinking of weighing it pre and post soak to see if there is any differential in the weights.

Anyone with experience with this?

Thanks

[SheilaAnn]

Following for advice!

[Spinaker]

No, the fresh water and change outs will pull the salt solution in an effort to equalize.

I would not worry too much about the exact weight of your patties. However, I would weigh them post soak if anything.

[texastweeter]

Change the water multiple times. I usually go 3 days desalination, changing every morning, then again before bed.

[Rocinante]

These turned out really good. I ended up cutting in half and freezing one half for pastrami later on. Soaked for a little over 24 hrs with 5 water changes. The first two were quite murky. Ran through the grinder twice and made 7 oz patties. I forgot to take photos, but they were huge. Once they cooked down, they were in the 4.25-4.50 oz range. The only seasoning that I added to them was some fresh ground black pepper. Overall, they were pretty good, with just the right amount of seasoning and salt. Not too salty at all. Definitely will try again.

[fzxdoc]

Thanks for posting your findings, Rocinante . It's always good when the end result meets or exceeds your expectations. Congrats on your thoughtful cook.

I hadn't noticed that recipe before--after slipping over to the free side for a look-see, I also would be tempted to try it, just for the heck of it. That was apparently Clint Cantwell's feelings as well when he devised the recipe. He wanted an unusual burger, and that's what he thought up.

From the looks of it, the burger should not taste much different than a regular corned beef reuben sammie, except for the fact that it has the Malliard reaction going for it, which is not nothing, for sure. Then I wondered what would hold ground corned beef together, and it appears that choosing one with the right percentage of fat is probably the key.

It was a good idea of yours to desalinate the hunk of corned beef first, since that is not mentioned in the recipe. I would think that without desalination, the patties could have been almost too salty to eat.

With your changes tucked into the recipe on my Paprika app, I plan on trying this one day. It looks like fun. Thanks again.

Kathryn

[texastweeter]

Heat your krout on the griddle with a slice of Swiss to hold it together!

[Rocinante]

And plenty of them both, for sure.