I just bought two Costco prime angus full packer briskets at 16 & 17 lbs. As soon as I got them home I double packed them. I left them in the original package. On top of & in addition to the original packaging, I sealed them in a second heavy duty vacuum pack bags.
I am trying to figure out the timing. The packed on date is 1/02, and sell by date of 2/16. Is there a way to extrapolate or estimate the kill date?
If not cooking outdoors, I am cooking on the stovetop with my 14" carbon steel wok, 12" CI skillet, or in the oven with my two Lodge CI pizza pans, or two dutch ovens. I've also got a nifty Lodge carbon steel grill pan that rocks for veggies outdoors.
Something you need to know is the packed on date on the printed label that your local Costco applied *IS NOT* the packing date of the meat, but is most likely the date that they labeled them and put them in the display case. The actual packing date for the meat is likely weeks earlier than that, and was on the cardboard case they removed the cryovac packed briskets from. The only way to find the true packing date is to ask someone at Costco to bring you one from the back, and tell you the packing date from the case. Same thing at Sam's Club.
Think about supply chain - it takes a while for the meat to make it from the packer to your local Costco. Probably 2-3 weeks minimum to the date the cow was processed and actually packed. I would add several weeks to that printed packing date unless that is the true packing date that was on the case itself...
Something you need to know is the packed on date on the printed label that your local Costco applied *IS NOT* the packing date of the meat, but is most likely the date that they labeled them and put them in the display case. The actual packing date for the meat is likely weeks earlier than that, and was on the cardboard case they removed the cryovac packed briskets from. The only way to find the true packing date is to ask someone at Costco to bring you one from the back, and tell you the packing date from the case. Same thing at Sam's Club.
Think about supply chain - it takes a while for the meat to make it from the packer to your local Costco. Probably 2-3 weeks minimum to the date the cow was processed and actually packed. I would add several weeks to that printed packing date unless that is the true packing date that was on the case itself...
Thanks #jfmorris,
Yes, the date on the meat is the same as the one on the cardboard case. They were not in a display case. I pulled these briskets out of the original cardboard cases they were packed in. The individual briskets didn’t have labels on them yet. The label they created while I watched, displayed the same “packed” & “sell by” dates that the cases did.
The packed date is 1/02, the sell by date is 2/16. They are 45 days apart. I am guessing that the sell by date is not the last day they recommend eating it. I’d guess they allow a few days after sell by date to cook it.
Here’s the important question. If the “packed” date was 1/02 (which it was), and it gets frozen on 2/16, is it safe to say that brisket wet aged 45 days? It would take several days to then thaw in the fridge, perhaps 3 or 4. Would it be safe to smoke after that?
I’ve always gone off the packed on date on the Costco label. I routinely age them for 30+ days from that date with no problems. I’ve gone as far as 60 days. My preference is 30-45 days.
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CandySue, if I rememebr correctly, reports going up to 80 days from packed-on date. As long as your fridge is cold (<40F, preferably 35 or so) and it's in the original cryovac still sealed. My preference is 45-60 days. I've gone 70, but I've had them spoil at 80. YMMV.
If not cooking outdoors, I am cooking on the stovetop with my 14" carbon steel wok, 12" CI skillet, or in the oven with my two Lodge CI pizza pans, or two dutch ovens. I've also got a nifty Lodge carbon steel grill pan that rocks for veggies outdoors.
I have in fact wet aged a Costco brisket for 30 days in the fridge, but would not go beyond that personally. In your case, if it was never frozen in the case you pulled it from, the aging started on 1/2/25.
I've gone 90 days numerous times. Once went 127 days (I think, I know it was over 120) and it was fine. I had one around 40-45 days from Sam's that was bad.
Question, when you age like that how do you know, besides an obnoxious smell, that the meat has turned or just starting to turn. How do you know, through the shipping cycle,and store handling, that the product was,always held at proper temps for you to do long term aging? Am I over thinking this?
Question, when you age like that how do you know, besides an obnoxious smell, that the meat has turned or just starting to turn. How do you know, through the shipping cycle,and store handling, that the product was,always held at proper temps for you to do long term aging? Am I over thinking this?
Hello #captainlee,
Overthinking it….. that’s my modus operandi😂. I agree. There is a lot of trust and assumptions made here. I suppose it’s always possible to wind up with a bad piece of meat, especially when aging. There are certainly a lot of folks here who do it and only one or two that have had bad experiences.
I’m not comfortable going with extreme aging because I don’t trust my nose. In my specific case, the sell by date is 46 days from the packed date. I’m comfortable going a week or so beyond that.
Overthinking and overkill, I also double sealed it in a second heavy duty vacuum pac bag.
I’ve been reflecting on this and I remember a butcher at a local meat shop used to tell me that steaks are at their best just before they spoil. He may have been blowing smoke to move the “manager’s special”, or he could have been on to something. I heard Aaron Franklin explain the history of the BBQ joint. He said that back in the day butcher shops would use the aging meat to smoke at the end of the week to keep from having to throw it out.
Question, when you age like that how do you know, besides an obnoxious smell, that the meat has turned or just starting to turn. How do you know, through the shipping cycle,and store handling, that the product was,always held at proper temps for you to do long term aging? Am I over thinking this?
When I do a long wet age, it's not uncommon for the meat to have a pretty significant 'rich' or meaty funk. My wife actually came in once when I had just opened one and she thought it was bad. It is something you get used to, you learn how it smells. Kind of like tasting dry aged meat, which has a little bit of 'funkiness'. I don't know how to explain it. Look at the color, the texture, etc. Rinse it off - a lot of people say not to rinse briskets when you remove them from the cryovac, but when wet aging, I do, as the smell of the juices in the bag is much stronger than the meat, and rinsing it off helps clear that out more quickly and allows me to evaluate the meat itself better.
As I said before, I've only had one go bad, and that was a shorter aging, as well. You just never know.
I don't get to do brisket very often - the wife isn't much of a fan, so she always gets irritated at me spending $80 on a piece of meat she doesn't even crave. She'll eat it once at dinner, but leftovers are going to be lost on her, unless I remake them into something else. I've been wanting to do another one, it's been quite a while - maybe 5 or 6 months. I've got friends I can give the leftover meat to.
I agree. When I open a 60 to 80 day wet aged brisket there is a funky smell, It lessens or goes away when I rinse it off. They are by no means spoiled though. I’ve had one go bad because of a small leak. The smell is totally different and leaves no doubt it’s bad.
Originally posted by DogFaced PonySoldierView Post
When I do a long wet age, it's not uncommon for the meat to have a pretty significant 'rich' or meaty funk. My wife actually came in once when I had just opened one and she thought it was bad. It is something you get used to, you learn how it smells. Kind of like tasting dry aged meat, which has a little bit of 'funkiness'. I don't know how to explain it. Look at the color, the texture, etc. Rinse it off - a lot of people say not to rinse briskets when you remove them from the cryovac, but when wet aging, I do, as the smell of the juices in the bag is much stronger than the meat, and rinsing it off helps clear that out more quickly and allows me to evaluate the meat itself better.
As I said before, I've only had one go bad, and that was a shorter aging, as well. You just never know.
I don't get to do brisket very often - the wife isn't much of a fan, so she always gets irritated at me spending $80 on a piece of meat she doesn't even crave. She'll eat it once at dinner, but leftovers are going to be lost on her, unless I remake them into something else. I've been wanting to do another one, it's been quite a while - maybe 5 or 6 months. I've got friends I can give the leftover meat to.
Thanks for the additional info.
Yes my wife is exactly the same. It’s an indulgence for me. I love the flavor and enjoy the challenge of getting right. I want to do it just a little better each time.
My friends and neighbors love it. Hosting a bbq good opportunity to build community and promote good will. This latest election has unfortunately torn some relationships apart.
You're right, to me it's about the challenge and the accomplishment of doing it right, and of people being amazed and enjoying what I can provide for them. Honestly, if it were up to my wife, I'd do nothing but pulled pork and pork ribs. Sadly, that would mean cooking about once a month or every other month. I need more fire management time than that, even in the winter.
When I was first taught to wet aged brisket years ago the accepted process also entailed turning the brisket over half a turn once a week. I’ve done it both ways and got by fine. I do think the ones I turned over each week were a bit better.
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