About to corn a brisket - for pastrami

[GilaMonster]

thanks all... beef is going in the drink today! I think I'll post some pictures...

[Steve Vojtek]

Just to add: Meathead mentions that anywhere between 100ppm and 200ppm works but he recommends 150ppm. Just stick with the calculator and you'll be fine..Cheers...

[Steve Vojtek]

The original recipe is 100ppm sodium nitrite. The calculator let's you choose different concentrations. I think the default is 150ppm.
You can follow both the recipe and calculator safely. Meathead would never put us in any danger. Enjoy the pastrami.

[Spinaker]

You are going to love this. It is the best thing that I have made off the site!

[Jerod Broussard]

You good. I emailed Meathead to let him know the difference.


The calculator will tell you 3 teaspoons of prague for 4 pounds at 150ppm and 1 gallon of water.

[GilaMonster]

As the title says, I am about to make a brisket into a corned beef brisket, and then PASTRAMI!

Last time, I made pastrami with a store-bought corned beef (half price, day after St. Patty's Day) and it was very good. I am hoping that this one will be even better.

Reading all of Meathead's admonishments about accurately following the recipe for curing, I have a question: In the corned beef recipe he says 'about 4 lbs' of brisket, 1 gallon of water, and 2 teaspons of Prague #1.

In the curing calculator, I entered 3.1 lbs of brisket (my piece) 1 gallon of water, and the calculator gives me 2.8 teaspoons of Prague powder.

So I have less meat, and more curing salt. I want it to be accurate, as Meathead says, but if I change the calculator to 4 lbs, as in the corned beef recipe, the calculator comes up with 3 teaspoons, not 2. Either way, the calculator specifies 5 days in the cure.

So, which is 'more correct' - the recipe or the calculator????