Teamfour
is One Chatty Farker
I plan on competing in a comp April 4-5. What is the earliest you would buy a brisket so it would age and not have to be frozen?
Brisket Aging for Comp
- Thread starter Teamfour
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INmitch
is one Smokin' Farker
First week of March.
Bourbon Barrel BBQ
is one Smokin' Farker
You should probably know the kill date of said brisket. The likelihood of showing up at your comp and finding a rotten piece of meat is much higher without it. Most age from 30-40 days. Count backwards.
Podge
is Blowin Smoke!
I've never worried about aging a brisket. I just buy a good chunk of meat, and flavor the beejesus out of the inside and outside...
TropicDad
is one Smokin' Farker
At the Lang cooking class chef Paul Kirk said he ages brisket 30 days from date of purchase.
Alexa RnQ
is One Chatty Farker
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+1 on not finding aging to be critical.
Additionally, how well that brisket ages is going to be wildly variable subject to where you are holding it. We have an outdoor fridge that is opened only rarely, and we have found that it will hold meat for a ridiculous length of time -- but unless you've got a tightly controlled temp, your results will vary.
Additionally, how well that brisket ages is going to be wildly variable subject to where you are holding it. We have an outdoor fridge that is opened only rarely, and we have found that it will hold meat for a ridiculous length of time -- but unless you've got a tightly controlled temp, your results will vary.
lazyjacres
Take a breath!
February 12th.......... I un-package and prep meat on Thursday.
Podge
is Blowin Smoke!
If you all are in aging meat for whatever reason, I'd suggest buying a Johnson Control refrigerator controller. (used primarily for beer making).. you can program the tolerances in it. you plug your fridge into it, and it into the wall. it sends power to your fridge when needed.. kind of a guru for your fridge. When I was using a dry bag product for dry aging whole strips/ribeyes in the fridge, I'd set this thing to turn on at 38 and shut off at 34.. worked perfectly. Only used it for a fridge that holds nothing but meat.
Now, I use that controller for a deep freeze I have in my comp trailer. What I like about using a deep freeze instead of a refridgerator, is because it has an obvious low center of gravity, a lot better insulation, and when you open the door, the cold air stays low, and doesn't "fall out" like in the fridge. It will also hold temp for at least 6 hours without power.
http://www.amazon.com/Johnson-Contr...2411084&sr=8-1&keywords=johnson+controls+a419
Now, I use that controller for a deep freeze I have in my comp trailer. What I like about using a deep freeze instead of a refridgerator, is because it has an obvious low center of gravity, a lot better insulation, and when you open the door, the cold air stays low, and doesn't "fall out" like in the fridge. It will also hold temp for at least 6 hours without power.
http://www.amazon.com/Johnson-Contr...2411084&sr=8-1&keywords=johnson+controls+a419
Bourbon Barrel BBQ
is one Smokin' Farker
I just bought one of those to turn a fridge into a curing cabinet for salumi. I need the fridge to run around 50.
Untraceable
Babbling Farker
I have a basement fridge/freezer combo that ends up being an overflow beer and brisket aging fridge. I was always nervous as I never knew how the temps fluctuated or where they were set at so I picked up one of these
http://thermoworks.com/products/alarm/rt8100.html
very awesome! I understand now why you dont want to have anything in an defrosting freezer. it will be 4 degrees for a few days and then 38
Im very suprised at how consistant my fridge section is though. It will log a min-max reading for I dont know how long but whenever I check it, my fridge only moves +-1.5 degree tops if unopened. pretty cool I say. 26.99 to the door.
http://thermoworks.com/products/alarm/rt8100.html
very awesome! I understand now why you dont want to have anything in an defrosting freezer. it will be 4 degrees for a few days and then 38
Im very suprised at how consistant my fridge section is though. It will log a min-max reading for I dont know how long but whenever I check it, my fridge only moves +-1.5 degree tops if unopened. pretty cool I say. 26.99 to the door.
82's BBQ
Full Fledged Farker
I age for 35 days. Getting the kill date is important. I could give my meat shop a date that I was needing and they would watch for it. Once it came in they would call me and the aging began. Now I buy my briskets in advance for the whole year, freeze them and then age.
djqualls
Full Fledged Farker
I must confess, I have never aged a brisket.
SkinEz
Knows what a fatty is.
So when you pull a brisket out of the freezer when do you start counting for the age? After it is completely thawed, or first day out of freezer?
82's BBQ
Full Fledged Farker
So when you pull a brisket out of the freezer when do you start counting for the age? After it is completely thawed, or first day out of freezer?
I start counting the day it comes out of the freezer. These last briskets I got had a date of 7 days before I got them. I'll then add another 28 days to them and that typically puts me in the middle of the 30-40 days. This method has done me pretty well, no unwanted spoilage and a noticeable change in texture prior to cooking.
Ford
is One Chatty Farker
42 to 49 days from kill date. Without kill date you could be buying a brisket that's already aged 28 days. You also need to know bubble sizes. Try searching here on aging briskets. Lots of great info.
BigBellyBBQ
is Blowin Smoke!
I like to wet age before going to the freezer, as I forget about things and if I go to the freezer, I know they are ready to go once thawed..and also in case of change of plans..Johnson controls work very well for fridge...and never ever use a frost free freezer.
jaestar
Full Fledged Farker
I have been told that wet aging does not really do anything to a brisket that has already been frozen. I don't wet age my brisket either.
Frank Sacco
is Blowin Smoke!
You can bring a piece of meat safely beyond 30-40 days if you monitor the juices and the bubbles. Some company's, Creekstone Farms for one will age the brisket before selling. SRF from my understanding does not.
Slamdunkpro
Babbling Farker
Creekstone doesn't wet age their briskets.
CBQ
is One Chatty Farker
SRF sometimes ages briskets 28 days before freezing. In periods of high demand they don't, so you are kind of rolling the dice on those since you don't know the kill date.
