Aging Brisket

[sigmasmokers]

Does anyone have any experience aging a brisket? I have heard that if you keep and cryoed brisket in the frig for 3 weeks it really enhances the flavor and tendernous of the brisket. Any thoughts?

Steve

[The_Kapn]

Steve,

Take a look here:
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/index.ph...ageing+brisket
Also follow the link there to a great post by Ray (DRBBQ).

TIM

[BrooklynQ]

Not to throw water on your ageing idea., but here's a quote from http://www.ask-a-butcher.com

"I've been asked many times over the years about aging beef at home. For liability reasons, I do NOT advocate it, as there are too many variables and this process should be handled by professionals. There are two ways to age beef and according to the fine folks at Hormel......" Beef can be aged so that the flavor and tenderness are enhanced. As the beef ages, enzymes in the meat are released which help to soften the tough, connective tissues. The aging process must be performed under carefully monitored conditions by a professional and should not be tried at home. Aged beef should not be confused with old beef, which refers to beef that has come to the end of its shelf life.

Dry Aging: Beef that is dry-aged is allowed to hang unwrapped for a period of time under controlled humidity, temperature, and airflow in a professional grade refrigerator. The meat loses a large quantity of moisture, which concentrates the flavor, reduces the original weight by nearly a fifth, and tenderizes the meat. Only the best cuts of beef graded Prime or Choice are aged in this manner, so the cost can be quite high.

Wet Aging: Wet aging is similar to dry aging except that the beef is wrapped while it ages in order to prevent the loss of moisture. It is aged in controlled conditions in a professional refrigerator. Because there is no loss of moisture, the flavor does not become as concentrated as with dry aging."

[The_Kapn]

Rob,
From the same source, same page.

Question from Ed,"I have a brisket flat in the cryopac. How long can I keep it refrigerated past the "Sell By" date before it goes bad? Thanks."

Ed, simple question but a tricky answer. Beef packers do NOT put a sell by date on their meat. That date must've been put there by the store, on the price label (?), and really means nothing. I'll get back to that in a second, further down.

Packers will put a 'packed' date on the box that is shipped to the store. For "BEEF" only, as long as it has been kept cold, 32-38°, and not jostled around and the cry-o-vac is STILL intact (tight) and in good shape, you can keep beef around for up to six (6) weeks from the 'pack date'. Sometimes longer, depending on conditions. DrBbq ages his briskets six weeks, by the way. We are talking 'wet aging' here, not ddry aging.

Here is where it gets tricky. The store gets them in and puts them out on display for retail sale. The date on the price labeling machine is 'usually' set for a few days (3-4) and sometimes up to a week. If the dept manager knows what he's doing (most don't, sorry), he will put a date on the package of 30 days from the packing date, just to be safe. But, like I said, not all stores follow this policy.

You really, really need to know the "pack date" in order to make an intelligent decision on aging and use of expiration dates. As long as the one you have is still in good shape (kept cold, juices are not cloudy, the cry-o-vac is not puffy or broken) then you might be safe to go a week past the date, just to be on the safe side. Sorry I couldn't be more specific.

While on the subject, the 'expiration' dates put on lunch meat, hot dogs, sausages, bacon, etc BY the manufacturer, MUST, by law, be still edible for up to seven days past the expiration date.

DF and I (and others) buy brisket from the distributer in case lots and have the processing date on the case. So, our target is 40 to 50 days from that. Kept in a 35Deg frig that is stable at that temp.
Results are wonderful, to say the least.

TIM

[BrooklynQ]

Oh - go ahead and use my sources againist me. Fine. Be that way!!!

[The_Kapn]

Originally Posted by BrooklynQ

Oh - go ahead and use my sources againist me. Fine. Be that way!!!

Okie Dokie--glad to
TIM