Aging Brisket

I try to age no more than 50 days, but I try to shoot for 30-45. I've heard others shoot for 28 as optimal. Not sure why that's my target. Just is.

I've been told that you want to be between 32-45 degrees. Below 32 and you are freezing, over 45 and your brisket can start to spoil. I have a separate fridge in my garage set to 38 degrees that rarely gets opened. Your family fridge in the kitchen can experience temp swings as everyone is getting in and out of it.

Also, if the cryo is broken, your window for wet aging is closed. You want to start cooking that brisket in a few days.

I'm no meat expert, but this is what I've learned. Didn't know hardly anything about aging a year ago.

I try to purchase certified Angus beef (CAB). I ask the butcher for the date on the case box. That is one day after the kill date. I keep the briskets in the original cryo packaging. Do not open, do not fold, spindle or mutilate. Keeping it sealed is an absolute.

I place the meat package into brown paper bags to protect from light. I put in the refrigerator in the garage, which is rarely opened and I keep at 36-38 degrees. You must maintain less than 40 and over 32 degrees.

I keep for 35-40 days. Some say 28 days is perfect others 50 days. I do not like to go over 40 days. I did have one failure. When I open the package there is no odor. If there is an odor, then consider throwing it away, it may have gone bad.

When I use it, I use Butcher's marinade and inject the brisket about 6 hours prior to cooking. (Check out product at Butcherbbq.com.)
I have done very well with this product. (8th, 5th, 3rd and a 1st) (87 at the royal, oh well)

Yours in Q
Merl

There should be some odor, Merl. It should disappear soon after opening the cryo. If the strong smell continues, you are correct to toss it.

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15245

Some great info on wet aging from a guy who knows.

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9719&highlight=brisket

We wet age CAB exactly per the good DOC's instruction have been really happy with the results.

TIM

I've never aged a brisket before. I've never tasted an aged brisket before. Does the aging really change/improve the taste that much? Are a lot of teams doing this? We've only competed in a couple of competitions and have never considered doing this, but maybe we should. Any thoughts?

watertowerbbq said:

I've never aged a brisket before. I've never tasted an aged brisket before. Does the aging really change/improve the taste that much? Are a lot of teams doing this? We've only competed in a couple of competitions and have never considered doing this, but maybe we should. Any thoughts?

Click to expand...

Yep, it does. And, yes they do. :-D It's one of those little "extras" that do make a difference.

I imagine dry aging is pretty good at adding flavor but honestly, I've never noticed a significant difference in flavor when wet aging. Usually, it's the tenderness that improves. Wet aging is by far the easiest of the two kinds. Thing is, I have noticed that wet aged briskets seem to be a lot easier to screw up and dry out when cooking. If I were dry aging, I'd just have my butcher do it for me. I know of at least one who will do it around KC but I'm sure there are more who would.

We'll all be cooking Wagyu beef anyway, right? :wink:

One quick thing . . . . to properly wet age meat the temp must be between 35 and 39 degrees. Over 39 and you're unsafe. Under 35 and instead of aging, you're "prolonging" the product. Yes, you're aging it, but at a slower rate yet, and the range you can age at this temperatures gets muddy.

You MUST know the kill date to wet age brisket. DO NOT rely on a "sell by" date. If you don't know the date, don't do it. When you do open that seldom used, almost dedicated refrigerator where you stash your competition briskets for aging, glance at the briskets. When the gas bubbles are about dime size, you're usually about 30 days old. When they get to be nickle size, you're usually about 40 days old. When they get to quarter size, it's time to cook that brisket. I only mention the size of the bubbles because sometimes they appear before the days I reference. Properly tracking the days is the best reference for aging brisket, but watching what is happening in the package will save you from throwing away briskets. If the bubbles get bigger, you can be in trouble. You will then have to rely on an inspection with your nose when you open the packaging.

Also, there will be a "smell" when you open a 40 - 50 day old properly wet aged brisket. It will be a non offensive musky beefy smell that will dissipate in roughly four or five minutes. If there is any sharp or sour smell to the brisket, it's bad. You will absolutely know the difference. Please do not talk yourself into cooking a brisket that has a sharp sour smell no matter how faint. It's bad, plain and simple. It's not worth the risk.

Sorry this turned into several comments. I have aged briskets for about six years now. In all of that time, I have only had one bad brisket and there were circumstances out of the norm that told me it could be bad.

Rod

I buy my meat weekly at Sam's, for vending, by the case. I always check the pack date. Lately, the briskets seem to be getting older when I buy them. The last case was 5 weeks old when I got it. No offensive odor, cooked up fine. Did raise my sense of caution though.

you can easily dry age that brisket.

there are 3 things you need...

34-38* in temperature
65-75% humidity
air movement

obviously your fridge can take care of the first one.

find something that can gauge humidity and get it in there. if you are lower than 65, find a big sponge and put it in a tupperware container. fill up the container 1/2 way.

if you are using a larger fridge, take a small office fan and place it on the bottom shelf and the meat on a higher shelf. turn the fan on low.

let set for 14-21 days. trim the crust off (trim it off well it doesn't taste good) and there you have a dry aged brisket.

So after reading the thread by Ray, and this one, do you include the pack date as part of the 50? If so and you can not find the pack date how do you proceed?

kcpellethead said:

I have aged briskets for about six years now. Rod

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:shock:

All right, 6 years seems a little excessive.... I don't think I'll be eating YOUR brisket if you age 'em 6 years.

:biggrin:

Roo-B-Q'N said:

So after reading the thread by Ray, and this one, do you include the pack date as part of the 50? If so and you can not find the pack date how do you proceed?

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I would never go beyond the "sell by" date if I did not know the real packing date.
I just bought a case of CAB that was at 35 days from the pack date when I recieved it.
Just 10 more days and "POOF"--into the freezer it went.

acorette said:

:shock:

All right, 6 years seems a little excessive.... I don't think I'll be eating YOUR brisket if you age 'em 6 years.

:biggrin:

Click to expand...

But, he seems to win! :lol:
Must be something to Rod's technique!

TIM