It's been a long time since I used a brined corned beef for pastrami... Can anyone w please advise how long I should soak in water( and change water) before seasoning for pastrami? Thanks in advance.
I've done two flats recently, both from Costco, 4 lbs each. One soaked for about 8 hours with three water changes and tasted good to me. The other soaked for about 5.5 hours with two water changes and was noticeably more salty. Saltiness is subjective, but I think the extra 2.5 hours of soaking made a big difference. With that said, will try to soak for 12 hours next time for an additional data point.
Meathead's recipe calls for at least 8 hours with at least 1 water change. I have just made one with a full overnight soak (~10 hrs) and three exchanges. Came out great. The brined corned beef was a point from Walmart.
I'm guessing you are talking about a store-bought corned beef, not one you corned at home in a curing brine you mixed yourself?
Like Ron mentioned, a soak-out is really brand specific, and thickness plays a factor. Generally 24 hours is on the long end of soaking. When Sam's Club carried Grobbels brand, I soaked them 8 or so hours, with two water changes in the first hour, then one more later on. Member's Mark brand (which I suspect are packaged by Grobbels) are sometimes thicker, so for those I like 10 to 12 hours of soaking. I forgot one in the fridge and it soaked for 16 hours and it came out fine, so keep that in mind too.
Just as important as the soak-out is letting the rinsed, towel dried and seasoned meat sit in the fridge for at least 10 hours. I've been testing a rechargeable portable fan as an air circulator in my beer / curing fridge with pretty good results. It's sold as a 'tent fan' or to be clipped on a baby stroller and can build a pellicle faster than without one.