PDA

View Full Version : Has anyone salted their brisket


SCSmoke
10-11-2011, 07:39 PM
I like to watch America's Test Kitchen and for almost every large piece of beef they cook, they salt it first. They cover it with a large amount of kosher salt and then wrap it tight in plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge for at least 12 hours. I know that most rubs are full of salt and that rubbing and refrigerating would give a similar effect but has anyone just used salt on their brisket and spiced it later?

Also I am sure some of you are about to tell me about injections but I am looking for results from a different process. Thanks

Bbq Bubba
10-11-2011, 07:43 PM
Well there goes my injection tips.

Midnight Smoke
10-11-2011, 07:54 PM
Give it a try, I do Steaks like that all the time. Salt crusted.

Pack-A-Smokes
10-11-2011, 07:57 PM
I tried it once after reading about a guy that tried it. I, like the guy that tried it, found a shorter cooking time. Here is a link to a thread about his try at it. I didn't take any pics, but my experience was about the same as his. I have never tried it at a comp and not really sure I would. I do salt my steaks though, especially the cheaper ones.
When I tried it, I was still using just whatever brisket I could get. I thought it needed something to get it more tender because no matter how much I cooked it, the brisket just would not get tender enough.

http://www.smoked-meat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10329

hogzgonewild
10-11-2011, 08:20 PM
Does the salt act more as a seasoning, or as a way to pull moisture out of the meat, thus acting like a dry-aging process? Or...Both? Sounds like I may have to try it!

MilitantSquatter
10-11-2011, 08:42 PM
Does the salt act more as a seasoning, or as a way to pull moisture out of the meat, thus acting like a dry-aging process? Or...Both? Sounds like I may have to try it!

This article explains the idea behind the concept w/ pics

http://steamykitchen.com/163-how-to-turn-cheap-choice-steaks-into-gucci-prime-steaks.html

How to Make the Most Tender, Flavorful Steak Recipe

If you are a steak-lover, I hope that the title of this post + luscious photo is enticing enough for you to read though the entire article. Because I promise you that it’s worth it. Even if you don’t eat steak, this is a must-read…as you can impress the hell outta your carnivorean friends (and sometimes, when you’re a vegetarian in a herd of carnivores…it would just be nice to have that extra, “dude….you didn’t know that about steak???!” in your pocket.)
My entire family (including the 2 yr old kid) just adores any type of steak recipe…you could probably classify us as professional steak-eaters. In fact, it is my husband’s life-long quest to hone his grilling technique so that our steaks at home turn out charred crusty on the outside and perfectly medium-rare on the inside. With grill marks for show, of course. Seriously, we are too cheap to eat out and would rather cook a nice steak recipe at home. For the past 4 months, we have been experimenting with how to get full, juicy, beefy flavor of a ribeye with butter-knife tenderness of a filet mignon without feel like getting ripped off buying Prime cuts. And after 4 months of eating steak 2x a week, I think we’ve figured it out. So, my friends, I am offering you a very juicy secret, one that will turn an ordinary “Choice” cut of steak into a gucci “Prime” cut (And yes, I know what “Choice” and “Prime” means – it’s the marbling. The salting doesn’t affect fat content – I’m using those terms as a figure of speech and something people can relate to)
Do you know the joy of buying Choice and eating Prime? It’s like buying a Hyundai and getting a free mail-in rebate for a BMW upgrade!!!
The Steak Secret: massively salt your steaks 1 hour before cooking for every inch of thickness.

Notice that I didn’t say, “sprinkle liberally” or even “season generously.” I’m talking about literally coating your meat. It should resemble a salt lick.
Here’s two nice pieces of regular ‘ol supermarket steak. They’re about 1.25 inches thick, so I’ll let them salt for about 1.25 hours.
http://steamykitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/dry-brine-salt-best-steak-4201.jpg
Season liberally with kosher salt on both sides:
http://steamykitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/dry-brine-salt-best-steak-4202.jpg
http://steamykitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/dry-brine-salt-best-steak-4204.jpg
And then just let it sit on your counter.
After 15 minutes, it will look like this — you can see how the meat’s water is starting to come up to the surface — and that some of the salt is still on the surface of the steak.
http://steamykitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/dry-brine-salt-best-steak-4223.jpg
After 30 minutes, you’ll see more water:
http://steamykitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/dry-brine-salt-best-steak-4225.jpg
After almost an hour:
http://steamykitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/dry-brine-salt-best-steak-4238.jpg
And now 1.25 hours – see all that water? You can also see that there’s still salt on the surface of the steak.
http://steamykitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/dry-brine-salt-best-steak-4240.jpg
The next step is to discard the water, rinse the steak really well to rid of all the salt. Pat very dry. Very very dry with clean paper towels so that absolutely no moisture is left on the steak.
Then it’s time to cook.
Before y’all throw a hissy fit, just hear me out. I first learned of this technique from Judy Rodgers’ Amazon.com: The Zuni Cafe Cookbook: A Compendium of Recipes and Cooking Lessons from San Francisco's Beloved Restaurant (9780393020434): Judy Rodgers, Gerald Asher: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51BTC46AWYL.@@AMEPARAM@@51BTC46AWYL (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393020436?ie=UTF8&tag=steakitc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0393020436), I have an explanation of how it works.
Oh, and if the drawings look like a 3rd grader did it, too bad….YOU try drawing with a laptop touch-pad and a glass of bourbon on the rocks.
How Salting Works

http://steamykitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/salting-steak-1.jpg
All of you who season JUST before grilling – this is what you are really doing to the meat. Did you know that? All the water comes to the surface and if you don’t pat super-dry, you’re basically STEAMING the meat. Plus, your salt just sits on the surface of the steak, leaving the interior tasteless.
http://steamykitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/salting-steak-2.jpg
Now – note that only a little of the salt gets to go back into the meat. Don’t worry – you aren’t going to be eating all that salt!
http://steamykitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/salting-steak-3.jpg
Bourbon does that to me too.
http://steamykitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/salting-steak-4.jpg
I can hear it now..BUT!!! What of all the water that stayed on the surface of the meat? Aren’t you drawing all the moisture out of the meat? Will it taste like a salt lick? (*%!*%!@#!#!!! I DON’T UNDERSTAND THIS STEAK RECIPE!!!
Pull your pants back on and keep reading…
http://steamykitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/salting-steak-5.jpg
Verification on Technique

http://steamykitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/salting-steak-6.jpg
Cook’s Illustrated January 08 issue (and you can also find it on their paid portion of their website. Just search for “Improving Cheap Roast Beef”) They salt a 4lb roast beef (big, fat, thick meat) and they are using 4 tsp kosher salt – therefore their steak recipe recommends salting for 18-24 hrs. It’s all related: thickness of meat : amount of salt : time.
Salting Steak Recipe Key Points



Use kosher or sea salt, not table salt <– that is important. It will not work well with tiny tiny grains of table salt. Plus, table salt tastes like ****.
Use steaks 1″ or thicker.
Follow my timetable (below)
If you are Harold McGee, a member of Alton Brown’s research team or Mr. Burke my high school chem teacher…..and think I’m full of B.S…. please let me know. But guys, none of this was in your books. I had to formulate, extrapolate, hypotholate and guesstulate based on your stuff. Highly mental activity.
I know this sounds awfully like salt-curing, which dries out meat (like beef jerky). But with salt curing, you use A LOT more salt and leave it salting for A LOOOOOONG time. We’re talking about a little tiny nap here – not weeks – just enough to break down the proteins and flavor the steak throughout.
Again, don’t worry about all that salt. Just enough of it gets absorbed into the meat. Most of it gets washed down the drain when you rinse off. Really.
I know you’re going to ask…so I’ll answer it for you. Why not brine? You could if you really want water-logged diluted-tasting crappy steak.

I understand that this method will cause chaos, confusion and controversy in your household. But I encourage you to experiment: try adding spices, crushed garlic and rosemary sprigs to the salt, which will then act like Christina Aguilera dragging its entourage of flavors with it into the meat. If confusion in the household becomes unbearable, just whack’em with the hunk of salted steak..

Ron_L
10-11-2011, 09:52 PM
After reading the article that Vinny posted above a couple of years ago I've been salting steaks and have noticed a big improvement. I only do it with "regular" steaks. I haven't tried it on dry aged or prime beef.

I haven't tried it on a brisket, but I may during the off season.

BillywannaQ
10-11-2011, 10:40 PM
I know Kreutz market in Lockart Texas just uses a plain ole salt and pepper rub. Nothing fancy, but it seems to work for them. I may be wrong, but I think Louis Mueller's also uses a basic salt and pepper rub.

southernstyle
10-12-2011, 06:55 AM
great article!!

Billie
10-12-2011, 07:17 AM
Thanks for the post. A good example of learning something new (http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=117963). ie. I didn't know that ;)

JS-TX
10-12-2011, 11:04 AM
Other than affecting the smoke ring, I don't see how salting a big piece of meat will improve the texture beyond a 1/4 inch on a brisket. Flavor I can see though.

apk
10-12-2011, 12:24 PM
I just happened to come across this today (from one of my favorite food-nerd/food-science blogs):

http://www.cookingissues.com/2011/10/12/to-salt-or-not-to-salt-%E2%80%93that%E2%80%99s-the-searing-question/

Granted, this is not bbq, but interesting to understand the dynamics of salt in the cooked product.

Stoke&Smoke
10-12-2011, 04:15 PM
Other than affecting the smoke ring, I don't see how salting a big piece of meat will improve the texture beyond a 1/4 inch on a brisket. Flavor I can see though.

Just curious, why would salt affect a smoke ring? Smoke ring either comes naturally, from N02 (Nitrogen Dioxide) in the coals/wood reacting with the myoglobin in the meat. Or faked by using sodium nitrite, or sodium nitrate.