Meat packaging questions?

wkygriller

Sorry for the bad pic, dog and wife are still out of town with camera.
This morning I made the hour drive to the closest Sams and bought several cuts of meat (bet the wife won't let me go alone again ).
I am getting ready to package everything up with the food saver and have a few questions.


There are only 2 of us here, so keep that in mind.
Tenderloin...How thick should it be cut for nice filets?

Short ribs....Have never cooked or eaten these before. They weigh about 1/2 lb each. How many per person?

Brisket...Ended up buying a 14 lb packer. Should I cut in half and freeze or freeze whole, cook and then freeze leftovers?

Scottborasjr

Tenderloin- I'd do fillets about a inch and a half to two inches thick, but that's me.

Short ribs-- I'd say two per person if they aren't boneless, which looks like they are not.

Brisket- I'd cook the whole thing and then freeze the leftovers.

These are just my opinions but hopefully a few more chime in with their thoughts. Glad to see you will be making the grill and freezer very happy with their contents.

wkygriller

Thanks Scott. Next time I will pace myself and not try to do everything the same day. I got everything cut up and in the freezers. Was way to tired to mess with the brisket so it got thrown in un cut into the big freezer. I guess when we are really in the mood for a brisket I'll pull it out. Good think the wife was gone...The kitchen looked like a slaughter house :laugh:

thirdeye

This is how I breakdown a whole tenderloin.



I would keep the brisket whole, and plan on at least two short ribs per person.

wkygriller

Thirdeye,
Thats exactly how I cut mine, but the chain meat and trimming went into one pile. I had planned on grinding it this morning morning for burgers. Bad move?
On the short ribs. The ones I froze were 4 bone. I put 3 per bag. The brisket is still whole and now frozen. Thanks for the the help and pics!!

thirdeye

Well, the chain is definitely higher in fat than the tenderloin proper, which is a plus for burger. But tenderloin is just not as beefy flavored as chuck or sirloin, and it's way more tender.... so I wonder if it wouldn't be a better choice for some other use. At the house of ~thirdeye~, I like the chain meat served on crispy hard rolls, marinated and cooked on skewers, or used for fajitas. Or it's just good for steak and eggs....

njl

I usually pound the chain meat reasonably thin, season it a bit, and then brown it in a cast iron pan, and slice up for steak sandwiches.  The tail, depending on how much / how thin it is, can either be used the same way or folded, tied, and cooked with the steaks.