Brining brisket for pastrami, how long?

price2bc

I decided to brine an entire packer brisket to make pastrami with.  I used the directions from amazingribs.com and followed the brine recipe utilizing the curing salt calculator available on the site.  I separated the point and the flat to brine separately to get a more even brine.  Point came out to 3 lbs, flat was 7lbs.  I calculated the prague powder #1 separately for each piece.  For the 3 lb point i used 2.5 tsp of Prague #1 in on gallon of water with my other brining ingredients.  For the 6 lb flat I used 2.8 tsp Prague powder in 1 gallon of water.  I had planned to brine the entire flat but couldn't find an appropriate container so I ended up cutting it in half and splitting my gallon of brining solution with each half.

Going off the brining calculator on amazingribs.com (http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/curing_meats.html)  The point needs to cure for a minimum of 2.8 days, the flat needs to cure for a minimum of 5 days. 

My issue is the point is now done brining but the flat needs several more days.  What are my options?  Should I just pull the point from the brine, soak in fresh water to desalinate, and vacuum seal/freeze until the flat is ready?  Should I just leave the point in the brine until the rest is done (planned on 7 days total cure time in the brine) or will it be over cured?

Thanks

Skrullb

I did mine for 28 days. Fantastic. 

GrateEggspectations

When in doubt, turn to Meathead for the answer.....

http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/curing_meats.html

bgebrent

Welcome!  I've only done one so you know. I brined a prime whole packer following Ruhlman's recipe.  Went 5 days and was very pleased with the corned beef and pastrami.  FWIW.

blind99

Your calculations are a little confusing. Why is there almost the same amount of Prague powder 1 for a 3 lb piece as for a 6 lb piece?

also, why does the point need to cure half the time as the flat? Typically the time to cure doesn't depend on the total weight, but on the thickest part of the meat. A week per inch is a good rule of thumb though it may finish a bit faster. 

You wont hurt anything by going longer, only make it saltier, if the salt concentration of your curing brine is higher than what you want in the final meat product. (Over 2% salt may be tasting too salty)

price2bc

@blind99, according to meatheads calculator and curing math the only thing that isnt scaled like a normal recipe is the prague powder.  If you put your amounts in the calculator it says to use almost the exact same amount of curing salt for a 3 lb piece and a 6 lb piece.  The only difference the calculator shows is the timing they need to brine.  When a measured the thickest portion of the point is 1.5 inches, the thickest portion of the flat is 2. 

blind99

Gotcha. Thickness part makes sense. Also, if you're doing it in a gallon of water it makes sense that the amount of pink salt doesn't double because you're not doubling the total weight that it's dissolved in. I haven't checked his math though so I can't vouch for it. 

if you ever want to see numbers and calculations pm me and I'll send you a spreadsheet.