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Crayovaced Brisket

billyray
billyray Posts: 1,275
edited June 2012 in EggHead Forum

I think I know the answer, but would appreciate any comments. I've got a 12 lb. packer in a crayovac bag in the fridge, problem is I've had it there for about 3 months. Is it going to be worth cooking or will it be mushy?

 

Thanks, Bill

Felton, Ca. 2-LBGE, 1-Small, PBC, PK360, Genesis Summit, Camp Chef Flattop, Smokefire 24, Traeger Pro Series 22 Pellet with a Smoke Daddy insert, Gateway 55 Gal. drum, SNS Kettle w/acc.

Comments

  • Stike?

    I dunno on this one. My guess it it would be awesome but 90 days is out there.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • Fridge, right? Not freezer?
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • Village Idiot
    Village Idiot Posts: 6,959
    Does it have an expiration date ?  If not, do a smell test.

    Do you have a cat?  Give it a piece and wait a couple of days.


    __________________________________________

    Dripping Springs, Texas.
    Just west of Austintatious


  • Does it have an expiration date ?  If not, do a smell test.

    Do you have a cat?  Give it a piece and wait a couple of days.


    =))
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • billyray
    billyray Posts: 1,275
    You're killing me VI :))
    Felton, Ca. 2-LBGE, 1-Small, PBC, PK360, Genesis Summit, Camp Chef Flattop, Smokefire 24, Traeger Pro Series 22 Pellet with a Smoke Daddy insert, Gateway 55 Gal. drum, SNS Kettle w/acc.
  • billyray
    billyray Posts: 1,275

    The Cen-Tex Smoker

    It's been in the fridge, not the freezer.

    Felton, Ca. 2-LBGE, 1-Small, PBC, PK360, Genesis Summit, Camp Chef Flattop, Smokefire 24, Traeger Pro Series 22 Pellet with a Smoke Daddy insert, Gateway 55 Gal. drum, SNS Kettle w/acc.
  • Newportlocal
    Newportlocal Posts: 474
    Does it have an expiration date ?  If not, do a smell test.

    Do you have a cat?  Give it a piece and wait a couple of days.





    :)) :((
  • Brownie
    Brownie Posts: 1,023
    Does it have an expiration date ?  If not, do a smell test.

    Do you have a cat?  Give it a piece and wait a couple of days.


    I could lend you my wifes cat.
    [-O<
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    1.) there is no food in the US which is required to have an expiration date except baby formula

    2.) "sell-by" dates, "best-before" dates, and any other 'date' on meat or other food product is there SOLELY at the discretion of the manufacturer, and the date does not mean the food is no longer fresh, it means that it is at its peak of quality, and that quality drops of thereafter.  it is unrelated to food safety

    so, where does that leave this poor guy?

    means he's on his own, as far as decisions go.

    but i can tell you the rib eye which i dry aged 100 days (he still has 10 more days to go) was the most intense flavored steak i ever had.  dry, sure, but i WAS drying it.

    he's basically just wet-aged his brisket.

    bacterial growth doesn't truly stop in cold temps, but slows greatly.  the lowre the temp, the lowr the risk (which is why the USDA says that if something is kept frozen, it will be safe literally (ok, maybe just 'virtually') forever.  that's not me talking, that's the USDA.  if your freezer worked for 10,000 years, the meat would be safe.  might be dried out, sure, but still safe.

    so it comes down to:

    -what are the fridge temps where the meat is? is it low in the fridge? coldest part? mid to low 30's?

    -is it packaged well?  well, it  IS in cryo. a medium designed to minimize bacterial growth.

    all i know is, i would be eating brisket.  it WILL have a feint metallic and semi-sweet smell, slightly strong.  it should NOT smell bad (other than the sometimes sulphur/f*rt smell of cryo itself, which will dissipate and wash off).

    again... to be pedantic... "expiration" dates do not exist unless you are serving similac to your guests.  'sell-by' dates are designed for you to throw food out.  and to do so when it is at its best, actually.

    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • If you crack it open, it might smell pretty bad at first. Wash it off and let,it sit for a while then smell it. I've aged plenty of beef in Cryo (not that long) and most of it smelled inedible for 15-20 min right out of the cryo. Those are the steaks we charged $5 more per lb for. They were awesome. Can't tell you what to do but if it does not smell after 20-30 min I'd eat it
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • Duganboy
    Duganboy Posts: 1,118
    I bought a Cryo brisket at Sam's a few months ago.  I didn't get a chance to smoke it for a couple of weeks.  I called and talked to a meat cutter and he said it would be good up to 6 months.

    I questioned him a little, but he kept saying 6 months.  I did it like two weeks later, so I probably just had it for one of those (per meat cutter) 6 month.s
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    alton brown has said (on Good Eats) that he goes six to eight weeks in cryo, easily.  And that's a show notorious for explaining how 'dangerous' something might be, and qualifying it with all sorts of disclaimers.

    cryo's sole prupose was to extend the sell-by date (to increase the time at which the beef is saleable in 'peak condition').

    you can go vrey long if you want to.  what it comes down to is whether you will like wet-aged beef at the extreme durations.  i have come to my own conclusion that i don't care for wet aging beyond a few weeks.  for me it's a little too sweet.

    but you can certainly age longer. as long as temps are low.
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    C~T:  for some reason the pork in cryo can really smell.  the cryo manufacturers acknowledge that the sulfurous smell is a problem for many consumers, and it's something they have been studying.  it's harmless, but in a day and age when the vast majority of americans do not understand their food, they tend to return and throw out a lot of perfectly good meat.

    ...i know a woman who throws out food after three days in the fridge.  a phenomenally ignorant concept. just utterly wasteful, and grounded in nothing but a lack of understanding.
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • C~T:  for some reason the pork in cryo can really smell.  the cryo manufacturers acknowledge that the sulfurous smell is a problem for many consumers, and it's something they have been studying.  it's harmless, but in a day and age when the vast majority of americans do not understand their food, they tend to return and throw out a lot of perfectly good meat.

    ...i know a woman who throws out food after three days in the fridge.  a phenomenally ignorant concept. just utterly wasteful, and grounded in nothing but a lack of understanding.



    That is very common. We had plenty of stinkybeef primals too at the shop but they always came around after some time in the air. I would say every 10th one would clear the deli out for 15 minutes and then would be fine.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • tazcrash
    tazcrash Posts: 1,852
    edited June 2012
    OK time for a truth bomb.
    DAMN! I WISH I READ THIS LAST WEEK!
    The other week, we had a whole cryo'd pork loin in our mini beer fridge for over a week. I usually cut into roasts and freeze or use in a day or so but things were busy.
    I had thought the door might have gotten pushed open a bit, and when I opened that cryovac the smell that came out was that strong sulfur aroma.
    Oh well. Worst $22 I ever spent.

    Thanks stike & CTS.

    Bx - > NJ ->TX!!! 
    All to get cheaper brisket! 
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    taz... that smell still freaks me out.  it's a real problem for the industry. the cryo allows them to keep the meat saleable (read: looking fresher) for longer than other packaging methods.  but the downside is the smell.  there's some testing being done with cryo which is lined with some sort of polymer that is supposed to inhibit the formation of those sulfides.  i open quickly, wash the meat off, and toss the bag in the trash ASAP.
    hahaha

    wife is always "what the heck is that smell...."
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • tazcrash
    tazcrash Posts: 1,852
    taz... that smell still freaks me out. 

    wife is always "what the heck is that smell...."
    LOL, glad it's not just me. 
    The Mrs isn't even a fan of pork leftovers out of some unfounded childhood fears (That's ok, gives me better lunches :) ).  
    When she smelled that "aroma", I wasn't arguing. 
    Now that we know, she'll be skeptical, but she agreed to give it a shot. 
    Bx - > NJ ->TX!!! 
    All to get cheaper brisket! 
  • taz... that smell still freaks me out. 

    wife is always "what the heck is that smell...."
    LOL, glad it's not just me. 
    The Mrs isn't even a fan of pork leftovers out of some unfounded childhood fears (That's ok, gives me better lunches :) ).  
    When she smelled that "aroma", I wasn't arguing. 
    Now that we know, she'll be skeptical, but she agreed to give it a shot. 
    I've been getting the same thing with chicken from the grocery store for a while too- especially thighs and wings. We threw out 2-3 packs then I finally just said let's let it breathe and see what happens. Sure enough, 15 minutes later....no smell at all. I have to admit, the first time I cooked it I was a little freaked but they were fine. Those wings I posted 2 days ago stunk to high hell when I opened the bag. My wife (who is a germaphobe) said just rinse them off they are fine. She was right.


    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX