Dry cure pastrami

[Dinkle]

Trying out a dry cure on this 3.5 pound point
1/4 cup salt
1 tbs course pepper
1 tbs ground coriander
1 tsp sugar
.5 tsp pink curing salt

Rubbed the cure on thick then stuffed it in a umai dry age bag. Probably gonna let it go 5 to 10 days

 

[Dinkle]

 

[EdF]

Will be interested in your result!

 

[Joshw]

I hadn't heard of the Umai bags until I stumbled across a youtube video the other day. Do you get good success with them? I am considering trying the salami casings.

 

[airedale]

... Probably gonna let it go 5 to 10 days

You are shooting for an equilibrium cure where the concentration of salts is the same everywhere, inside and outside the meat. With bacon, a week is a fairly normal/conservative cure time but a brisket is thicker. Hence, it will take longer to reach equilibrium.

IAmMadMan has some rules of thumb for equilibrium curing times based on thickness that he has posted in various threads. I suggest that you search for them here or hope that he checks in on this thread and repeats them.

 

[Dinkle]

I'm going for a montreal style smoked meat. Schwartz deli claims to dry cure for 10 days for full packers I figured since it's just a 3.5# point I'd go half that

 

[Dinkle]

I have done two 40 day aged ribeye's with the umai bags. Both times came out great. The bags run about 6$. I like them and have had no issues

 

[airedale]

I'm going for a montreal style smoked meat. Schwartz deli claims to dry cure for 10 days for full packers I figured since it's just a 3.5# point I'd go half that

As you like. Once equilibrium is reached, the meat can be left in the bag for an extended period without anything happening. If the meat does not reach equilibrium, parts of the center will not be cured and may spoil. So the only penalty, possibly botulism, is for too short a cure time.

Re Schwartz, commercial establishments have speed as a priority and also have things like vacuum tumblers used for curing. I would not use any information from a commercial establishment unless I was absolutely sure that their methods were the same as mine.

 

[Dinkle]

They hang dry in a fridge

 

[Dinkle]

Umai bags are made for dry aging no salting required I'll take my chances with botulism.

 

[Dinkle]

got the pics working

bump bump

plan on smoking it to 180 internal temp then cooling it down and reheating it in the steamer. sliced thin on rye with mustard.

 

[JimT]

Can't see any pics. Just the Photobucket speedo.

 

[newtwoq]

You are shooting for an equilibrium cure where the concentration of salts is the same everywhere, inside and outside the meat. With bacon, a week is a fairly normal/conservative cure time but a brisket is thicker. Hence, it will take longer to reach equilibrium.

IAmMadMan has some rules of thumb for equilibrium curing times based on thickness that he has posted in various threads. I suggest that you search for them here or hope that he checks in on this thread and repeats them.

The rule you are mentioning is 1/4" per day per side that doesn't have skin in the thickest part of the meat plus 2 days.

So if you don't have skin and say you have a 2" piece of meat you are looking at 4days + 2days for 6 days total minimum. As you mentioned for an EQ you can go longer with no ill effects.