Curing and spicing a brisket (for eventual smoked meat / pastrami)
Such wonderful memories! Today's demo was a bit of a blast from my earliest days of meat smoking. Feels so great to be curing and spicing briskets by hand once again - just like in the old days.
In today's video, I hand rubbed out meat cure into a gorgeous brisket and then mixed, toasted, ground and rubbed my spice rub into the brisket. Because this is the "dry-cure" method, the brisket will need to be agitated daily to work the cure into the middle of the muscle.
This is exactly how I did it when I started making "Smoked Meat" in my home before I ever made it for sale at the Monarch Tavern. It will take about 10 days to fully cure the brisket. During that time, the salt rub will draw moisture out of the meat, that moisture will activate the spice rub and the rub will we drawn back into the meat before the whole thing is roasted in out oven.
Not finished yet
The brisket will take about 10 days to cure.
Curing and Spicing for a Brisket
whole brisket
2 parts curing salt
1 part sugar
spice rub (of your own making)
ie/ black pepper, dried onion, dried garlic, paprika, cumin, red chilies, coriander
1 part sugar
spice rub (of your own making)
ie/ black pepper, dried onion, dried garlic, paprika, cumin, red chilies, coriander
Instructions
- In a hot, dry, heavy bottomed pan, toast spices. Heat the whole spices first and as they become aromatic add the dried spices and take them off the heat.
- Grind spices to break open any peppercorns etc. in a coffee grinder or motor and pestle. Set aside.
- Mix curing salt and sugar. Rub this mixture into the brisket focusing on the exposed meat (not the fatty parts).
- Rub the spice mixture all over the brisket.
- Place in high sided roasting pan or baking dish (something that can hold the water and juices that will be released from the brisket as it cures). Cover and place in the fridge.
- Turn the meat every day for 10 - 14 days.
- More instructions to come!
Watch Zane cure and spice a brisket
Leave a comment
Please note, comments must be approved before they are published