Wet Age Briskett

[oakville smoker]

I am excited.  I have my MTQ in hand now but that has nothing to do with wet aging briskett.
But I am like a kid in a candy store now and a trip to Costco is looming this afternoon.

In addition to the pork loin I am going to lick up, I am going to grab a briskett.  I am thinking when I
get it home I will vac seal it and commence to wet age in the fridge for a month.  The brisketts at Costco are
not Cryovac'd so to just leave it in the packaging will not work. 

Will this be OK to wet age after vac sealed?  Does the weight or size have any effect on how long to wet age?

Any help wouold eb appreciated.

[Pachanga]

Vacuum sealing at the factory is supposedly done in a sterile environment monitored by the government.  Your brisket will not have that benefit.  Contamination is generally on the surface of the meat. At the factory, meat is washed with a disinfecting solution that is then rinsed off.

I am not recommending this but if I were to vac and age my brisket, I would proceed as follows:

Disinfect your work area, and tools with a bleach solution.
Disinfect your hands and arms.
Liberally douse the meat with vinegar, rub in and let stand for at least three minutes but more is preferable.
Rinse with sterile water. 
Bag in vac bag.
Place in freezer and allow the liquids to firm up. 
With the bag hanging down below the vac, pull a vacuum and seal.
Make sure there is no air in the bag.
While aging watch for the development of any bubbles.
Small bubbles are not uncommon but if a dime size starts to materialize, remove and smoke or freeze for later.
Smell the meat for an off smell.
Rinse well and smell again.  There should be no off smell.
If in doubt, throw it away.
Another vinegar rinse would not hurt anything.
Be sure to achieve temperatures that will kill any bugs during the smoke.
Do not age over 50 days after the kill date.

I am not holding myself out as an expert in this area. Do this at your own risk and do further research and due diligence.

I am hoping that you have a packer cut brisket and a vac bag large enough to contain it.

Good luck and slow smoking,

Pachanga

[oakville smoker]

Thanks for this.  I think I am going to pass on the wet aging since I cannot get a vac pac'd one from Costco.
I am glad I asked the question though.
I really have to wonder whether the packers go through the sterilization process you describe.

Thanks so much for this, very, very educational.

[Pachanga]

http://www.aamp.com/foodsafety/documents/BeefCarcassInterventionMethods.pdf

If you want to read about carcass Lactic acid rinse and acetic acid rinse (vinegar), try this link.  This article speaks to the contamination between the hide and the gastrointestinal tract.

Good luck and slow smoking,

Pachanga

[NewToSmok]

I can get Brisket cryovac'd @ Costco.  I always have to ask for it, but I can get it.  Its not trimmed so you pay for all the fat thats on the brisket, so its not as good a deal as the Bone in pork loin which they sell at bulk prices when you get it cryovac'd

[oakville smoker]

I have a feeling that might be the difference between US and Can Costco stores.
Here we do not even get bone in pork loin at the one near us.