Modernist Cuisine-style BBQ brisket safety
I am going to try Nathan Myhrvold's 2-step BBQ brisket recipe: Smoke at 149F for 7 hrs, then vacuum seal and sous vide at 146F for 72 hrs. However, (due to travel for work) I won't be able to complete these steps in the consecutive days leading up to the party.
What I would like to do is smoke the brisket about 6 days ahead. After smoking, I would wait for it to cool just enough to vacuum seal, rapidly chill in an ice bath, and refrigerate until I return and start the sous vide bath. Can I be confident that a 10-12 lb brisket, after 7 hrs at 149F, will have reduced enough pathogens to be safe to refrigerate for 3 days? Or more practically, will it be safe to eat after 3 days refrigeration followed by 72 hours in a sous vide bath at 146F?
Best Answer
I am not aware of any rigorous tests done on a sequence like you propose. In the absence of data, I simply assume holding any open cooked product more than a week in the refrigerator is risky, smoke notwithstanding.
You can significantly boost your safety by soaking your brisket for at least 24 hours in an acidic salt bath -- perhaps with some brown sugar and aromatics for added flavor. Consider, for example, a recipe like Alton Brown's corned beef, which IMHO is tasty. (Add a dry rub of fresh-ground black pepper and, say, a little fresh-ground allspice and juniper, and you have pastrami.)
By the way, after smoking you don't have to wait for your brisket to cool: any vacuum bag suitable for immersion/sous-vide cooking can easily handle a brisket right off a 150*F smoker, no cooling/waiting needed. Besides, if you submerge the still-hot brisket after sealing in its bag into a 150-160*F water bath for 10 minutes, you will have effectively Pasteurized your product; with the residual salt and acid, I personally would be comfortable holding the sealed bag in the refrigerator up to two weeks (if I needed longer I would freeze it).
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Can you eat brisket rare?
Medium-rare doneness for beef is about 130\xb0F (39\xb0C), but the recommended doneness temperature for brisket is 200-205\xb0F (93\xb0C). Why so high? Because connective tissue doesn't begin to unwind and dissolve until it reaches the temperature range of 160-170\xb0F (71-77\xb0C).What is the ideal safe internal cooking temperature of a brisket?
The ideal temperature of a properly smoked brisket is 195\xb0F, but keep in mind that the internal temp of the brisket can increase by 10 degrees even after it's been removed from the grill. The last thing you want is to overcook your brisket, which results in dry, chewy meat.Is Pulled Brisket healthy?
It can provide a lean source of protein, iron and eight essential vitamins and minerals. Beef is a significant provider of protein and is naturally low in sodium and contributes towards good health and wellbeing.Where does BBQ brisket come from?
Brisket is a cut of beef that comes from the lower breast or pectoral muscles of a cow. Because this area is so well-exercised, it makes for quite a tough piece of meat that's full of connective tissue. This is why it's best suited towards a low and slow cooking process.BRISKET DA MANUALE - TUTTI I PASSAGGI PER IL BRISKET PERFETTO!
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