The easiest way to moniter the temperature is to put a thermometer probe in a big section of one of the briskets. You want to maintain the meat between 35º-40º. 
3 gallons of ice lasted overnight, and still maintained the temperature of the meat. Once it is checked in the morning, the lid is closed and not opened for another 12 hours. In the evening I'll check the temperature, the condition of the ice, and flip and rotate the meat again.
The process takes a long time (5 days minimum), but the end product is so wonderful. It is also much less expensive to make your own corned beef than it is to buy it from the store. Here is the breakdown:
- 47 pounds brisket @ .99 = $46.53
- 2 pounds tender quick @ $3.28 = $6.56
- pickling spices and other seasonings = $1.00
- Total = $54.09
2 of the briskets will be kept as corned beef, the other 2 will be smoked and become pastrami.
The result is 47 pounds of corned beef and pastrami at a cost of about $1.18/pound!
Actually, it's not just the savings that makes curing and smoking your own meats worthwile. The flavor is so much better, you can control what goes into it, and you teach your kids a valuable life skill.
1 comment:
OH!!!! You MUST teach me how to do this!
My family LOVES corned beef (especially me). We stocked up last time the store had a sale on corned beef brisket, and we slow cook them overnight, but find a lot of variance in quality and flavor. I would love to know how to corn my own beef!
If you ever have the time, can you e-mail me the complete process (and what spices, etc.)? You are so awesome - that you can do this.
Tracy
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