What do you weight your meat with?

[vikingboy6956]

Wasn't sure how to word it or where to post lol....

What I'm wondering is what people use to weigh their meat down when they have it soaking in a brine??

I'm currently soaking a brisket to make pastrami and came at an impasse when I needed to find something to keep it submerged.  I decided on using a plastic gallon ziploc bag, but it seems like it will hinder the process where the bag makes contact with the meat.  I'm using a big water bath canner to hold everything and my first instinct was to use the rack that  holds all the jars.....but then I was worried about what the rack was made out of and if it would react with the brine solution and taint the meat.  

What does everyone else use?

 

[daveomak]

Here is a thread on what I use..... I also have gone to a plastic cutting board, for a weight on top of the top spacer, as it is just a bit heavier than neutral buoyancy....

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/117509/corned-beef-and-brining-spacers-w-finished-pics-2-17

 

[oldschoolbbq]

An occasional turn of the bag takes care of the questionable spots...

 

[vikingboy6956]

Something else I'm wondering is if the meat will take on a bit of a slippery feeling??  I noticed it last night when I was turning it over.  I wouldn't call it slimy....and it still seemed to smell fine.  Is this just part of the normal process??

Also, the brisket was just shy of 2" thick and I did no injection.  Should I expect it to take 9-10 days for full penetration?

This is my first time ever doing corned beef/pastrami from scratch.

 

[daveomak]

Turn the meat daily... Slime can be a ropy brine.... If it gets thick and stringy, remove the meat and rinse it off.... Make a new cure/brine and put the meat and brine in the container after cleaning it.....

How was your brine/cure mix made..... what were the ingredient amounts and how much water... what did the meat weigh....

 

[tropics]

Sounds like ropy brine it will be fine when you rinse it off. 2"s I would let it stay14 days to be sure.

 

[mdboatbum]

In my experience meat tends to get a little slippery/slimy when cured. It's the fat on the outside, the meat itself doesn't seem to react the same way. I wouldn't worry about it unless the liquid itself changes noticably.
As for weighing down the meat, I usually get one of those cellophane "roasting bags" and put that in a 20qt stock pot, kinda the way you'd put a liner in a trash can. I put the meat and brine in, then squeeze all the air out and tie the top of the bag. A massage every day seems to move the meat around enough to avoid any uncured spots.

 

[vikingboy6956]

The brine I'm using is Pop's basic brine with a couple tablespoons of toasted pickling spice and peppercorns tossed in.  Last I turned it, the brine still seemed crystal clear like the day I made it.  I'll check it out a little closer when I get home from work today.

Thanks for all the input guys!!

 

[daveomak]

Check the refer temp.... should be around 38 ish.....

 

[vikingboy6956]

Not sure how accurate it is, but digital interface on my fridge is set at 34.  It must be close to true because if things get pushed in to the one back corner they will freeze solid.

 

[daveomak]

Cure won't work at near freezing temperatures..... 38-39 is ideal....

 

[vikingboy6956]

Yea....I dialed the fridge up to 38.  The brine and everything still seems good to go, but is very, very cold feeling.  My hand was going numb in the time it was taking to turn the meat and check the brine.

Did I lose days of curing process because of the cold temp??

 

[daveomak]

I don't know for sure..... Probably a few hours if it was in the refer for 1 day.... From Wedliny_Domowe.....

The curing temperature should be between 36-40° F (2-5° C) which falls within the range of a common refrigerator. Lower than 36° F (2° C) temperature may slow down the curing process or even halt it. Commercial producers can cure at lower temperatures because they add chemicals for that purpose. There is a temperature that can not be crossed when curing and this is when meat freezes at about 28° F (-2° C). Higher than normal temperatures speed up the curing process but increase the possibility of spoilage. This is a balancing act where we walk a line between the cure and the bacteria that want to spoil meat. The temperature of 50° F (10° C) is the point that separates two forces: below that temperature we keep bacteria in check, above 50° F (10° C) bacteria forces win and start spoiling the meat.