Question for the masses - I was in Costco and they had a lovely 25.6lb prime brisket. Exactly what I wanted for Xmas Eve. Only issue, was the last Prime left, butcher said they would likely get 1 more shipment in prior to the holiday but didnt want to guarantee it, and I may be go to Costco 1x a year and its a ~50 min round trip so I don’t go often.
So i scooped it up. The sell by date is tomorrow, the 16th. I am going to toss it on the smoker the night of the 23rd to serve on the 24th.
im 50/50 on wet aging it (in the cryo it came in) vs popping in the freeze for 3-4 days and then taking it out on ~20th or ~21st to defrost.
I dont see a pack on date on the sticker (Restaurant Depot has a pack on date so I could figure out freshness better)
Considering how fast Costco turns over their inventory I would guess it’s still good til Christmas. Cryovac is good for 30 days easy.
Their sell by date on meat is probably uniform when printing labels regardless of fresh cut or cryovac.
Picking up a new Klingeman Family Farms (Pure Country) purebred Wagyu cow next week… so am clearing out the freezer. Trimmed down a beef bottom round, pulled some steaks off it and am marinating the rest for beef jerky. Steaks below!
all makes sense - a decade ago when I competed in contests I used to wet age, but I also had two briskets at each contest in case one was bad. then i went to SRF Waygu and only cooked one and didnt do any wet age, just a thaw 3-4 days prior to leaving.
Anyways, for peace of mind, I froze it, and then I’ll thaw it in a couple of days. back in the day people said the act of freezing/thawing could also help make the meat more tender, who knows
What happens is that the moisture in the cells freezes and the cell walls burst. Changes the texture on wet ages steaks, probably helps break down a tough brisket muscle though.
I helped to develop a program for my grocery wholesale company that increased the wet age timing of certain cuts for retail grocery stores. We “hid” the inventory from sales order software for “x” days after receiving and making it available to order. I think we abandoned it soon after as we ran out of current inventory and the Meat dept. staff was asking for ways to bypass the restriction, it maybe lasted 6 months.
Quite a bit of meat went into my freezer last night, so let’s hope it’s not too bad!
Picked up a cow from the guys at Preservation Meat Collectove and split with a buddy. It’s a purebred wagyu (93.75%) from Pure Country Klingeman Family Farms and 100% in my happy spot!
Reverse-seared the first ribeye and strip loin off it last night!
Flannery library ribeye, cooked in cast iron with a 50/50 blend of tallow and butter.
Also pictured is Rhys’ 2021 reserve blend of Nebbiolo, Nerello, Primitivo, and Barbera. This was not the flavor profile I expected, and while the quality is good, it’s not quite dialed in. It feels halfway between California cab and Bordeaux; blackberry, a touch of sweetness, medium acid, chalky tannin, and an expressive nose. I’m a buyer for the next few vintages to see how the blend evolves.
Portioned out and vacuum-sealed a tenderloin… but had to figure out what to do with trim from the head and a little bit of the chain. Checked the fridge and OF COURSE I had some cornichons, capers and red onion, so beef tartare for dinner!
Throwing in some of the filet pics because, well… steak porn and all.
