Vacuum packed Brisket shelf life?


 
J

Jack O

TVWBB Member
Hello, I just bought a nice USDA Choice Brisket from Costco in the vacuum package that says sell by 8/18/2012. How long can I keep this in my refrigerator? I want to smoke it on 8/19 and I was wondering if left sealed can it set in the refrigerator or should I freeze it for a few days? Experience?

Jack
 
As long as your fridge stays between 34-36 degrees you will have no problem keeping it in the fridge until the 19th. I have kept them over 2 weeks in my fridge and Kevin Kruger has kept them up to 2 months. Sometimes vacuum sealed meat will have a funky smell when you first unwrap it, just rinse it under cold water and pat it dry if it does.

The key is having a reliable fridge.
 
I have kept em up to -3- weeks which reminds me, I have had one in the fridge for the last two weeks. Gonna get her on the Smokey Mountain this weekend!!
 
Bob Sample said:
As long as your fridge stays between 34-36 degrees you will have no problem keeping it in the fridge until the 19th. I have kept them over 2 weeks in my fridge and Kevin Kruger has kept them up to 2 months. Sometimes vacuum sealed meat will have a funky smell when you first unwrap it, just rinse it under cold water and pat it dry if it does.

The key is having a reliable fridge.
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Thanks Bob, I'll have to keep an eye on my GE fridge since it has been nothing but trouble since I bought it.

Jack
 
I once found a 17lb. brisket packer at Walmart, but only wanted one that was about 12lb. I kept checking back for a few weeks (never did check the "use by" date) and no one seemed to want that big brisket. Finally, I needed a brisket regardless of size and decided to take the chance. (Who knows, maybe I did check the "use by" date, but just don't remember.) Anyway, after all this time the brisket was absolutely fantastic and fortunately was one of those "short cook" ones that surprise you. I remember it as taking an hour per pound for the fat trimmed weight.

Not saying you should go for old, out-of-date meat, but there is probably a LOT of padding built into those required gov't dates. And who doesn't like aged beef? :D

Rich
 
RichPB (richlife) said:
the brisket was absolutely fantastic and fortunately was one of those "short cook" ones that surprise you. I remember it as taking an hour per pound for the fat trimmed weight.
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Exactly my experience this weekend. Pack date of 7/6; cooked 8/10 (said use by 8/20). So, in the cryovac for 35 days. Best, most tender brisket I've ever made. L&S over 12-13 hours for a 13 lb'er.
 
Lots of comp teams age for 30-45 days from the packing date. Hard to find this info. It is on the box the meat came in to the retailer, but that's generally not available. As long as cryovac is not torn or punctured 30 days is no problem.
 
Correct.

And 'sell by' and 'use by' dates are fairly immaterial. It is important to note that neither has anything to do with food safety. Various items will last longer or shorter than others depending on the item itself, how it was processed and the type of packaging and packaging environment used.
 
Well, I opened the Vac pack today and trimmed the brisket and added the dry rub, looks great so far. I rinsed the meat with cold water after opening the vac pack and trimmed the meat, it looked and smelled great after trimming. Low and slow tomorrow morning @ 5:00am and I'm good to go!
 
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