Cooking Instructions?

[Andy M.]

I bought a Mortons of Omaha flat cut brisket from Costco. (I had reported earlier that it was a Moseys). It was really tasty.

When I was getting ready to start cooking it for dinner around 3:00, I read the instructions I was bewildered. Tell me what you think.

The flat cut brisket weighed 3.91 pounds.

Click on the photo to enlarge it.

 

[msmofet]

I only boil or now I pressure cook my corned beef. But a lot of people boil then bake n oven. Someone mentioned that method in another thread.

What is baffling you Andy? Did I miss something?

 

[Andy M.]

The instructions say to cook the meat for a minimum of 3 hours. Then check the temperature, which must be at least 160ºF. Then to cook it longer if it's not fork tender.

I checked it at the 3 hour mark and the internal temperature was over 200ºF! That's done and done.

So I quickly tossed the veggies into the pot so we could have dinner and "...place it in the oven at 350ºF to brown". Just a tip here - meat doesn't brown in 15 minutes at 350ºF when it just came out of a pot of water.

Truth is the meat was tasty. It sliced nicely and we look forward to some sandwiches and hash. My beef is with the awful, misleading instructions.

 

[taxlady]

I hear ya Andy. I was taken aback at the "at least 3 hours" part too.

 

[Cheryl J]

Yes, those directions are way more complicated than they need to be, IMO.

I rinse the corned beef when I take it out of the cryovac. That's the only contact with water. For years now I've been slow roasting (275F) the corned beef, covered, on a rack in a roasting pan. I've never used a thermometer. The fat melts, and after a couple of hours I check it. When it's starting to become tender I add the veggies - cabbage last, because that cooks quickly and I like a bit of a bite to the cabbage.

There are so many ways to make it, that's just what I do.

 

[Kayelle]

I need to boil out a lot of that salt because I'll blow up like a balloon if I don't. I try not to over cook it though, and I cut it very thin across the grain. About 2 hrs does the trick for me.

Yep, those directions are pretty pathetic Andy.

 

[jennyema]

Seems to me that the only screwed up part of the instructions was the "at least 165" part.

Not needed for food safety -- its a piece of beef.

But brisket needs to come to 200 or so to be tender. Just like if you make it on a smoker or BBQ.

 

[Andy M.]

Seems to me that the only screwed up part of the instructions was the "at least 165" part.

Not needed for food safety -- its a piece of beef.

But brisket needs to come to 200 or so to be tender. Just like if you make it on a smoker or BBQ.

Yeah, the instructions suggest that after 3 hours you may have reached 160ºF. If not, cook it longer. That suggests this is the proper "done" temperature. If nothing else, it's confusing. Then it adds in "fork tender". If nothing else, it throws off your meal timing big time.

 

[jennyema]

Yeah, the instructions suggest that after 3 hours you may have reached 160ºF. If not, cook it longer. That suggests this is the proper "done" temperature. If nothing else, it's confusing. Then it adds in "fork tender". If nothing else, it throws off your meal timing big time.

Nothing about the 165 is right and it will, indeed throw off both your timing and your result!