Corned Beef Desalination

nbhannon

In the past I have smoked my corned beef. Meathead and many others include a desalination step - soaking the store bought brisket for 4-8 hours- before cooking. Is this something I should do when cooking it sous vide? I notice that many use the ChefSteps recipe with s store bought brisket and rave about the results but few mention soaking the brisket. Isn't it too salty without this step?

wolfiegirl

I wouldn't automatically dump a store-bought corned beef into a desalination water bath. It depends on the salt content of the corned beef that you buy. If you didn't do the curing process yourself you won't know exactly how much salt the brine contained. So rather than assuming, there is a very simple way to test to see if you need to do the fresh water soak. Taste the meat. Cut off a small portion, place it in a small skillet in a small amount of water and cook until the water is about gone. Taste! If it's too salty, start the soaking process. I would suggest soaking it for 2-3 hours then try another taste test. Still too salty? Dump out the water it's been soaking in, fill the container with fresh water and continue to soak longer. You can't assume that what you purchase is too salty so let your taste buds be your guide. When you're satisfied that the flavor is in that sweet spot, let the sous vide games begin! Have fun!