ChefSteps Pastrami - Curing Time?

ttpoker

I started curing 6 lbs of bone-in short ribs today to make the Chef Steps pastrami, in my excitement to make this dish I forgot that I have to leave town in 7 days. The pastrami cure is supposed to take 7 days, followed by a 7 hour smoke (really looking forward to that) and a 48 hour sous vide soaking. Woops.... what should I do?

I have very no prior experience curing meats, is it safe if I remove the meat from the cure 2 days early? What if I keep the meat in the cure for an extra 3 days, any downside to that? How about freezing the cured meat, and smoking another day - any downside? Are there any general rules for curing times that the CS community can share with me?

Thnx!

Brendan_Lee_56950

I think the extra 3 days should be fine. You may consider adding a bit of extra water before you leave to protect against over-salty meat but that's probably just my overly cautious self.

In general, I've read around 3-4 days per pound of meat if it's a weak brine and 2 days a pound if it's a strong brine. Equilibrium brining is a lot like SV cooking so it will depend on the size/shape of the meat. Injection brining can cut down on that time as well.