My uncle told me to always dry-age a brisket for 28 days, not 45

Honestly, I thought he was just being cheap when he said that last year. I tried the full 45 days on a prime brisket for a big catering job in Tacoma, and it lost way too much moisture. Ended up with about a 40% trim loss, and the meat was almost too funky for most customers. Tbh, I should have listened. Has anyone else found a shorter dry-age works better for brisket specifically?

2 comments

2 Comments

fisher.reese21d ago

Man, I feel that. I went all in on a 60-day dry-age once like a total know-it-all, ended up with brisket leather. @king.grant is right, it just gets too intense. For brisket, that 25-30 day window seems to be the sweet spot for flavor without turning it into a salty, dried-out puck. You get that nice nutty taste but it still cooks up juicy. Lesson learned the hard way, just like your uncle tried to tell us.

king.grant21d ago

Ever think more days was always better? I was the same until a 45-day one turned out like salty jerky...