Beef Bacon

Got my grass feed beef today.  They didn't freeze the brisket.  The calf was small of half I got 167 pounds, which I think is enough for the 2 of us.  It fills 2 shelves of my 25 cubic foot freezer.  I figure the bottom drawer and shelf would equal one shelf together.  We definitely need to secure another one for next year. 

I created the curing brine after reading several different recipes this is what I went with.

Brine : Boil all
1 gallon mineral water (not tap)  I have a source of fresh mineral water.  http://houstonsmineralwater.com/
1 1/2 cup salt
1 Tablespoon peppercorns
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup white sugar

Then chill the water to 38 degrees!  Very important.  I read some where to test the mixture by seeing if an egg will float. 

I got 2 briskets because the person that wanted the other 1/2 beef wanted it all ground, so the butcher was able to give them some of my ground for their brisket.

Kristy's idea to use marbles in a bag.  I placed them on top of a couple plastic lids.

 I added the inverted jar lid.

Everything I've read says leave it for 5 - 7 days before smoking.  Rinse for 20 minutes, put in the fridge to let the outside dry to a film.