Anton-did you do 165 for 24 hours? Did you do a quick sear after, or just dry and slice?
I planned late and ended up doing a sear/braise in a Le Creuset for about 7 hours. Turned out pretty well, but there was still a bit of internal fat that I would have preferred to cook out, so maybe a few hours longer? Turned out similar to your top photo. I picked up a pre-packaged one from Costco. I could have planned better all the way around, but was pretty happy with the results.
I did a version of the ruhlman method with a prime point cut, minus the pink salt (I couldn’t find any and didn’t have a ton of time to look). Cooked in crockpot- will never ever buy a packaged corned beef. The texture turned out great for me- With no offense intended- The sous vide pictures above look a bit spongy to me, which I have gotten with too long sous vides. I like having some of the grain of the meat still intact, so I might try a sous vide next time, but not quite so long.
Yes, Amazon for curing salt. I bought a big bag a couple of years ago but misplaced in a move, so had to replenish this year. At the rate I use it (unless it gets lost again or jettisoned for taking up space as I suspect that as a possibility as well) it should last me a decade or two.
I was very happy with Ruhlman’s method once again, and I cooked it by bringing to a simmer on the stove then transferring to a 200 degree oven for approx. 9 hours. Not sous vide, but still low and slow.
I made corned beef this past weekend from Charcuterie by Ruhlman and Polcyn. It was, hands down, without a doubt, unquestionably the best corned beef I’ve had in my life. And not even close. This stuff was (and is because I’m still working through it) some of the best meat I’ve ever eaten. I’m torn between whether this or the pastrami I made a few weeks ago is better (I’ve always loved pastrami far more than corned beef). I bought a whole choice brisket at Costco. Separated the flat from the point and then used both. The crazy thing is how easy it was to make. The hardest part was trimming the meat.