Dry aged beef

[Newbie_nick]

Hey all!

I just visited my first "good" steakhouse this weekend and experienced my first good, aged steak, and now, I want to do the same thing at home! I've Googled "dry aged steaks", and it seems pretty easy. From what I read, most folks wrap a whole roast in cheese cloth and place it in the fridge for 3 to 7 days, and that's about it. Does anybody have any experience that they can share on this? Is it really that easy?

Nick

[jonumberone]

Here you go!

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=40766

[yourchoice]

Search is your friend!

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showth...light=dry+aged

Edit: Dommit! You beat me to it!

[ktblunden]

An episode of Good Eats detailed this and I've always wanted to try it. Alton Brown's method was pretty much what you posted, though I think he changed the cloth every so often. I'm sure it's on Youtube.

[GoodFella]

Originally Posted by ktblunden

An episode of Good Eats detailed this and I've always wanted to try it. Alton Brown's method was pretty much what you posted, though I think he changed the cloth every so often. I'm sure it's on Youtube.

i have done this with good luck. one of my fav ways to cook up a good steak. if i was you going to do it start with cheaper cuts till you get the hang of judgeing how to cook it.

[GoodFella]

also look into wet ageing

[mosesbotbol]

Good luck. Takes up a lot of fridge space, but pretty straight foward.

[sevans105]

As for cooking that wonderful dry aged piece of cow, check out sous vide cooking. HOLY COW. BEST STEAK EVER. Even not "awesome" pieces of meat are fantastic done this way.

[Smokin Gator]

I do it the old fashion way... I kill a cow, take it to the butcher, have them dry age it, and have them cut and wrap it. Then I go pick it up and enjoy months of great meat!!!

[ucla695]

Love me some Prime dry aged beef! Let us know how it goes.

[mosesbotbol]

I've been working on my dry aging techniques and got it down for the home user. May not be as long as steak houses do it, but the results consistent and easy to do:

1. Buy thick steaks (rib or sirloin strip are the most common)
2. Wash them off in water pat dry with paper towels
3. Wrap each steak in paper towel then place on dish or tray (so each steak is flat)
4. Cover dish or tray lightly with plastic cover (want to let it dry out slower then fridge would normally do so)
5. Re-do paper towels each on steaks until they no longer are getting soaked.
6. Once they are not "bleeding", they are ready to eat.

Takes about a week, but there is less dried out ends than letting it just sit and you'll be amazed in the difference. First steak is go to go after day 2 normally. Plus with paper towel you get actually see what is coming out and how the steaks are progressing.

[Simple1]

Wet aging works very well with venison steaks. If I'm dry aging in the fridge, I put the steaks on a baking cooling sheet/rack, and use a colander to protect them from accidental contact with other stuff.

[mk05]

I believe real warehouses like Allen Bros have very sophisticated systems that are unlike my vegetable crisper. I wouldn't call what I do dry aging. I wrap my steaks in paper towels to absorb blood, exchanging every day, for about 3 days, and grill it. The loss of excess moisture seems to "intensify" the flavor. Any more than that, and the meat hardens (you have to cut it), the steak takes on the fridge smell (lack of cap and fat shield), etc.

Real dry aging requires you to understand the cut, temperature, humidity, and air flow. Now, having tinkered with humidors and vacuum packing, I understand it - it's not really rocket science - what I am saying is that conventional fridges that we have at home just don't support such a process in the truest sense.

Furthermore, from what I have been told, if you're not dry aging for more than 20 days, you're not really getting the true benefits or realizing what dry aging does for you. FWIW, beef aged >20days do taste completely different, as I'm sure you bbq sages are aware.

[mosesbotbol]

Originally Posted by mk05

Real dry aging requires you to understand the cut, temperature, humidity, and air flow. Now, having tinkered with humidors and vacuum packing, I understand it - it's not really rocket science - what I am saying is that conventional fridges that we have at home just don't support such a process in the truest sense.

Furthermore, from what I have been told, if you're not dry aging for more than 20 days, you're not really getting the true benefits or realizing what dry aging does for you. FWIW, beef aged >20days do taste completely different, as I'm sure you bbq sages are aware.

This is all basically true, but considering the constraints of using a home fridge shared with food, this is a good almost there solution. The difference between letting a steak setup for 3-7 days is night and day over just unwrapped and cooked. I use to go for the longer periods (like 20 days), but the fridge would dry it out too quick. I have a Tupperware veggie container that allows different levels of moisture loss, but haven't bothered to try it with a whole cute. What I am doing now is good enough for me.

[OLS]

There is a good thread for those who can search it out, with a LOT of pics of method
and progress. It has always intrigued me, but I eat SO MUCH pork with my smoking
practice, that to eat a lot of beef, too, would just absolutely bury me. So I gave up
one for the other. Plus I live alone, so I have to eat everything I buy eventually.
I had one good shot this year when I had two things in my freezer, ice and a whole
chicken. but I fell victim to temptation and bought a crapload more pork.

[mosesbotbol]

Originally Posted by OLS

There is a good thread for those who can search it out, with a LOT of pics of method and progress. It has always intrigued me, but I eat SO MUCH pork with my smoking practice, that to eat a lot of beef, too, would just absolutely bury me.

Same method works for pork or chicken.

[mk05]

Death by pork for you OLS. Lol

Care to share your favorite cut and rub/baste?

[OLS]

You can forget THAT Moses...
I know it works with beef, but I am not as brave as you seem to be on the 'other white meats".

Marc, I PMed you a rub.

[mosesbotbol]

Originally Posted by OLS

You can forget THAT Moses...
I know it works with beef, but I am not as brave as you seem to be on the 'other white meats".

Heck, meat stays on the grocer shelf for longer than I suggesting to age in the fridge. If anything you'll be less likely to get sick as the meat is washed and impurities are absorbed with clean paper towels daily.