How Does Aging Work?

tish · Mar 25, 2012

I've been reading in some of the threads recently about folks aging their meat. Can someone explain to me the difference between wet aging and dry aging? Someone was saying they had aged their meat for 30 days without any kind of preservative, I think. Other than the refrigeration, what keeps it from going bad???

Stoke&Smoke · Mar 25, 2012

Wet aging just keeps meat at temp still in cryo in reefer. Needs to be a stable temp

Dry aging is usually done in commercial walk in reefers. Meat is left on racks
Over time, it dries on the outside, concentrating protiens and enhancing the flavor. But the outside needs to be trimmed off, results in a lot less, but better tasting usable meat

Not sure but if you Google Peter Luger restaurant, they might have more detail online

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tish · Mar 25, 2012

So, are there preservatives involved? If I kept meat in my fridge for 30 days, I know it would be looking and smelling pretty funky.

Stoke&Smoke · Mar 25, 2012

None that I'm aware of. The funky part on the outside is trimmed off and discarded

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BigBobBQ · Mar 25, 2012

dry aging The process changes beef by two means. First, moisture is evaporated from the muscle. This creates a greater concentration of beef flavor and taste. Second, the beef’s natural enzymes break down the connective tissue in the muscle, which leads to more tender beef. The process of dry-aging usually also promotes growth of certain fungal (mold) species on the external surface of the meat. This doesn't cause spoilage, but actually forms an external "crust" on the meat's surface, which is trimmed off when the meat is prepared for cooking. These fungal species complement the natural enzymes in the beef by helping to tenderize and increase the flavor of the meat.

realspaazz · Mar 25, 2012

Tish, there are no preservatives. Constant temperature and humidity (or lack of much humidity) is very important, so opening the fridge a bunch of times a day is not a good thing. Many people use a dedicated fridge just for dry ageing. Most recommendations say to home dry age for 7 days max. I have seen commercial dry ageing go 21 days (or a bit longer) Be sure to trim the dry, green, gray or funky looking bits from the outside.

tish · Mar 25, 2012

So, if you have meat in a cryovac package, you could put it in the fridge for a month, and it wouldn't go bad?

indianagriller · Mar 25, 2012

We wet age our briskets for competition at least 40 days from the PACK date, not the sell by date, hoping to get to about 45. As long as the cry stays intact you can wet age in a fridge that has a steady temp between 36-38*. We used to use a dedicated fridge, but now we have a meat packer in the area take care of it for us and we pick the case up when its ready.

tish · Mar 25, 2012

I've seen on some cooking blog sites these "bags" for dry aging, and a special kind of fridge of some sort that you buy in which to dry age the meat. Was really pricey, but they said it was worth the cost.

tish · Mar 25, 2012

indianagriller said:
We wet age our briskets for competition at least 40 days from the PACK date, not the sell by date, hoping to get to about 45. As long as the cry stays intact you can wet age in a fridge that has a steady temp between 36-38*. We used to use a dedicated fridge, but now we have a meat packer in the area take care of it for us and we pick the case up when its ready.

So, then this isn't something you could just do in your regular fridge because you open and close the door a bunch of times every day. Correct?

indianagriller · Mar 25, 2012

what are you trying to dry age? Steaks, roasts, briskets? I wouldnt attempt it in a normal fridge, too much flucation in temperature.

tish · Mar 25, 2012

indianagriller said:
what are you trying to dry age? Steaks, roasts, briskets?

At this point, I'm not trying to age anything, wet or dry. It's just something I've read about, and wondered how it worked. Would I like to be able to cook a steak that tastes better because it was dry aged without having to pay a premium for the meat? Sure, I would! But I had no way of knowing how that could be accomplished. That's why I asked. Don't know that this is something the average Jill could do at home, unless she had a dedicated fridge just for this purpose.

tish · Mar 25, 2012

Here is one of those blog sites that talks about dry aging using special bags. Supposedly won the National Restaurant Associations product innovations award. I guess it works, but you'd still need a dedicated fridge for the temp stability, I'm sure.

http://www.drybagsteak.com/umai-dry-aged-steak-videos.php

CarolinaQue · Mar 25, 2012

I'm dry aging a brisket in my basement fridge for next weekend actually. I'll be posting some pics and info when the process is complete. I usually do them for 5 to 7 days max...and only beef can be aged safely in my opinion. A general rule is the larger the piece of meat, the longer you can age it. I usually do individual steaks for 2 maybe 3 days depending on thickness. Wet aging in cryo for comps are 30 days on the average. But it's important to know the kill date to it safely.

tarheelsmoker · Mar 25, 2012

There is a Good Eats episode "Celebrity Roast" that explains the dry aging process.

AB does a great job explaining
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmfaeWEjGpM

--Mike

Hoss · Mar 25, 2012

I keep 3 Ribeye Sub-Primals in a fridge ,dry aging,I have them staggered,when I remove one,I replace it with a fresh one.It is an ordinary refridgerator.I simply remove them from the cryovac,rinse,pat down with paper towels.I place them in a rack over a drip pan and forget about them for AT LEAST 35 days MINIMUM.I have gone as much as 60 days.I think the Sweet Spot is 40-45 days.Sometimes I trim them,sometimes I don't.NEVER had an issue.My latest endeavour is to wet age in the cryovac for 60 days than remove and dry age fror 40 more,making a 100 day total.Good luck.If you ever do one,you will never go back.I'm sure a lotta folks will disagree but I don't give a FLIP cause I've done it and it works for me.I ONLY age WHOLE RIBEYE Sub-PRIMALS.NEVER just individual steaks.They ain't worth the trouble TO ME.I think leaving individual steaks to wet age a week or 2 may help but not dry age.

tish · Mar 25, 2012

So, ok... now I feel stupid. What is a sub-primal?

BigBobBQ · Mar 25, 2012

the sub primal if I remember correct is the large cut of meat that is broken down to make the steaks or the chops.

pitbossJB · Mar 26, 2012

All I know is that I had some aged steaks at Charlie's Steak House in Orlando, Fl. one time and they were fabulous.

Hoss · Mar 26, 2012

tish said:
So, ok... now I feel stupid. What is a sub-primal?

It is a whole ribeye loin.After aging for desired time,you break it down into steaks or prime rib roast.Large cuts/sub primals work better for dryaging.The outside of the cut(whatever you use) forms a dry crust or rind.With the large cuts the interior to exterior ratio is better.Some people trim off this rind after aging.With a larger cut you have less trim overall.Ribeyes lend well to dryaging.If you wanted to age strips or tenderloin,I would suggest a wet age.

How Does Aging Work?

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