The Merits of Dry-Aged Beef

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OliverRanch

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First new thread *gnawing on fingernails*

I'm wondering whether anyone uses dry-aged beef in competitions (e.g. brisket, steaks or other for "open" categories). How about at home? Would love to know why or why not.

Now, I've learned that the world isn't so black & white - dry-aged vs. wet-aged is a huge oversimplification - but it costs a lot of extra $ to dry-age a whole carcass vs. just some primal cuts (e.g. rib or NY/KC).

Also, I have definitely noticed that some rubs or sauces pair well with steaks or burgers from one farm better than they do from another. So as I start to learn BBQ vs. Grilling, I'd love to know if dry-aged beef, in general, is a plus or minus in BBQ.
 
I would love to use dry aged beef in comps, but the availablity and price keeps us back. I know some teams spend big bucks on the meats, ie Wagyu.

Now for home use, I'd love to get ahold of some dry aged ribeyes to cook up on my Egg. You need a person to give a review on some beef? ;)

edit: BTW, welcome to our forum. Head over to the cattle call if you haven't yet!
 
I agree with Jason.
Cost and availability are problems.
1. Brisket is not exactly a premium cut of beef. Dry aging brisket is, in the normal world, a monumental waste of time. Then it is slow cooked to "death". That's not to say that it wouldn't taste wonderful.

2. Steaks (all varieties), on the other hand, truly benefit from dry aging. We used to dry age prime rib and other cuts in the restaurant. This was mainly for the managers.:mrgreen:

3. We have wet-aged brisket with some success and have been pleased with the results. We usually timed out the aging for 40-50 days.
 
Wouldn't you have to cut most if not all of the fat off of the brisket after dry aging it?
 
What is the difference between the taste of dry-aged and wet-aged beef? I have never even seen any aged beef, much less tasted it, to my knowledge.
 
I think dry aging beef for a contest would be a very bad idea. Not everyone likes the flavor of dry aged beef. It is concentrated and distinct. Out of 6 judges, I'd bet money that at least 2 of them don't care for the flavor of dry aged beef at all.

Wet aging brisket on the other hand is important because it takes time for the rigormortis to break down. I've not noticed a change in taste from wet aging, just a change in tenderness.
 
Carrie,

I have never personally dry aged beef. To me, that process is obviously for the real pros.
I have eaten dry aged Prime steaks and they are "To Die For".

I / We wet age all of our briskets using the guidance by the legendary DRBBQ found here:

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9719&highlight=brisket

The smell and flavor when removed from the Cryo are just as he described---full beef flavor.

Hope this helps.

TIM
 
Wow, this is great information and feedback, thanks!

Livins - I think you would have to trim a lot off of a brisket if you aged it as an individual piece. If it's aged as a whole or half carcass, I'd expect the amount wasted to be lower, but I'll ask a really talented butcher what he thinks. I had some Charolais beef Dry-Aged by the half and then made burgers out of the front of the cattle, including the brisket. Looking back, it's a shame I didn't have the brisket reserved for a little taste test. :idea:

Chad, 40-50 days, that beef must smell something awful when you take it out of the cryovak! But I bet it's really tender.

HeSmellsLikeSmoke that's a great question, what's the difference. The Pickled Pig is right that the key benefit of aging (dry or wet) is to offset rigormortis and to frankly make the meat more tender, period. He's also right that flavors can get concentrated with dry-aging - the meat is literally shrinking, I think of it as similar to reducing sauces.

I have learned in a few years of being a nerd and tasting different beefs side by side that in general, Dry-Aged beef tends to be more adventurous in flavor overall. You know how some wines or beers have more going on in them, you can taste layers of flavors and sometimes some really interesting "notes"?

All that said, I've had some Wet-Aged beef that is to die for bursting with different flavors, so it's not so simple.

That's what makes me curious about using Dry-Aged beef in slow cooking including BBQ. I'd expect it could go both ways, depending on how well the particular sauce or rub or woods used matched the flavors in the beef itself.

I'll stop here, love to learn more.
 
The_Kapn said:
Carrie,

I have never personally dry aged beef. To me, that process is obviously for the real pros.
I have eaten dry aged Prime steaks and they are "To Die For".

I / We wet age all of our briskets using the guidance by the legendary DRBBQ found here:

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9719&highlight=brisket

The smell and flavor when removed from the Cryo are just as he described---full beef flavor.

Hope this helps.

TIM
Click to expand...

I agree that in general, Wet-Aged beef has a very "beefy" flavor (when cooked, at least :icon_wink) I also wouldn't dare Dry-Age beef on my own. I bought a steak at a farmers' market in Seattle a few weeks back that had clearly been aged by someone who was NOT a pro. If I hadn't know what to do with all the black mold and funk (trim it off and sear the heck out of it), I would have either tossed the steak into the trash or come down with a rich case of food poisoning - it was gross!
 
if i plan ahead, i will buy my steaks and put them in the spare fridge un-covered for a couple of days prior to cooking. placed on a round rack over a plate. this extra aging is spectacular and simple to help with taste and texture.

in my opinion it never hurts to amend the aging that is done prior to purchase of a steak. i have not however aged any larger piece such as a brisket.

cheers,

scott
 
HeSmellsLikeSmoke said:
You think it tastes better or that it is better because of some other reason?
Click to expand...


I think it takes the moisture out of the meat more evenly producing a better tasting and better textured meat. By allowing wet aged meat to essentially sits in its own juices, the steak composition breaks down, the toughness goes away and the flavor seeps in.
 
If you use Dr. BBQ method is there any problems with freezing the brisket after it is aged
 
Food Detectives actually did a story on dry-aged beef vs regular beef, with some tastes tests. I couldn't find a link to the actual episode, but I did find the host's blog that talks about. Personally, I like dry aged beef, but I'm more than happy without it. I've had it a few times at the upscale restaurants here in Atlanta. Here is the blog:

"We were here shooting a Food Detectives segment on how dry-aged beef is processed, and why it produces the finest steak-eatin’ experience money can buy—and it was fascinating. The upshot, for those who don’t know: All steak needs to age somewhat before it’s sold and cooked. Even the regular steaks you buy in the grocery store have aged a couple of weeks; this allows some moisture to escape, concentrating the meaty flavor, and allows naturally occurring bacteria in the meat to break it down a little and make it more tender.
In dry aging, though, the meat is allowed to age for another 21 to 30 days, under carefully monitored conditions. The result is meat that looks terrible on the outside—dark, dried-up and crusty. It also drives up the cost of the meat, both because it loses weight and shrinks as it dries, and, of course, because storing it and putting it through the process is expensive. But, man, is it worth it. When that dark, crusty exterior is cut off, what remains is steak that looks as red, juicy and wonderful as any you’re ever seen. And the flavor can’t be beat. To try it, visit a fine steakhouse in your town—and, if possible, bring somebody else’s credit card".
 
baldbill said:
ok, I'm ignoant and to yall this is going to be a dumb question. What exactly is "dry" aging.
Click to expand...

I copied this from ask the meat man.

What is the difference between wet aged beef and dry aged beef?​


Wet aging or aging-in-the-bag has become the industry norm, 90% of aged beef is done this way. The beef is vacuum packed in plastic and sits at temperatures of 34-38 degrees for 7-28 days. Inside the plastic, the meat ages and becomes more tender yet there is no flavor development since there is not a concentration of flavor occurring with loss of moisture. ​

This method has become more popular because it is cheaper and more profitable. Dry aging is more costly due to the approximately 18% loss in shrinkage and extra trim required, time, storage, refrigerator space, and labor. ​






 
Dry aged carcases are hung in a cooler at high humidity. During this time natural enzymes and bacteria in the meat do their thing and tenderize the meat. As mentioned, there is some loss of moisture within the meat. Also, the outside of the carcass gets moldy, ugly, and nasty looking.

Dry aging is expensive because of the costs involved in storing the meat for a couple of weeks, then you have to pay someone to cut all the mold off (losing some of the meat in the process), then you have to pay someone to butcher it.

Wet aging costs a lot less because you just slaughter, butcher, cryovac, and ship, plus you don't lose any meat to mold.

I've had dry aged beef and can't understand how a person could prefer wet aged, but supposedly some people do.
 
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