Dry aged beef

[LongIslandEd]

So, I thought I would give a try at dry aging beef. I got a beverage fridge off CL with a fan to control humidity and picked up a 15lb rib roast. Here is the timeline and cuts after 35 days:

In it goes:

Week 1:

Week 2:

Week 3:

Day 35:

Final trim:

Tonight, a feast!

 

[Enrico Brandizzi]

I really believe you: it's a feast at your table.

:dancer::dancer:

 

[Stingerhook]

That is going to be a damn good dinner.

 

[IamMadMan]

They look great, keep us posted on the final cook...

 

[MisterChrister]

Oh HELLS yeah! I have some in an Umai, but you went the real deal! Looks killer, Ed!

 

[Happy Hapgood]

So you can do it without the bags? Your's looks very nice!

 

[LongIslandEd]

They look great, keep us posted on the final cook...

Well, unfortunately/fortunately, the finished cook is done and meat gone. I saved a cowboy cut for me and cut the rest into steaks.

Before I had a chance to take a pic or two, the wife and kids cleaned off the serving plate. I crusted mine with cracked pepper but too many eyes on it so I ate it before it disappeared.

One cowboy cut and 8 steaks total. Another piece of meat hits the fridge this Saturday. I'll try to get a photo of the finished cook for that one.....but I'm not promising :wink:

 

[kdub5]

Re

I've done it without the bag, once successful and one fail. The fail was due to my fridge being on the blink. Gotta be careful to keep that temp steady 34 degrees. When it's done right those things are amazing. I aged for 3 weeks.

 

[smokin'hoogie]

Freakin brilliant utilizing a CL score like that!! The moment I saw your post it reminded me of what one of our local Price Choppers use to age/display their $26/lb aged beef behind the butcher counter.

I thought it was some sort of special cabinet but with a little bit of ingenuity that conversion gets you the same results.

Now I'm on the hunt!!!

 

[Skip]

IfI may ask how much trimming went into that post age? What kind of waste quantity?

 

[tish]

I wonder if it is possible for the meat to come out just as good without the bags? Has anyone tried it both ways who can give a comparison?

 

[Okie Sawbones]

I just picked up an 18 lb. prime rib roast at Costco today to start dry aging. Nothing like dry aged beef.

 

[LongIslandEd]

IfI may ask how much trimming went into that post age? What kind of waste quantity?

It was like slicing South African Biltong (thick jerky) for parts of it and not too bad on the rest. Since most of the weight loss is desiccated fat, it wasn't too bad. The 15lb turned into 11.75 and then I trimmed. I didn't weigh it after the trim. The vultures were circling and my grill was calling me......It had to be 2lbs or a little more.

 

[LongIslandEd]

I wonder if it is possible for the meat to come out just as good without the bags? Has anyone tried it both ways who can give a comparison?

Bags are a new way of doing aging and its not truly "dry aging" per se if you look at what the "experts" say. Doing it this way makes it every bit as tender. You just need the space and right fridge to do it.

 

[Grimm5577]

Commercial dry aged beef is not done in a bag...The bags are a convenience for the average people who doesn't have a second fridge where they can regulate the humidity and temps. Heck Alton Brown has a video of doing it in a normal fridge with paper towels and no bag. But I find it a little off putting to have a huge cut of beef un-wrapped in my fridge exposed to everything else in there. Let alone exposing it to anything else as I open and shut my fridge to grab juice or beer. Hence if you have a secondary fridge it's a much better option. Just need salt and proper settings. Ohhh and beef!!