Dry aging some ribeyes.....never done it? Show me the way

[smokeyokie]

Gonna have some ribeyes cut tomorrow and wanted to dry age them I have never tried that, I would really appreciate tips and times, thanks in advance!!!!

 

[gtr]

If I'm not mistaken (always a dicey proposition ) I think dry aging is only done for whole roasts, not individual steaks. I've done a couple prime ribs by just setting them on a cutting board in a not very traveled fridge for a few weeks.

I personally wouldn't dry age cut steaks, but maybe someone with more info will chime in.

 

[Grange]

I saw an episode of Good Eats with Alton Brown where he used a charcoal chimney starter to make a porterhouse steak. In that episode he talks about dry aging his steak for 3 days. I've used this method multiple times for different cuts of steak and they all turn out well.

His method included wrapping the steak in plain a paper towel and store in th coldest part of your refrigerator on a rack (disposable pie tin with wooded skewers poked through the sides). Replace the paper towel after on day since it will soak up a lot of moisture and then replace again as needed for the next two days.

 

[deguerre]

Heck. I just put them on a paper plate and stick 'em in the fridge for two days, turning once.

 

[Cutem all Jack]

What's the purpose in doing this?

 

[smokeyokie]

Heck. I just put them on a paper plate and stick 'em in the fridge for two days, turning once.

can you tell a noticeable difference in flavor after just 2 days?

 

[smokeyokie]

What's the purpose in doing this?

dry aging is supposed to enhance the flavor of the beef.

 

[deguerre]

can you tell a noticeable difference in flavor after just 2 days?

Most assuredly yes. I'll also go ahead and apply a Santa Maria style rub on day two.

 

[smokeyokie]

Most assuredly yes. I'll also go ahead and apply a Santa Maria style rub on day two.

so do you have any trimming to do or not? or has it not dried that much?

 

[deguerre]

so do you have any trimming to do or not? or has it not dried that much?

Zero trimming. It's not true dry aging but more of a surface evaporative technique that helps concentrate the liquid within the steak.

 

[captndan]

What GTR said and 30-45 days. Temp and humidity are important.

 

[Big George's BBQ]

I saw the same Good Eats Episode looked Good to me- Prob can find on the Food Network

 

[caseydog]

can you tell a noticeable difference in flavor after just 2 days?

Yes. I've done it. You get a better crust, and more intense flavor, IMO.

I put some fine sea salt on my ribeyes, and put them on a cooking cooling rack in the fridge. The salt draws water out of the meat. I've seen a steak loose over an ounce of water weight in just one day.

When I'm ready to cook, I let the steak warm up, and add fresh black pepper to it, then onto a very hot grill. You don't need to trim the steak after a one or two day drying.

CD

 

[Ezra]

I did 21 day dry aging on some rib eye. Leave it as a whole roast, dont trim it. You will be trimming and tossing the crusty fat later. I had mine in the fridge in the back that doesn't get opened but a couple times a day. Also I put it on a cooling rack like you would use for baking on a cookie sheet and covered it with a dish towel. I changed the towel a few times during the 21 days. It looks gross at first but after you trim it is really good. It definitely changes the flavor...

 

[bobaftt]

how much waste would you say you had?

 

[AlanTX]

Do you trim the crusty looking stuff off?

 

[Ezra]

@Bobaftt - Not as much as I thought. I didn't do any weighing so I'm not sure about evaporation, or how much i trimmed off. I do remember thinking the I didn't have to cut too much off to get to the good stuff.

@AlanTX - Yeah, all crusty stuff came off along with the dried fat. The fat itself had a paper like texture. I just kept thinly slicing until I hit soft meat of fat.

 

[Patrickkva]

I've used this system a number of times with success:

http://www.drybagsteak.com/

Got a full primal at RD of Ribeye and NY Strip and went crazy. 28 days of aging.

Aged 28 days.

Trimmed

The waste.

Cut into 1.5" steaks

The money shot.

 

[AlanTX]

Very nice. I may have to try this.

 

[Patrickkva]

Very nice. I may have to try this.

I will say that having a good electric knife helped trim the pelicle off the meat nicely. Then going after the hard to reach bits with a sharp "brisket knife" (long thin knife with granton edge). No pics of the cooked steaks, but man they were good.:bow: