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Dry Aging Beef at Home - the topic


Varmint

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Yes, the weight before, and then the trimmed weight.

The humidity was 55 - 75% on average. I had two 120mm fans in the small fridge so that might have been way to much air movement.

It also could be 4 weeks is too long for tenderloin.

I'm wondering if it would help to let it form a nice crust for a week and then cyrovac the primals in to prevent more mosture loss.

Edited by Vision (log)
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I've thought about this a bunch and have been discussing it with my butcher. For just a tenderloin, I think the practical limit is 10 days to 2 weeks.

The other possibility (a good one ... but would take a lot of commitment to do at home) is to age the whole short loin. Then you have the option of butchering it to strip steaks and tenderloin, or leaving it whole and serving as regular t-bone or porterhouse.

Notes from the underbelly

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The other possibility (a good one ... but would take a lot of commitment to do at home) is to age the whole short loin. Then you have the option of butchering it to strip steaks and tenderloin, or leaving it whole and serving as regular t-bone or porterhouse.

I've considered doing this. What makes me hesitate is the consideration of whether I can cut nice steaks of uniform thickness with a hand saw, like a butcher can do easily on a band saw. I'm sure it's possible with practice, but I wonder how much hamburger I have to make before I'm good at it. Anyone who has cut steaks by hand care to comment on that?

Edited by David A. Goldfarb (log)
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I've considered doing this.  What makes me hesitate is the consideration of whether I can cut nice steaks of uniform thickness with a hand saw, like a butcher can do easily on a band saw.  I'm sure it's possible with practice, but I wonder how much hamburger I have to make before I'm good at it.  Anyone who has cut steaks by hand care to comment on that?

In some ways should be able to do a better job than the bandsaw. Butchers seem to have a hard time getting slices of perfectly even thickness with those things. The challenge will be getting steaks the exact thickness you want, since you'll be forced to cut between ribs.

I'd use the longest, thinnest slicing knife you have, and cut as far as you can without banging into bone. Then cut the bone with a hack saw. That transition between knife cut and saw cut might be a bit ragged, but I doubt it would call any attention to itself once the meat is cooked.

That's going to be a lot of steak. Are you planning a big dinner party? (hint, hint)

Edited by paulraphael (log)

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No immediate dinner plans, but if I do, I'll let you know.

I was thinking more about buying a short loin when I run out of beef between my co-op grass-fed beef purchases. I wasn't thinking of getting anything special--more like a cryovac short loin from Western Beef and aging it in the fridge.

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No immediate dinner plans, but if I do, I'll let you know.

I was thinking more about buying a short loin when I run out of beef between my co-op grass-fed beef purchases.  I wasn't thinking of getting anything special--more like a cryovac short loin from Western Beef and aging it in the fridge.

David, have you've tried the hack saw cutting at home yet ?

I'm wondering what to do myself. Met with the Rancher yesterday at the Farmer's Market and he explained that the reason he has not excepted my order via email for a complete rib bone-in and a short loin, is they are not allowed to sell bone, by itself or with meat on.

Still I say "Lucky I live Hawaii," but living here does present challenges :blink:

Lobels and Debragga are looking like an alternative but man, I don't want to spend $50 and up a pound, which is what it would be with freight!

We do have a Whole Foods and they have prime bone in full rib or cut up for $28. per, but they say it is not dry aged.

The other option is to go 'choice' rated at Costco or better yet Foodland (superamrket). At Foodland they will cut the whole rib or leave whole as I ask, to my specs. But I'll not be starting out with anything close to the top 2% of meat.

edited for grammar & spelling. I do it 95% of my posts so I'll state it here. :)

"I have never developed indigestion from eating my words."-- Winston Churchill

Talk doesn't cook rice. ~ Chinese Proverb

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I haven't tried it yet. I'll post when I do.

First I need to get a saw-- sausagemaker.com has some standard models. But in the meanwhile, we're also having some problems with one of the hinges on our oven door, and I'm holding off on any big meat purchases until that's sorted out. It's a fairly new oven, still under warranty, so it's a matter of motivating the landlord to get the receipts together so I can call for a repair.

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  • 3 months later...

I just started dry aging an 18 pound rib following the instructions at askthemeatman. The rib came from the butcher at Le Bifteque which is a steakhouse with locations around Canada. Mine came from the Montreal location and I think it is pretty good quality. It isn't as marbled as I have seen from specialty butchers but this is my first try.

I left the rib intact and I am hoping that isn't a mistake. Maybe I should have split it in two. Anyhow, my fridge is generally below 35 degrees though it does sometimes jump close to 40 since this is my primary fridge. I will try to limit how much I open it until I am done aging the rib.

So following the instructions, I have been wrapping the meat in clean dish towels every day. It has only been 2 days and I am already very surprised by how hard the outside of the rib has become, especially the fat cap on top. The whole rib cost me 125$ CAD so I hope I don't screw this up :sad:

Askthemeatman recommends only aging the beef for 10-14 days but I am thinking of giving it 21. Any opinions? Also, the instructions don't say if I should flip the rib over every now and then. Would this be a good idea?

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Yes, the fat will get hard and it will get darker in color. The meat will feel leathery and get very dark. If your refrigerator stays at the right temperature, you should have no problem aging the meat for 21 days. If the meat is kept on a wire rack so there is good air flow around the entire roast, you don't need to flip the meat. You could flip the roast if you wish, it shouldn't hurt anything but it also may not help.

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Hi,

I have dry aged for 10 days, 20 days and 30 days in my fridge. Never had even a minor problem.

With no objective comparisons, I do think that longer adds tenderness but not necessarily better flavor. Dry aging tends to reduce the fresh beefy flavor of steaks and add a depth of flavor that is pretty elusive. Maybe it is umami. Maybe I lack the rhetorical skills.

There is nothing better than a 30 day dry-aged USDA Prime Strip Roast cut into 1 3/4" slices then halved and tied to form medallions as big as filet mignons. As tender as a filet, with the flavor of the strip.

But then, I haven't tried the 87 day dry-aged steaks....

Tim

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Is it recommended to age with the bone in? The rib I am aging now is very dry on top but I wonder if the rib is affecting the aging on the bottom. That is one of the reasons I was wondering if flipping the rib once a day would help.

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My butcher sells a lot of dry aged beef ... some that he ages himself in the walk-in, some aged by a contractor with real aging facilities, and some that's a combination of both. I've noticed huge inconsistencies. For example, the most intense aged flavor I've ever tasted came from a 42-day dry aged strip steak I bought from him a couple of years ago. I then had him age a rib section for 70 days (he warned me that this might be too much for the guests) ... but the aged flavors were much less pronounced than in the 42 day beef.

He and I agree that the issue is likely temperature, humidity, and airflow issues in his walk-in. But exactly what, we don't know. Too much humidity? Too little? To warm? Too cold? Too inconsistent an environment?

Even the experts disagree on ideal conditions. Some guidelines I've seen:

-According to F.C.Parrish, Jr., Ph.D., dept. of animal science at Iowa State University: 32-34°F, 85-100% humidity, air velocity of 0.5 to 2.5 m/sec

-According to Harold McGee: 34°–38°F / 70 – 80% relative humidity, no airflow given

-According to chef Rick Gresh at Primehouse: 34°–40°F / 65% relative humidity, no airflow given

That's a pretty big range of numbers. Most likely all these approaches will work, but you can bet they'll give different results. I'd love to see a comparison done in a controlled environment. And I'm not volunteering for the task!

Notes from the underbelly

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For those that have already done this, is it normal that there is a slight smell from the dry exterior of the rib? I would assume so but I just want to make sure. The smell is by no means strong. I have to almost touch the meat with my nose to smell it. But it does smell slightly off. It has been 11 days now and I have not yet sliced into the rib yet so I don't know what the interior smells like.

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  • 10 months later...

i want to try to dry age my own meat, i have done a little research but finding some conflicting info...i think i want to try a prime rib..it will give me a big enough piece of meat..and i thought the chance to roast part and cut some into steak...thoughts? prime or choice ? can i go cheaper since i am going to age it ? and is there any added value over 25 days or so ?

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After watching a couple Food Network programs featuring dry aged beef like the one last night that featured David Burke's Primehouse in Chicago, I became curious how to do this at home. In my search, I ran across a company selling bags for dry aging at home. They are called Drybag Steak (http://www.drybagsteak.com/). Apparently, you put meat cuts in one of ther moisture permeable bags, use a vacuum machine to extract the air and then place the meat in refrigerator for several weeks to accomlish the aging process. They suggest using a regular refrigerator where you are in and out of it on a regular basis, versus placing the meat in a 'garage' refrigerator or a dedicated refrigerator since opening and closing helps the drying process when you allow moisture to escape the refrigerator. This sounds very interesting. You might like to look into this for yourself. As I wrote to someone else, this may be of benefit for charcuterie at home.

"A cloud o' dust! Could be most anything. Even a whirling dervish.

That, gentlemen, is the whirlingest dervish of them all." - The Professionals by Richard Brooks

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After watching a couple Food Network programs featuring dry aged beef like the one last night that featured David Burke's Primehouse in Chicago, I became curious how to do this at home. In my search, I ran across a company selling bags for dry aging at home. They are called Drybag Steak (http://www.drybagsteak.com/). Apparently, you put meat cuts in one of ther moisture permeable bags, use a vacuum machine to extract the air and then place the meat in refrigerator for several weeks to accomlish the aging process. They suggest using a regular refrigerator where you are in and out of it on a regular basis, versus placing the meat in a 'garage' refrigerator or a dedicated refrigerator since opening and closing helps the drying process when you allow moisture to escape the refrigerator. This sounds very interesting. You might like to look into this for yourself. As I wrote to someone else, this may be of benefit for charcuterie at home.

I've used them before and they work pretty well. You also don't need to buy the vacuum sealer they sell, you can just use a foodsaver or whatever other one you have on hand. I've attached a bad picture of it. That was a prime loin of strip steak I picked up from Costco.

IMG_0046.JPG

Edited by mmille24 (log)
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Did you age the whole loin which is what I believe I see in the photo? I understand or read that it is best not to wash, dry or rub off any of the remainder still on the meat from the 'wet aging' vacuum sealed package as it is sold in Costco. Would cutting it up into smaller portions work? I am fortunate to have a MVS-31 MiniTorre chamber vacuum, so I will be able to seal the product easily.

Thank you for your comment.

"A cloud o' dust! Could be most anything. Even a whirling dervish.

That, gentlemen, is the whirlingest dervish of them all." - The Professionals by Richard Brooks

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Were you satisfied drying in the refrigerator along with the regular items? There was no flavor carry-over from the meat to the other items or vice versa? Did you have the meat on a grate to allow air flow with a drip pan beneath? If so, did you rotate the meat during the process to allow even drying on all sides?

"A cloud o' dust! Could be most anything. Even a whirling dervish.

That, gentlemen, is the whirlingest dervish of them all." - The Professionals by Richard Brooks

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Hi,

I have always allowed for a pan underneath to hold ice for humidity and to catch drippings, none. I have rotated once a week for longer aging. I have never experienced any off-odor or any transfer of odor.

Tim

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  • 1 month later...

I wasn't able to pick mine up until yesterday but it's currently breathing like a fine wine.

I did the 200 degrees 'till done last year and actually just pulled it about 2 hours before dinner. It did it's carryover rise and then only fell about 5 degrees in that time. I am just worried...this years is twice as big at 10 pounds and I havent done this enough to have any concept of how long it needs.

tracey

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Christmas morning (day 12), the shoulder end

PC254376.jpg

The loin end. The roast lost 12 oz in weight ~6.5%

PC254378.jpg

No odor that I could detect, This sliver was like jerky

PC254389.jpg

The fat felt like candle wax. All the trimmings weighed 1 lb 3 oz.

PC254396.jpg

Here momentarily off the bones and end caps sliced off revealing a beautiful beet red color (at least 1/4" in).

PC254404.jpg

I used fat shavings from the lip to lard the exposed areas and re-trussed.

PC254430.jpg

Rubbed with crushed garlic and oil and seasoned as usual.

PC254435.jpg

Shalmanese said:

If your oven is capable of it, cook it at 200 until it hits 118, then drop the oven to 120 and you can keep the roast in there indefinitely. As long as you start early enough, you don't need to care about timing.

I did something similar: Oven 200F convection until it reached 130 then turned oven down to 135F and left it there until it reached 135*. My peeps can't do any less:). They're funny that way, they will eat raw meat but not bloody rare.

I still had to make medium done leg of lamb for the finicky.

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