Using koji to "age" steaks

[Shalmanese]

This bon appetit recipe claims that rubbing Koji rice over the outside of a steak and letting it sit for 2 days will replicate a lot of the flavor notes of dry ageing. On the surface, it doesn't seem implausible, a lot of similar enzymatic reactions are going on between koji and dry ageing. Sounds interesting enough for me to experiment with. There seems to be a lot of variables to tweak that might produce better or worse results.

 

For example, I wonder what would happen if you made a koji brine for the meat to sit in? Would the brine draw the flavors more into the interior? Also, would applying a meat tenderizing brush help draw more flavor into the interior? I wonder what a koji corned beef recipe would taste like? Anyone willing to experiment and report back?

[hongda]

Chef John tried it out

http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2016/04/koji-rubbed-steak-new-age-dry-age.html

 

[shantzzz]

I'm told you can't dry-age individual steaks, only large cuts, so probably using koji on individual steaks isn't going to be optimal.  I just did an 8-lb prime rib roast with koji for 3 days in the fridge and it turned out A-MAZING!

[rotuts]

@hongda  

 

thanks for the ref to the vid.

 

very interesting.   I personally think the steak was over cooked , but thats a personal pref.

 

this might be worth trying  SV  to 130  for enough time to make the steak tender  based on the steak you are trying

 

what ever process is going on here , I can't imagine that process permeating the meat throughout in 2 days.

 

you can dry age a single steak , the problem is that the surfaces dry out which you cut away 

 

with a single steak  there won't be much left

 

I dry age ordinary cuts for 7 day in my refrig  and then SV them then sear

 

works decently  but its not  45 day prime dry aged.

 

 

Edited December 13, 2016 by rotuts (log)

[btbyrd]

Cook's Science has a lengthy piece on koji in which they talk about letting koji fuzz grow on meat for flavor purposes.

 

The Nordic Food Lab uses koji in many of their fermentations as a source of exogenous enzymes. They use it to make fish sauce and to cure anchovies, for example. 

 

Unrelated but sort of related... The MC "shortcut" emulating dry aged flavor is to brush the steak lightly with fish sauce, seal it in a bag, and let it marinate for three days. 

[rotuts]

ive done the MC  quick age

 

its an easy improvement.

 

next time I go to my Chinese MegaoMart   Ill try to remember to ask , by taking a picture of the stuff with me.

 

I can tell you this  :  dry aging choice supermarket meat is not the same as dry aging exceptional prime meat.

 

RocheBro  near me  had a dry aging chamber you can look into.   I can't tell  you the number of days they use , I think at least 30

 

then the thick slice an sell it in their Butcher's meat counter.  initially they tried for 25 $$ // lbs

 

now its 19 with sales here and then

 

it does taste differently    but its choice  and not prime

 

it does not melt in your mouth

 

but Ive never SV'd it for tenderness so my studies are incomplete   and will remain so.

 

a fad  with choice Id say.

[donniedarko2001]

On 12/13/2016 at 11:41 AM, shantzzz said:

I'm told you can't dry-age individual steaks, only large cuts, so probably using koji on individual steaks isn't going to be optimal.  I just did an 8-lb prime rib roast with koji for 3 days in the fridge and it turned out A-MAZING!

You can use the Koji method on individual steaks. The reason you can't do true dry aging on individual steaks, trimming the inedible outer layer leaves little or no steak left. You need a larger cut so you still have usable steaks after trimming. With the Koji 2-3 day method you have no inedible outer layer to trim, just a rinse. Koji is better suited to smaller cuts because of the limited time the enzymes have to work their way into the meat.

[FeChef]

Maybe its just me but i leave that dry aged outer layer on. It makes for great charring flavor.

[hongda]

Another take on Koji aging from Bon Appetit

 

Bon Appetit

 

 

Edited June 17, 2018 by hongda (log)

[rotuts]

Ive been thinking of a Koji trial 

 

then I saw this :

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgSMR0P56o8

 

 

I decided not to bother as im very happy w a 48 hr RedBoat40 in the refrigerator

 

and it so easy.

 

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

Ive been thinking of a Koji trial 

 

then I saw this :

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgSMR0P56o8

 

 

I decided not to bother as im very happy w a 48 hr RedBoat40 in the refrigerator

 

and it so easy.

 

I am hoping to get my hands on some koji but for different reasons (Japanese condiment). Should I succeed I will definitely have to give the steak a try for myself.  The condiment itself is used on meat so it would be interesting to do a comparison of just koji and the koji mixed with salt or soy.