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SteakAger


chefmd

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I love dry aged steak.  The ones in grocery stores like WF are usually not aged long enough.  I have first encountered SteakAger in a local grocery store in Prince Frederick, MD called  Nick’s.  They make properly aged steaks but those are often sold out on Saturday when I am able to shop there.  

 

So it turns out that there is a home version.  https://www.thesteakager.com

 

Now, it takes the whole shelf in the refrigerator but we have an extra one in Beach House.  It’s for tasty beverages to quote @rotuts.  So I bought 7 pounds Delmonico and what you see is after one week of aging.  I will try to be strong and allow it to age for at least four weeks.

 

 

home version.  There is a pouch with rock salt inside to reduce the moisture.

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Professional version from the store 

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So the rock salt by itself moderates the humidity?  Do you have a hygrometer in the chamber to let you see what is going on?

 

If you're going to wait 4 weeks, would you do a weekly weighing so we can see the rate of water loss?

Christopher D. Holst aka "cdh"

Learn to brew beer with my eGCI course

Chris Holst, Attorney-at-Lunch

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@chefmd

 

""   tasty beverages ""   sound good !

 

probably vey similar to Personal Beverages .

 

love this .    

 

would love to see how the humidity is controlled 

 

wonder what a DIY might be like

 

all you would really need to get is the UV light set up.

 

a large enough container that air tight  , a water pan ( ? )

 

a hygrometer (?)

 

very interested to follow your results.

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saw the price tag for a small box - $749 or so and affordable for the common man 

 

I am very interested to see if it works: i.e., is it better tasting steak comparable or better than WF? 

 

Updates on whether or not it works would be mucho appreciated. 

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1 hour ago, cdh said:

So the rock salt by itself moderates the humidity?  Do you have a hygrometer in the chamber to let you see what is going on?

 

If you're going to wait 4 weeks, would you do a weekly weighing so we can see the rate of water loss?

It has a fan, not sure if it runs continuously.  There is a thin wire that goes out and gets plugged in outside the fridge.  Initial weight was 6.75 lbs, it is 6.25 today.

 

i do not have a hygrometer 

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12 minutes ago, eugenep said:

saw the price tag for a small box - $749 or so and affordable for the common man 

 

I am very interested to see if it works: i.e., is it better tasting steak comparable or better than WF? 

 

Updates on whether or not it works would be mucho appreciated. 

749 is for a refrigerator.  My box was 250 or so.  I think quality of meat and. length of aging determine the final product.  Will keep you posted.  This was a good regular Delmonico steak.  I may try a prime or wagyu beef next.

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@chefmd 

 

excellent

 

thank your for your report

 

my 2 cents :  some tome ago I was up and here and there

 

I went into a place , and they had an aged steak 

 

I bought it , to try

 

my local RocheBro's  at about this time , installed a 

 

soup to nuts    refrigerated case 

 

large , ans starter selling "" Aged Steaks "

 

when they started , 25 $$ /lbs in the service counter

 

I tried the steak i had gotten 

 

as above , very carefully grilled

 

and I was not impressed at all :

 

maybe some interning flavors that

 

but well , dry 

 

what I took away from this :

 

if you  put Choice in , you will get choice out

 

and , independent of your grading are now by the USDS

 

its just not worth it.

 

now  good luck finding Prime these days

 

but your might 

 

that the old choice , lets day 1975

 

but the idea is a good one

 

wonder what cheaper cuts 

 

shoulder , etc 

 

might do in that gizzimo

 

then SV

 

pleased you are doing this

 

thanks for your posts 

 

P.S.  there is ahead here , using RedBoat 40

 

in the refrtigd to mimic    '' Dry aged "

 

thank you for taking Us  ( ie me  ) along.

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Looking forward to updates on this. I'd suggest getting some kind of hygrometer and thermometer for the chamber. Refrigerators are really inconsistent, and you'll at least want to know what's going on in there.

 

My butcher from years ago had a makeshift setup in his walk-in. Just a couple of shelves with a fan pointed at them. He had no idea what he was doing ... the meat was always very good, but there was little correlation between age and dry-aged flavors. A few times I hit the jackpot and got the most sublime stuff. Other times I'd buy something aged even longer, that just had a hint of aged flavor. 

 

That funny box, along with a couple of instruments, might let you do a more predictable job than he did. 

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Notes from the underbelly

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My son and DIL are visiting so it twisted my arm to cut aging time short and to cook the steak.  It weighs just under 6 pounds from the original 6.75.  It can definitely use a longer aging time judging by the texture.  Still a little soft but not bad at all.

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Local store in Prince Frederick, MD had strip on sale for 6.99 a pound.  A strikingly different color and texture.  I will age this one for at least 4 weeks.

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And it was cooked.  First, I salted it generously and brought it to room temperature.  Seared it hard in cast iron.  Steamed greens on the side.  Noticeable funk.  Very easy to achieve sear due to low moisture content.  Loved it!  Will try to age longer next time!

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Just a thought...wouldn't a blast chiller work for aging meat?  My Vesta can be set anywhere between 25C and -30C.  My measurements have shown the temperatures to be accurate.  There is plenty of air flow.  Unsure of the humidity.

 

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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12 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Just a thought...wouldn't a blast chiller work for aging meat?  My Vesta can be set anywhere between 25C and -30C.  My measurements have shown the temperatures to be accurate.  There is plenty of air flow.  Unsure of the humidity.

 

 

Humidity is important. If you have a chiller with a fan blowing dry air, you get giant pieces of jerky. If the air is too moist, you get a mold garden.

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Notes from the underbelly

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