Dry aged and confused ???

Pepper Monkey BBQ

Have done two dry aged experiments and neither was worth repeating. Please help me trouble shoot. Purchased a four pack of thick NY Strips from Costco, about 1 1/2" thick each. Put them in the beer fridge which was at about 35 deg, open air on a drying rack. Three days later I cooked two of them using my normal steak technique (Pulled around 120 deg, 5 min rest under foil) and they seemed ... well .... very dry. The flavor didn't seem much different and the texture wasn't very pleasant.

Two steaks remained in the fridge to dry for a total of 8 days. I then food saved and froze. Last night we cooked them and had the same results as the first attempt. The flavor did seem slightly more rich ... but barely, and the texture was not very pleasant. The plate had plenty of juice on it after resting under foil, but the meat was dry and texture was what I would almost describe as mealy.

I don't know ... bad choice of cut? Only go primal and don't mess with individual steaks? Should have gone longer? Not sure what was wrong, but it wasn't worth bragging about that's for sure! Thoughts???

JM

Ripnem

For indivdual steaks you're better off letting them sit in the packagng they came in and sort of wet aging them. A steak has too much surface area to dry age and they will dry too much. You want to start with a whole primal or at least a very large roast. Then let it go for a month.

Pepper Monkey BBQ

Thanks ... I kind of though that may be the case. I had read all about it on the forum, then saw Alton Brown do a three day age on a couple of steaks so I figured I'd give it a shot. I won't give up and will try a bigger chunk of meat.

Thanks!
JM

fishlessman

you need to do the whole roast and a minimum of 14 days for the process to really get going and still dont touch it for atleast 21 days. now some dont like dry aged beef, its good to go buy some and try it before investing in a whole primal and a month of waiting

stike

you don't dry age steaks by themselves.

stike

three days will do virtually nothing for aging (flavor and tenderness from enzymes).

drying a steak itself, overnight, helps develop a nice surface for browning, but that's about it. you won't notice much condensed flavor because you won't lose much weight. if you go longer, and DO lose the weight (which is nothing but water), you will have dried out a steak too much.

when you dry a whole subprimal, you have only two cut ends. that end cut is basically beef jerky by the end of it, and you trim that part off. but that's about all that is lost. if you do a steak the same way, you have both cut ends (flesh) on one steak, and it dries way too much.

my advice for anyone interested in dry aging is to spend through the teeth for a real dry-aged steak first, before doing any at home. if you don't think the difference is worth it, don't bother doing it yourself. it also gives you some point of reference.

three-day dry aging is like microwave ribs. it can be done, but it isn't the same thing.

BobS

Why don't you buy a couple of good dry aged steaks and cook them up and see if you like them? If you buy steaks from a good place, you won't be guessing whether it was the technique or the result that you did not like.

I am not arguing against the longer aging, but I think that 21 days is plenty.

I agree that you do not want to age single steaks.

stike

i think 21 days is about the minimum. i started this "late". i think it'll be about 38 days when we do the roast for christmas.





here it is at the start, on the 18th of november (top shelf rear)

stike

21 days is a good start :laugh:

just kidding. 21 days is a good solid practical number.

hard enough to get the wife to oblige a chunk of meat laying naked in the fridge to begin with. 21 days is a good compromise.

but at 40-45 days, the beef just essentially surrenders

RRP

To date 45 days have produceed my best, most memorable steaks. And yes, folks...I'm a fan of Drybags!

stike

at gillette stadium, there's a sign at the end of all the "frisking" lanes that says "men with bags". if men have a bag, they can go thru that line to be searched. it's always empty.

:laugh:

just kidding.

i like to go old school as you know. i wonder, would you eat the pancetta that's been hanging from a pipe in my basement? heh heh heh



that was the day i hung it. been there a week or so at this point.

RRP

don't know...but flies are inactive in the winter -right?

Smokin' not stirred

Stike, depends if said pipe is leaking or not. What does it look like now?

Little Steven

Ron,

The duck prosciutto killed the flies.

Steve

Pepper Monkey BBQ

Stike ... great photos ... I'm envious of all your 'projects.'

JM

Pepper Monkey BBQ

Oh but what is the fun in having someone else do the work??? A good point though, trying some that I know is 'properly' cared for is a good idea. But I can't imagine I wouldn't like it!

JM

stike

they don't pepper pancetta and hams for the flavor.

well, they do NOW. but the reason people like pepper on pancetta and ham is because they got used to it, and they got used to it because it was one of the things that kept flies away.

additionally, flies are drawn to rotting flesh. when cured, flesh does not rot.

that's what i enjoy about aging and this sort of stuff. almost none of it was done to be 'fancy' or for flavor, butfor storing meat long term. the flavors and textures are a by-product of the curing and drying process. it's only now that we have the luxury of fridges and freezers that it isn't necessary, and so we choose to do it for the flavors

fishlessman

it will help you know what cut to get, im not the biggest fan of ribeyes, but a dry aged ribeye is better than a dry aged strip or porterhouse, the ribeye is made for dry aging with all that fat.now you could go buy all the primals but why not find out which cut you prefer, saves time and alot of money :laugh: and around day 12 your going to look at that roast your doing and think "i musta done something wrong" :laugh:

stike

deeper ruby red on the flesh. the fat is firming but still white

stike

you need a point of reference.

stike

completely agree on every single point.

peppermonkey, point to the pic of my rib subprimal and ask your wife if she would serve it to her mother. :laugh:

but fishless' point is the one i always try to drive home. buy one first. spend the money. why? well, you would not have had to ask your original question, for one thing. you should know what they look/smell/feel/taste like before trying to do it at home. because if you get nervous with beef under plastic wrap that is brwon and a week past the sell-by date, how are you gonna rationalize taking it OUT of that package, and letting it sit there three weeks more? :ermm: :huh:

Pepper Monkey BBQ

Well luckily the wife is all for any food experiments we can come up with. And ironically, I'm off to pick the mother in law up from the airport in a few hours, but all experiments are out of the fridge. She's never even had lamb, so it's lamb chops for dinner tomorrow.

Great advice from everyone. I'll pick up a couple to ensure I feel dry aging is worth the time and fridge space then I'll keep at it!

Thanks!
JM

Hoss

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

stike

from the "not really being clear" department

mnwalleye

I started a 12lb ribeye roast a few weeks ago and was going to 21 days but from what I read I should double it??

Hoss

Just laughing at the men with bags statement and the fact that the line is always empty.

stike

i am tempted to bring a purse. :unsure: :laugh:

stike

try 28, 35... is it a big one?

mnwalleye

No. I wanted to start small. I finally got a fridge just for dry aging. I have it on the middle rack and set at 35 degrees.

stike

mine is the full seven bones. so if i go 8 days or so, the meat at the cut ends is going to be real jerky material. that gets sacrificed (or eaten by the cook ). if you had a small 2 or 3 bone roast, you might be cutting off too much.

have you had dry aged beef before? do you know what it is supposed to look like and all? don't want to be looking at a hundred dollar science experiment wondering if it is trash-bound. hahaha

try 28 days. not so long as to risk over-drying, and long enough to get some good aging

mnwalleye

No I have not, that's the reason for a smaller one in case its trash. I have a friend that has before so I'm going with what he tells me. I have not opened the fridge at all so I have no idea what it looks like now. It's been 18 days.