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What was I thinking? Suggestions?

Canugghead
Canugghead Posts: 11,407
A month ago I was grinding up a batch of eye of round and decided, spur of the moment, to dry age a piece.  It has been 32 days, now what? sous vide shoe leather?

canuckland
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Comments

  • Small pieces don't dry age well because they dry too quickly. Me? Cut it in half and see what you have. If it it cleaving apart at the fat or between muscles, it's too dry.

    At the very least you can slice it thin and use it for a ton of carpaccio. Stuff is fantastic raw. 

    Or you could try it as a roast. Best surface ever. But you again risk that it may be too dry

    it's perfeclty fine to eat, just quality may not be up to snuff. At a 100 days the aged flavor is thru the roof. But there is too much lost moisture to feel like a steak. It's more like a different thing altogether. 

    Either way, try some carpaccio. A little olive oil, lemon, pepper. THAT is the best way to understand what aging does to beef

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  • *one of the best ways, I mean

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  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 11,407
    Thanks, will look into it.
    canuckland
  • It looks pretty thin, so you kight have a brick on your hands. But worth a shot. 

    Rather than cutting in half as i said, if you want to try it as a roast, just slice off the heel ends. You'll see what you are dealing with that way without busting it in half. 

    Thiugh you probably don't have much internal fat or marbling, that's only one aspect of aging, not the whole reason for it. So at the least you'l have some aged beefiness if it isn't too dry. Good luck
    -J
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  • *might, not kight.  Dang fatf-inger syndrome
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  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 11,407
    edited August 2015
    Cut off a corner, the exposed flesh is not dried/brittle, (how to post video?)
    http://vid483.photobucket.com/albums/rr197/canadaodyowner/MVI_44601_zpssvgmree2.mp4

    Tasted strips from the end, texture not bad but bland since it wasn't seasoned at all...


    Just googled on 'carpaccio', it's fresh raw meat ... guess I can make dry aged carpaccio!
    canuckland
  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
    edited August 2015
    From the heel of the thing you should be able to slice out some real thin slices. Drizzle with oil and a few drips of lemon. Salt, pepper. Carpaccio! Good stuff

    if it seems deep red and solid, no splitting along fascia lines or fat, then it may not be too dry. Don't expect 'juicy'.  Juicy is nothing more than water, and a juicy steak is nothing special. The juice is mostly water and fat and (if pink) myoglobin, and when you dry age, flavorless water is thankfully gotten rid of. The flavor in the juice is left behind in the meat. 

    Juice* is a simple minded 'plus' for a steak. It's water due to cell damage. I'd rather chew* it than drink it. :)

    *EDIT: figgered out howta edit onna fone
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  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
    edited August 2015
    (How do you edit on a phone? i sound like littlesteven with all that spelling errors )
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  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 11,407
    touch the 'sprocket wheel' on the top right of your post, you should get a drop down edit option.

    the inside is firm and like hard sponge, not juicy, going to thin slice with meat slicer. thanks
    canuckland
  • Dont slice the whole thing. Just enough for an app. Roast the rest
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  • bweekes
    bweekes Posts: 725
    Gary - i don't know ANYTHING about dry aging. Wish I could help you boss. But i'm sure you'll salvage this. 
    Ajax, ON Canada
    (XL BGE, MED BGE, La Caja China #2, and the wife's Napoleon gasser)
  • Salvage? That's like saying you hope he salvages something from that gold ore he found.  
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  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 11,407
    where is @RRP =)
    canuckland
  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
    edited August 2015
    Ah yes. Ron is awesome. But re aging, I do remember explaining it all to him back when he started. ;)

    (Ex-forum-denizen stike. Maybe)
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  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 11,407
    edited August 2015
    sorry I didn't know/remember that, how come your post count is so low?  yes sure wish stike is still here!
    canuckland
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,869
    where is @RRP =)
    Just got home - I believe he has been given excellent options with slicing it thin and enjoying it raw! I never saw any data about the size nor weight of that piece other than it was a piece of eye of round, but my gut reaction is that is not "steak treatment worthy".
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • Yeah. No steaks. What he said!  

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  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 11,407
    Have a big party next week, may use up the whole thing (about 8"-10" long) as appetizer.
    canuckland
  • Only issue there is when you tell them it's raw and 32 days (well, 39 by then) old. 


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  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 11,407
    Moment of truth .... sliced off a plate for testing, following this recipe:
    http://culinairemagazine.ca/recipes/beef-carpaccio-ponzu-sauce-and-radishes
    Turned out pretty nice if I may say so, won't tell guests it's raw until after they ate!

    canuckland
  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    Can someone edumacate me as to why dry aging makes raw beef safe to eat??


    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

  • buzd504
    buzd504 Posts: 3,823
    edited August 2015
    Can someone edumacate me as to why dry aging makes raw beef safe to eat??
    Raw beef is (reasonably) safe to eat anyway.  Dry aging just makes it taste better.
    NOLA
  • @buzd504 exactly.

    a couple things to remember.  people speak about things very generally "bad bugs", baddies", etc. and imagine all sorts of things to fill the knowledge hole.

    what we are really talking about is bacteria.  the worst stuff is ON the meat, not in it.  it gets there during slaughter, if the gut contents are spilled and the meat contacts it.

    so, wash it.  and pat dry.  don't need soap really.

    when you dry age, you are taking it out of the package and placing it in a safe environment (in a cold fridge) so that air can circulate around it.  our refrigerators are a little drier than commercial again rooms, which means that the next day, the surface of the meat will be drum tight and bone dry.  if it dries, it dies. 

    kept cold, exactly what is going to grow? nothing.

    that said, you are handling meat before and after.  it could very well be YOU that creates a safety issue during prep

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  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    Thanks @buzd504 and @Darby_Crenshaw.  I was really just curious and that makes sense.  This may be an oversimplification, but it sounds like basically
    1) bacteria is only on the outside 
    2) you basically turn the outside to jerky, so it is safe.  


    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

  • sorry, just noticed the posts above...for carpaccio i would actually trim the rind.  i don't trim when cooking it, because it sorta rehydrates from the cooking (we're damaging cells after all) and it also crisps up due to the fat.

    i would think it might be odd (it's basically jerky: dried beef) at the edges of what should be a silky slice of beef. let me know if it was no big deal though.

    let me know if you perceive any metallic tinge to the flavor.  i always get that with the carpaccio (aged I mean)
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  • It's not turning it to jerky that makes it safe, it's that it dries quickly, and bacteria don't dig that coupled with cold temps. 

    In reality, it's only safer, not safe. And it's about being cold too, not just dry. 

    You could age it at room temp if you really wanted, but that'd need salt, which would make it something else. 

    dry and cold, that's all




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  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 11,407
    @Darby_Crenshaw
    Thanks for the crash course. No metallic tinge, may be it was masked by the yummy sauce! It was easier to slice really thin without trimming the crust. We rolled and put the whole slice in the mouth, the crust was not chewy and actually provided a good contrast in texture!

    canuckland
  • buzd504
    buzd504 Posts: 3,823
    Thanks @buzd504 and @Darby_Crenshaw.  I was really just curious and that makes sense.  This may be an oversimplification, but it sounds like basically
    1) bacteria is only on the outside 
    2) you basically turn the outside to jerky, so it is safe.  

    This is also why ground beef (particularly store ground beef) needs to be more thoroughly cooked - the grinding process can move the bacteria from the surface of the meat throughout the grind.  Plus you can get contaminants from other meat that has been run through that equipment.
    NOLA
  • @buzd504 excellent point. This is why it isn't a good idea to eat supermarket hamburger rare/raw. The machines that process that much meat day in and day out are exposed to much more meat, which ups the risk. 

    But at home you can rinse the meat, maybe salt it if you want, then chunk and grind. Cook it right away, and the risk is much lower
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  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 11,407
    That's why mechanically tenderised steak can be as scary as ground meat ...
    http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2013/06/has-your-steak-been-mechanically-tenderized/index.htm
    canuckland