Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Dry Aging Begins

Options
2

Comments

  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 17,171
    Options
    I'm keeping my fingers crossed! 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • DMW
    DMW Posts: 13,832
    Options
    @NPHuskerFL
    I'm planning to try 45 days this time. Last time I went 28.
    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1170160/dry-age-trimming-question/p1
    They/Them
    Morgantown, PA

    XL BGE - S BGE - KJ Jr - HB Legacy - BS Pizza Oven - 30" Firepit - King Kooker Fryer -  PR72T - WSJ - BS 17" Griddle - XXL BGE  - BS SS36" Griddle - 2 Burner Gasser - Pellet Smoker
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    Options
    Wazzat plastic over it?

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • NPHuskerFL
    NPHuskerFL Posts: 17,629
    Options
    Umai dry aging bags @Little Steven 
    LBGE 2013 & MM 2014
    Die Hard HUSKER & BRONCO FAN
    Flying Low & Slow in "Da Burg" FL
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    Options

     Sounds a little gayish to me. They don't use plastic in the aging houses. Sorry Ron.

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,888
    Options
    Little Steven said:

     Sounds a little gayish to me. They don't use plastic in the aging houses. Sorry Ron.

    I fully agree, Steven! But for guys who have a wife who goes crazy seeing a piece of raw meat dry aging in the bottom of the kitchen refrigerator for 45 days then the UMAi Dry bag is an alternative! Once again I must declare while I'm a moderator on their forum I have NO financial interest! BUT I do use their product for dry aging my beef! In fact come tomorrow I will be bagging another boneless rib eye.
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • myc5
    myc5 Posts: 16
    Options
    I also started dry aging a boneless ribeye 6 days ago with the UMAi bag. A friend of mine is doing the same thing. We're both going for 42 days. I've had dry age steak before and love it. Hard to find a butcher that does it because meat is sold by weight and dry aging loses maybe 20% weight.

    I can also vouch that a vertical automatic foodsaver is challenging to use with the UMAi bag. The UMAi bag is a very thin and soft membrane kind of bag, that doesn't have rigidity to push against the levers of the vertical foodsaver to enable vacuum. Plus it starts sealing on it's own. I did manage to get it vacuum'd and sealed ok though. If you can swing the cost, Weston makes a great vacuum sealer.

    There's another dry age method I've seen on youtube where you place the sub-primal beef on a rack inside a large baking dish which has a layer of coarse pink salt. I think it was Himalyan salt. And in your fridge ofcourse. The salt draws out the moisture from the meat. I haven't tried this method yet.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • mtbguy
    mtbguy Posts: 299
    Options
    Saw thing this morning about dry aging with cheese cloth. It was on Rachael ray. Some lady showing restaurant secrets how to kinda thing. Speeds up the process. Never tried doing anything like that. Maybe when I figure this whole thing out. 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • DMW
    DMW Posts: 13,832
    edited March 2015
    Options
    @myc5 - Packing in salt is salt curing, not dr@ 

    @mtbguy - The only reason I can see to not go commando is what @RRP mentioned. If there is someone else in the house that can't take the sight of a sub-primal exposed in the fridge. Just get another fridge for your beer and meat.
    They/Them
    Morgantown, PA

    XL BGE - S BGE - KJ Jr - HB Legacy - BS Pizza Oven - 30" Firepit - King Kooker Fryer -  PR72T - WSJ - BS 17" Griddle - XXL BGE  - BS SS36" Griddle - 2 Burner Gasser - Pellet Smoker
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,888
    Options
    myc5 said:
    I also started dry aging a boneless ribeye 6 days ago with the UMAi bag. A friend of mine is doing the same thing. We're both going for 42 days. I've had dry age steak before and love it. Hard to find a butcher that does it because meat is sold by weight and dry aging loses maybe 20

    If you can swing the cost, Weston makes a great vacuum 
    Not being a smarty*ss but you can also use your lungs, a straw or tube and a bread twisty and seal a UMAI Dry bag. 
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • mahenryak
    mahenryak Posts: 1,324
    Options
    mtbguy said:
    Saw thing this morning about dry aging with cheese cloth. It was on Rachael ray. Some lady showing restaurant secrets how to kinda thing. Speeds up the process. Never tried doing anything like that. Maybe when I figure this whole thing out. 
    @mtbguyThe following excerpt is from the URL near the bottom:

    Q) Is Drybag more effective than home-aging without Drybag?

    A) Both yielded same results for me, tastewise. When I dry age without the Drybag, I cover the meat with several layers of cheesecloth – which I have to clean every few days. The cheesecloth ends up getting dirty, bloody and crusty. I know, that sounds gross. The Drybag saved me time over changing and washing cheesecloths and worrying about exposed meat in the refrigerator. But it is an expense. The machine with bags plus shipping will set you back $130. Cheesecloth is cheap.

    http://steamykitchen.com/6626-review-how-to-dry-age-steaks-with-drybag.html

    Note: it has already been pointed out that you don't necessarily need a vacuum sealer, or maybe you already own one.
    LG BGE, KJ Jr, Smokin Bros. Premier 36 and Pizza Party Bollore



    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 17,171
    Options
    Day 7 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 17,171
    Options
    Day 15. 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,888
    Options
    Looking good! You are so right in just leaving the meat alone while it ages! Some guys will flip flip flip and there is absolutely no need to plus the handling adds unneeded risks! (See how I carefully avoided saying "don't play with your meat, boys!")?
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 17,171
    edited March 2015
    Options
    Here we are at the 21 day mark. The halfway point for me. Masters Sunday is only three short weeks away! The meat has hardened considerably and it is very dark red. If the rest of the ride is this easy, I'll be sold on those bags. 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • mahenryak
    mahenryak Posts: 1,324
    edited March 2015
    Options
    Looking good.  I have a boneless rib-eye sub-primal in the refrigerator right now.  Mine is a little behind yours--day 15.  Your material is clinging nice and tight.  I fought my vacuum sealer a bit and settled for a few gaps in the valleys.  I'm thinking it will still be okay, though.
    LG BGE, KJ Jr, Smokin Bros. Premier 36 and Pizza Party Bollore



    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 17,171
    Options
    I fought it with my vertical sealer as well. You only need 75-80% adhesion so I haven't been worrying about my gaps. I open that fridge once a week to take a peek. 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 17,171
    Options
    Well the journey is winding down. Only 5 1/2 days left. @RRP Mr. Ron, any words of wisdom heading down the home stretch and trimming tips are welcome and appreciated. 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,888
    edited April 2015
    Options
    DoubleEgger said:
    Well the journey is winding down. Only 5 1/2 days left. @RRP Mr. Ron, any words of wisdom heading down the home stretch and trimming tips are welcome and appreciated. 
    Looking GOOD! Yes I do have a suggestion. After removing the UMAi Dry bag take a heavy Chef's style knife and "steak it" out. Then individually trim each steak to your satisfaction. I happen to be "nearly" in the same camp as stike and prefer to trim off the hard, exterior layer after cooking and NOT before. Some videos show people trimming the whole sub-primal laterally first and then cutting into individual steaks. Personally THAT is so wrong with boneless sub-primals as you are wasting the hills by cutting them down to the valleys!
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 17,171
    Options
    Thanks Mr Ron. That's solid advice. I can try it different ways and decide what suits my taste buds the best. 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,888
    Options
    DoubleEgger said:
    Thanks Mr Ron. That's solid advice. I can try it different ways and decide what suits my taste buds the best. 
    I hear you, BUT please steak it out first and THEN trim the steaks individually. OK?
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • st¡ke
    st¡ke Posts: 276
    Options
    You should not use cheesecloth when dry aging. It is a recent misunderstanding of the older practice of hanging linens shrouds on carcasses which were aging. This kept dust and mold off the carcasses that hung for weeks in open (large) storage rooms/coolers. 

    They offer no value in aging subprimals, and are the result of early foodbloggers having their links proliferate. Seriously. No value. 

    You do not want wet cloth on your beef. The surface needs to dry quickly. And there is zero advantage to any of the logic you'll now hear for them. To wit: ansorbing liquid. Nope. You want it to dry by evaporation, not by wicking water into cloth

    seriously people....  This is the simplest frigging thing ever. Stop complicating it. 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • st¡ke
    st¡ke Posts: 276
    Options
    My camp (btw) is no trimming at all. 

    No one trimmed until people started taking pictures of their meat the past ten years and want it to be pretty. 

    Jerky is dried. You trim that, you got notuing left. And it is literally the same thing. Except the jerky is thicker/drier rind. 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • theyolksonyou
    theyolksonyou Posts: 18,458
    Options
    My wife said I was only embarrassing myself by photographing my meat. 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    Options
    theyolksonyou said:
    My wife said I was only embarrassing myself by photographing my meat. 
    John Oliver had an interesting interview with Edward Snowden about that.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • UncleFred
    UncleFred Posts: 458
    Options
    Dry Aging?  You got nothin' on Arizona!...


    San Diego, CA - Where I've mastered Curmudgeon..working on Recluse.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • WyBBQer
    WyBBQer Posts: 66
    Options
    @DoubleEgger I looking forward to your dry age rib roast update.  =)
    1 LBGE & 1 MMBGE
    Lingle, WY
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • peggyc
    peggyc Posts: 54
    Options
    st¡ke said:
    My camp (btw) is no trimming at all. 

    No one trimmed until people started taking pictures of their meat the past ten years and want it to be pretty. 

    Jerky is dried. You trim that, you got notuing left. And it is literally the same thing. Except the jerky is thicker/drier rind. 

    @st¡ke I don't understand anymore... @RRP said that dry aging was not the same thing as making jerky????  I thought it was but he made me feel like I should stop asking questions...

    See thread below:

    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/1624245/#Comment_1624245
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • st¡ke
    st¡ke Posts: 276
    Options
    Both involve drying the meat is all i mean. 

    The exterior becomes as dry as jerky does. No, it isn't marinated. But there is absolutely nothing unsafe or inedible about the rind

    it's just people wanna join the band wagon without learning how to play the instrument. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • peggyc
    peggyc Posts: 54
    Options
    Thank you @st¡ke
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories