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Calling the dry-aging experts...
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minniemoh
Posts: 2,145
I picked up a choice 19.55 lb whole ribeye yesterday. I am thinking about dry aging it and am looking for tips from the experts. I've never done this before but I've read a number of different threads about it here. I just want to make sure I'm not missing something.
Do I trim it up a bit before aging? It's still in the cryovac right now.
From the bits and pieces I've gathered here, I just put it in the back of the beer fridge elevated on a rack on a baking sheet and let it dry out for 28-45 days. At that time, I slice into steaks and vac seal without trimming off the goodness correct? Then I enjoy the fruits of my "labor" and cook away.
Do I trim it up a bit before aging? It's still in the cryovac right now.
From the bits and pieces I've gathered here, I just put it in the back of the beer fridge elevated on a rack on a baking sheet and let it dry out for 28-45 days. At that time, I slice into steaks and vac seal without trimming off the goodness correct? Then I enjoy the fruits of my "labor" and cook away.
L x2, M, S, Mini and a Blackstone 36. She says I have enough now....
eggAddict from MN!
Comments
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micromhos, congrats on even thinking about dry aging. In my experience, it's very rewarding, and for relatively little effort.
I'm sure someone will disagree with me, but in my opinion, there is no process where trimming is less important. On one hand, this supposition is based upon common "post trimming" after dry aging. On the other, if you leave fat and other debris on your plate, you at least have the option of eating what you like, and want.
Yes, put it on a rack and over a baking sheet or something to catch drippings, although I find I do not see much in the way of drippings. One thing that I do recommend is elevating the rack above the baking sheet with something (wood blocks, gold bricks, chunks of Reader's Digest, etc). You want to put some air space between the rack of meat and pan. I have had some trapped moisture where airflow was inhibited and that can give you uneven, even rancid dry aging of the south part of the roast.
I would, if you don't have a political battle with family about the "science experiment" in your fridge, go at least 40 days. The magic starts to happen later in the process when you get some biological growth and the enzymes in the meat really activate.
______________________________________________I love lamp.. -
Congratulations for stepping up.....I have been wanting to eggsperiment with dry aging but do not have the space or SWMBO confirmation to begin.
Maybe one day in my future !!!!
Keep us posted, please !Donnie Dawes - RNNL8 BBQ - Carrollton, KY
TWIN XLBGEs, 1-Beautiful wife, 1 XS Yorkie
I'm keeping serious from now on...no more joking around from me...Meatheads !! -
I also flip it every week. Not sure if crucial but I don't want the wire rack in the same place on the meat for the entire time.Greensboro, NC
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That's pretty much it. You might want to grab a thermometer you can set or clip somewhere in the fridge to double check your refrigerator temp. The refrigerator needs to be between 32-38 degrees. You also might want to throw a couple paper towels on the baking sheet for the first few days to catch drippings. Usually stops dripping around the 3rd day. You can toss the paper towels once it's done dripping. That's pretty much it like you mentioned above. Toss it in and forget about it. You're going to be eating real good in your future!
*Also remember for your first steak cook that you removed the moisture from the steak and they cook much faster than a normal steak.
"The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan
Minnesota -
I don't trim at any point. Before or after
i DO clean it up before though. Because they arrive in cryo in various shades of 'tidiness'. Or not
hanging strip of fat, dangling? I trim it off. Because it will be catgut after a month of drying.
Loose slippery barely-attached fascia or membrane on the fat? Almost like thin Film of nothingness? I lose that too
a quick rinse usually too. Because, well, any fecal bacteria that you'd worry about are external. No sense letting them hang out.
Then pat dry
onto a raised drying rack over a cookie sheet, to catch the one drop of liquid that you might see, and to promote drying of the entire surface
then let it ride
trimming afterward is, to me, defeating much of the purpose. Why frost a cake and then scrape off the frosting?
Fully half the intent with dry aging is to promote the dried exerior fat and flesh surface. And as hard as it may be when you check it a month later, it will soften when cooking. And that dried fat will fry the meat. It provides the best possible crust you can ask for
and traditionally, it was never trimmed.
Trimming is something i watched overtake the process like a frigging tidal wave of paranoia. As people fell in love with the *idea* of dry aging, but couldn't get over the actual result
you are NOT trying to create a juicy pretty red steak like you'd see in "Good Housekeeping" or the Sunday "Parade" magazine
you're trying to condense the meat by letting it give up water
and you are letting it rot (literally). This is decomposition. And it's the same exact process in prosciutto, or other aged meats. So don't run away from it at the last second.
Trimming it is like putting ice in your wine. You can do it. And it's your wine. But don't do it and then announce how much you appreciate wine.
don't flinch at the last second. It's ok to try it and not like it. But stay true to tradition. There's a reason they never trimmed.
Store near me finally started trimming, because there was a ton of buzz about dry aging, but the yuppy housewives buying a nice roast for Christmas didn't like how it looked. True story.
So now the store trims automatically. Last time (years ago) i bought there (since closed) the dude trimmed my rib eye without asking. I blanched and he said "oh. Sorry". And with a shrug "sucks. They all ask for it trimmed now. I guess they like the idea of paying for it more than the idea of actually eating it"[social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others] -
That's it. I rinse it off and pat it dry, throw it on a v-rack, on a cookie sheet, and in the outdorr fridge. i usually go 60 days. you're gonna love it. simple as can be
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+1 Wash it off, pat dry with paper towels and throw it on elevated rack then let it ride at least 30 days. No trimming before or after.
Small & Large BGE
Nashville, TN
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If you don't have a "beer" fridge, will it smell up the house in the indoor fridge?
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it doesn't smell
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...but.
you don't want people opening the door all the time, and you don't want that cilantro or garlic or whatever to cause off flavors on the beef.
best advice i can give is: follow. the. directions.
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Thanks for all the tips guys. I'll keep you posted. I'm excited to see how it turns out.L x2, M, S, Mini and a Blackstone 36. She says I have enough now....eggAddict from MN!
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quick question: have you had dry aged beef before? ideally, one you bought locally and cooked yourself? good idea to try it before spending a chunk of cash and waiting a month and a half, only to not like it.
if you can, it would be a good idea to track some down. the "Meat House" is the place I used to shop at. they closed up near me but have other locations. they go 45 days, which is where I copied the idea from for 45, which now seems to be standard. most shops, and restaurants, serve only 21 to 28 days aged stuff.
if you are interested in going 45, try one of their steaks and, again, don't have them trim it.
this was one of my first from them, about ten years ago now.
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Thanks @Darby_Crenshaw. I've eaten one that a good friend cooked for me on his Traeger. He paid something like $28 a pound for it and it was aged 28 days. It was delicious but was a bit thin and a little overcooked. I will seek out from our local meat market as per your advice and cook it my way to be sure it's what I'm after. Thank you for your help.
Your photo is top notch! That had to be very good eating.L x2, M, S, Mini and a Blackstone 36. She says I have enough now....eggAddict from MN! -
Lots of great info here, thank you everyone who contributed!Chicago, Illinois
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Lots of great info has already been given others. With that said, I would like to offer just one thing if I may. Please know that this is just my opinion, but it's certainly my thoughts on the matter. Anything less than 45 days is almost a waste of time. The end simply does not justify the means. If you are going to age it, then age that bad boy. Depending on several factors, the real magic does not start to work until somewhere around day 42, give or take a day either way. Thus, 45 days is usually perfect for the untrained tongue. And as Darby so rightfully suggested, whatever you do, do not trim it after aging. You are simply removing the goodness that you have worked so hard to acquire. Good luck, and will be standing by for the finale.minniemoh said:
I just put it in the back of the beer fridge elevated on a rack on a baking sheet and let it dry out for 28-45 days.Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.
Status- Standing by.
The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. -
Overrated.
Mt Elgin Ontario - just a Large. -
Ou avez-vous trouvez la Maudite?Darby_Crenshaw said:quick question: have you had dry aged beef before? ideally, one you bought locally and cooked yourself? good idea to try it before spending a chunk of cash and waiting a month and a half, only to not like it.
if you can, it would be a good idea to track some down. the "Meat House" is the place I used to shop at. they closed up near me but have other locations. they go 45 days, which is where I copied the idea from for 45, which now seems to be standard. most shops, and restaurants, serve only 21 to 28 days aged stuff.
if you are interested in going 45, try one of their steaks and, again, don't have them trim it.
this was one of my first from them, about ten years ago now.Mt Elgin Ontario - just a Large. -
When I started dry aging I bought a 4.4 cubic foot fridge at Lowes . Bought a strip loin from BJ's . Got some pink salt and laid a bed of it in a cookie sheet .Put meat on a rack above salt . Got a battery operated Fan used for moving air in RV refrigerators and put that in fridge with meat . Non self defrosting fridges have nothing to move air and moving air when dry aging is important .Did a 28 day and a 38 day .Both came out real nice .I liked it and so did girlfriend . When you do your trim at end trim ends first ,cut into steaks and then finish trimming each steak separately makes job easier . Vacuumed packed individual steaks in a chamber sealer and into the freezer they went .
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This is my after pic. All trimmed but one, have not gotten to that one yet. The couple that I have eaten have been delicious. I need to invest in a beer fridge before I do it again, it was a pain using my main fridge.XL BGE & 36" Blackstone
Instagram: BGEBrooke -
Dry aging is absolutely legit. It's also taste dependent. Got a big ole ribeye roast aging naked on week 4. @DoubleEgger and I Are doing a controlled, randomized, double blind, peer reviewed, uncontrolled study of dry aging a ribeye roast in a bag versus naked. I of course went naked cuz we all know @DoubleEgger is a ------bag
. We've both dry aged. This ACOG sponsored experiment will help define the best method. No animals were trimmed during the course of or experiment. Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga -
Couldn't help but notice the Maudite. A powerful brew. Do you reside in Quebec?Darby_Crenshaw said:quick question: have you had dry aged beef before? ideally, one you bought locally and cooked yourself? good idea to try it before spending a chunk of cash and waiting a month and a half, only to not like it.
if you can, it would be a good idea to track some down. the "Meat House" is the place I used to shop at. they closed up near me but have other locations. they go 45 days, which is where I copied the idea from for 45, which now seems to be standard. most shops, and restaurants, serve only 21 to 28 days aged stuff.
if you are interested in going 45, try one of their steaks and, again, don't have them trim it.
this was one of my first from them, about ten years ago now. -
No. Available locally[social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others]
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BrookieP said:
This is my after pic. All trimmed but one, have not gotten to that one yet. The couple that I have eaten have been delicious. I need to invest in a beer fridge before I do it again, it was a pain using my main fridge.
So on these, the outside was trimmed off and others say to leave it on?Apollo Beach, FL -
dry aged beef wasn't ever really trimmed. a lot of first-timers trim because 1.) they think it needs to be trimmed and 2.) they can't imagine it would be 'good' if it is brown and 3.)despite all the suggestions to try it first without trimming, they research so much, all they need to do is see ONE photo of it trimmed, and they chicken out and trim it...Wardster said:BrookieP said:
This is my after pic. All trimmed but one, have not gotten to that one yet. The couple that I have eaten have been delicious. I need to invest in a beer fridge before I do it again, it was a pain using my main fridge.
So on these, the outside was trimmed off and others say to leave it on?
reminds me of the powerwashing company that volunteered to 'clean' all the statues around here, and blasted off not only the patina, but the foundry finish beneath it, making the statue shiny and brand new looking. 'cept it was never meant to BE shiny and brand new looking. and simply replacing the dark bronze foundry finish was going to cost $20-30k or so.
first, do no harm.
you can always trim the rest if for some reason you don't like it. but trimming without trying it? my brain can't handle that logic (or lack thereof)
but heavy trimming, well, it removes the 'dried' part of the dry aged beef. just wet age if you don't like the crisp crust that it yields.
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this is a bad (old cellphone) pic of a dry aged steak and a pair of fresh steaks. these went on the fire at the exact same time.
the fresh steaks at left are still sweating off the moisture, steaming before they can brown. pallid grey, damp, stuck to the grid, and unable to be flipped because the grill marks have yet to form. (if meat won;t flip, it isn't ready to flip)
the steak at right (which i think was 50-60 days+), is already flipped, the grill marks brown (not flavorless carbon black). note the exposed area BETWEEN the grill marks. this is uniform brown and carmelized (maillard!). this does not occur with a fresh steak unless you spend so much time on the sear that you overcook the interior.
both prepped to about 100 internal temp via the hot tub method. searing only to finish
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Yep. DryAge steak cooks much quicker than non.
Small & Large BGE
Nashville, TN
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yep. but it was less about how fast, vs how different. totally different sear.
two completely different types of steak when they hit the plate.
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