Another Standing Rib Roast Question....

Suck Creek Wings · December 2007

I saw on Alton Brown's show last week that he "dry ages" his in the fridge for 72 hours using a container that has holes in it for air to pass through. [p]I don't really have anything quite like that. Has anyone done the 72 hour age and been successful using another type of container?

tjv · December 2007

Suck Creek Wings, I'm not sure dry aging for 72 hours is going to do much for the meat. I'd be more concerned about the meat picking up or depositing funky odors on other fridge products. [p]As I understand it, not saying much, the dry age process relies on time to tenderize and intensify flavors. If you want to age it, maybe wet aging, cryvac method. It's a safer method for the fridge and eliminates the funk potential......
T

orion11 · December 2007

Suck Creek Wings,
I beg to differ, I have done his method with the ole Christmas Rib Roast for the last 4 or 5 years and have been very happy with the results. Other than losing some water weight, I do not remember the science behind it, suppose to improve the "beefy flavor", read not gamey or anything, just plain good. I have used the Costco bone in roasts for the last several years and they've been excellent! I made my container out of a large Rubbermaid storage container, an old soldering iron makes quick work of punching the holes, put it in fridge, lid down, no worries. My 2 cents.

Unknown · December 2007

orion11,
i followed you until "lid down" (i assume you meant the container is upside down) in the fridge. what's the purpose of that? did you punch holes in the lid so as to let liquid drain out?[p]thanks
ken[p]

stike · December 2007

Ken Baker,
lid: no holes.
clear 'tub', holes all over.[p]put the meat in, lid on it, flip it lid down. the holes allow the air to circulate

stike · December 2007

tjv,
72 hours allows the enzymes a bit of time to break down the muscle, but in a 'home' fridge (which is a very dry environment), it will actually condense (give up flavorless water) more than if it were dry-aged by a butcher 72 hours. [p]commercially dry-aged beef is usually held at the same temps as at home, but in a more humid environment to keep it from drying out too much during the few weeks it is allowed to age. but at home, in a much dryer fridge, you won't be aging as long. the drier environment actually helps in this case, because evaporating water (which adds no flavor) results in denser beef. all the flavor is there, but there's more of it per ounce.[p]cook's illustrated did a test a few years after alton brown's show, and found 72 hours in your home fridge was optimum.[p]just make sure temps are 34-38, and you don't have a stinky chunk of cheese in there with it.

tjv · December 2007

stike, help me learn. Can the average Joe, tell the difference between three days of decomp wet aged vs three days dry aged. Everything I've seen or read about the dry aged process, it's more than just sticking the meat in a fridge: temp, humidity, meat wipes and so on all play off each to improve flavor and tenderness.....just asking! T

tjv · December 2007

stike, damn read my mind while I typed.....see above....LOL

stike · December 2007

tjv,
it isn't at all complicated. only three things are "required". time, air, and temp. you don't need (or even want) the cloth shrouds or towels wrapped on your beef. they are messy, keep the surface of the meat wet, and are a potential breeding source for bacteria (though your fridge should be at the right temps to prohibit that). butchers used to use shrouds to prevent mold from forming on the beef Iit formed instead on the towels). mold in the home fridge won't be a problem because it won't be in your fridge for 6 weeks, and the humidity level is MUCH lower in your fridge. guys will tell you the towels wick moisture. they do, but butchers didn't use towels, they used thin linen (like cheeesecloth). anyway... probably the tenth time i've typedthis here. hahaha[p]can the average joe taste a difference? i dunno. i'm a parrot on this one, probably said it fifty times. but it is better to pony up the dough for a dry-aged rib-eye, even if it's 30 bucks for the steak, so you know what you are getting into. if you don't notice a difference, you can forego ever buying it again or aging at home. [p]i didn't notice a big difference the first time, took about a year of 'regular' bge steaks before i knew my way around the steak side of things. [p]the flavor IS there, and it IS better. french bordeaux isn't just overpriced wine, it's worth it to some folks (though not for me!), and dry-aged beef really is 'better' (an opinion, which is why it's in quotes).[p]truth be told, most folks have smelled some beef in their fridge that was a few days past the sell-by and probably tossed it. i can tell you that that smell isn't a sign of dangerous beef. it's actually a component of dry-aged stuff (assuming your fridge temps are safe).[p]people just have a real hard time understanding that beef has a very long shelf life when stored properly. it won't be bright red supermarket beef, but stored properly, it isn't unsafe. it just changes. gets more complex actually. the best steak in the butcher's case is the oldest. usually it is also the cheapest...[p]my wife asked if i wanted anything at the "meat house' where we get our dry-aged stuff. i said to grab a roast for christmas day. she said 'that's in a week, the meat will go bad"[p]i tried to tell her that the steer was slaughtered, then hung for at least a few days, then cut up into primals, and then aged for a further 6 weeks-plus. that steer died over a month and a half ago. a week in my fridge (at proper temps) is not an issue.[p][p]

Another Standing Rib Roast Question....

Comments

Categories