Dry aging steaks at home

Grillin_beers

I've been drooling over pictures of dry age steaks some of you guys are posting and I'm tired of being jealous.  I want to start dry aging steaks myself but I don't have a second refrigerator I can dedicate to the task.  I was doing some searching online and came across this product http://www.thesteakager.com/?gclid=CKXokbHD4tACFUokgQodDWED1w

Has anyone here used this or something similar to it?  I'm thinking it will make a great gift from my wife for Christmas. 

JustineCaseyFeldown

all you need to do is put the roast where you would put this thing, and keep other foods from touching it.

no special equipment is required.

clear a spot on your shelf, and park the roast there on a rack over a shallow pan.  done.

fishlessman

for the price you could buy a second fridge

EggMcMic

@Grillin_beers I have looked at it as well and based on what I have read here in this forum I decided it wasn't necessary. I am just going to clear a space in my fridge for the roast and go from there.

Grillin_beers

Thanks a lot guys. @RRP messaged me about some bags that look promising so I might give those a go before I pull the trigger on a $250 box.  

JustineCaseyFeldown

bags are good for placating the wife. but you can do it without them too.

nolaegghead

I've heard of those...."D-bags" or something?

Carolina Q

Read this. No need to buy anything, least of all, a steakager!

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1200763/pro-tip-if-you-wanted-to-serve-a-45-day-dry-aged-roast-for-christmas-dinner-its-too-late-but/p1

JustineCaseyFeldown

not that it matters... but i am not so sure myself what the problem is with " big chunk of raw meat sitting exposed in your kitchen refrig".  sounds vaguely editorial.  and that's ok.... i'm editorial too

but you'll notice, all such discussions of the umai product here avoid what it does differently than just leaving the meat in a fridge like the commercial places do.  we skip the how and why, and simply focuses on implying that exposed flesh is somehow dangerous or unsafe or just 'wrong'. or rather, that it is better to have it covered.

visit their website, and check the whitepapers if any.  there are considerations re speed of drying over different lengths of time aging.  it may fit your need

but also, go to a butcher's case, not a supermarket, a real butcher. nothing is wrapped, it's kept out in the cold air.  this is why a chicken bought from a butcher will brown better than supermarket chicken.  and it's how dry aging came to be.  no special tools or process, just keeping the meat in cold air until someone bought it. 

open and honest discussion here.  no selling one way or the other.

i just am an advocate for simplicity, no extra expense, and a frank understanding of fact, with zero emotional weight and no "fear of the unknown"

i am the simplest type of idiot.  i don't complicate things unnecessarily (salt in a pan under the meat? someone, seriously, please explain...).  open the fridge, toss in the meat, shut the door. move on.

fishlessman

JustineCaseyFeldown said:

not that it matters... but i am not so sure myself what the problem is with " big chunk of raw meat sitting exposed in your kitchen refrig".  sounds vaguely editorial.  and that's ok.... i'm editorial too

but you'll notice, all such discussions of the umai product here avoid what it does differently than just leaving the meat in a fridge like the commercial places do.  we skip the how and why, and simply focuses on implying that exposed flesh is somehow dangerous or unsafe or just 'wrong'. or rather, that it is better to have it covered.

visit their website, and check the whitepapers if any.  there are considerations re speed of drying over different lengths of time aging.  it may fit your need

but also, go to a butcher's case, not a supermarket, a real butcher. nothing is wrapped, it's kept out in the cold air.  this is why a chicken bought from a butcher will brown better than supermarket chicken.  and it's how dry aging came to be.  no special tools or process, just keeping the meat in cold air until someone bought it. 

open and honest discussion here.  no selling one way or the other.

i just am an advocate for simplicity, no extra expense, and a frank understanding of fact, with zero emotional weight and no "fear of the unknown"

i am the simplest type of idiot.  i don't complicate things unnecessarily (salt in a pan under the meat? someone, seriously, please explain...).  open the fridge, toss in the meat, shut the door. move on.

your not much into marketing, think outside the box...PRIME RIB SEA SALT, for that "PERFECT"  BLOODY MARY   at 15.99 for 3 ounces you could really stock up that fridge with beef

JustineCaseyFeldown

fishlessman said:

JustineCaseyFeldown said:

not that it matters... but i am not so sure myself what the problem is with " big chunk of raw meat sitting exposed in your kitchen refrig".  sounds vaguely editorial.  and that's ok.... i'm editorial too

but you'll notice, all such discussions of the umai product here avoid what it does differently than just leaving the meat in a fridge like the commercial places do.  we skip the how and why, and simply focuses on implying that exposed flesh is somehow dangerous or unsafe or just 'wrong'. or rather, that it is better to have it covered.

visit their website, and check the whitepapers if any.  there are considerations re speed of drying over different lengths of time aging.  it may fit your need

but also, go to a butcher's case, not a supermarket, a real butcher. nothing is wrapped, it's kept out in the cold air.  this is why a chicken bought from a butcher will brown better than supermarket chicken.  and it's how dry aging came to be.  no special tools or process, just keeping the meat in cold air until someone bought it. 

open and honest discussion here.  no selling one way or the other.

i just am an advocate for simplicity, no extra expense, and a frank understanding of fact, with zero emotional weight and no "fear of the unknown"

i am the simplest type of idiot.  i don't complicate things unnecessarily (salt in a pan under the meat? someone, seriously, please explain...).  open the fridge, toss in the meat, shut the door. move on.

your not much into marketing, think outside the box...PRIME RIB SEA SALT, for that "PERFECT"  BLOODY MARY   at 15.99 for 3 ounces you could really stock up that fridge with beef

i hearya.  and i guess i should leave well enough alone.  but there's a part of me that says "got it.  absolutely, use a bag (or a plastic garage, or salt, or whatever).  but can anyone tell me in plain words what it is doing for the beef itself?  because then i will be the first one to the checkout counter with one. i just wanna understand

was basically the rationale for buying the BGE.  why's a BGE so much better than a gasser?  and then, some education, and the difference was obvious. 

to each his own.  i just like in-fo-mashun when i am deciding what to do. figure others might too.

fishlessman

JustineCaseyFeldown said:

fishlessman said:

JustineCaseyFeldown said:

not that it matters... but i am not so sure myself what the problem is with " big chunk of raw meat sitting exposed in your kitchen refrig".  sounds vaguely editorial.  and that's ok.... i'm editorial too

but you'll notice, all such discussions of the umai product here avoid what it does differently than just leaving the meat in a fridge like the commercial places do.  we skip the how and why, and simply focuses on implying that exposed flesh is somehow dangerous or unsafe or just 'wrong'. or rather, that it is better to have it covered.

visit their website, and check the whitepapers if any.  there are considerations re speed of drying over different lengths of time aging.  it may fit your need

but also, go to a butcher's case, not a supermarket, a real butcher. nothing is wrapped, it's kept out in the cold air.  this is why a chicken bought from a butcher will brown better than supermarket chicken.  and it's how dry aging came to be.  no special tools or process, just keeping the meat in cold air until someone bought it. 

open and honest discussion here.  no selling one way or the other.

i just am an advocate for simplicity, no extra expense, and a frank understanding of fact, with zero emotional weight and no "fear of the unknown"

i am the simplest type of idiot.  i don't complicate things unnecessarily (salt in a pan under the meat? someone, seriously, please explain...).  open the fridge, toss in the meat, shut the door. move on.

your not much into marketing, think outside the box...PRIME RIB SEA SALT, for that "PERFECT"  BLOODY MARY   at 15.99 for 3 ounces you could really stock up that fridge with beef

i hearya.  and i guess i should leave well enough alone.  but there's a part of me that says "got it.  absolutely, use a bag (or a plastic garage, or salt, or whatever).  but can anyone tell me in plain words what it is doing for the beef itself?  because then i will be the first one to the checkout counter with one. i just wanna understand

was basically the rationale for buying the BGE.  why's a BGE so much better than a gasser?  and then, some education, and the difference was obvious. 

to each his own.  i just like in-fo-mashun when i am deciding what to do. figure others might too.

there seems to be alot of talk out there using salt blocks to help control humidity. maybe in olden days the cold places were too wet, in wells,  rooms built over cold springs etc. try researching dry aging salt blocks, i did not see the connection in print so im guessing

fishlessman

oh, and back to the marketing HIMALAYAN SALT BLOCK DRY AGED BEEF would sell for a pretty penny

Grillin_beers

fishlessman said:

oh, and back to the marketing HIMALAYAN SALT BLOCK DRY AGED BEEF would sell for a pretty penny

I have a Himalayan salt block actually.  I've used it 8-9 times but I haven't touched it in a year. 

DMW

really, again? fancy gizmo not needed sells for much money, creates profit.

fishlessman

salt acts as a prehistoric ionic breeze releasing negative ions that meld with the positive ions coming off the beef creating a fresher smell in the fridge and on the beef everything can be found on the web

Grillin_beers

@JustineCaseyFeldown I totally believe you that a bag might not be necessary.  That's more for my wife's happiness than anything else. The reason I thought I needed a dedicated fridge was that I was under the impression you needed a fan to keep the air moving.  

Dyal_SC

I've used the umai bags before and the steaks tasted great.  Here is an interesting article though about whether or not using those is truly "dry aging" since the bags do not let oxygen in. They do however release moisture, which is a benefit over the traditional wet aging process.

http://blog.golbsalt.com/2012/09/07/umai-dry-bag-is-it-really-dry-aging/

It it would be interesting to do a blind taste test on a umai "dry aged" steak vs a traditional dry aged steak that utilized oxygen. 

Eggdicted_Dawgfan

Dyal_SC said:

I've used the umai bags before and the steaks tasted great.  Here is an interesting article though about whether or not using those is truly "dry aging" since the bags do not let oxygen in. They do however release moisture, which is a benefit over the traditional wet aging process.

http://blog.golbsalt.com/2012/09/07/umai-dry-bag-is-it-really-dry-aging/

It it would be interesting to do a blind taste test on a umai "dry aged" steak vs a traditional dry aged steak that utilized oxygen. 

I believe @DoubleEgger and gang did this a few months ago. Maybe one of them can chime in on the results. I know they both looked great. Even the 100 day. 

JustineCaseyFeldown

oxidizing

fishlessman said:

salt acts as a prehistoric ionic breeze releasing negative ions that meld with the positive ions coming off the beef creating a fresher smell in the fridge and on the beef everything can be found on the web

sadly, this is closer to what i am betting everyone believes.

as for humidity, how would it 'control' humidity in an open system, one where the door keeps opening and closing?

it's like people suggesting using packets of dessicants to store old books.  their thinking is it absorbs moisture.

well, it does.  and then stops absorbing once it can't absorb any more.  then it gives it up when things get drier.  but you can't assume it is holding it at some ideal zone without actually measuring it.

the funny thing is you'll have one person saying it absorbs humidity (why you want that, i dunno).  another guy saying it helps maintain it.  or something.

like the frigging towels.  "hey guys, this time-tested process is working perfectly.  anything missing?"  "well, maybe we should drape towels on the meat?"  "hey....  great idea!"

blind99

fishlessman said:

oh, and back to the marketing HIMALAYAN SALT BLOCK DRY AGED BEEF would sell for a pretty penny

@fishlessman don't even think about it,  already been patented by david burke   they were rated the #1 steak house in Chicago a few years back. i honestly didn't think it was that great.

from his website, my bolding:

Few things say “great idea!” like being awarded with a U.S. Patent – an intellectual property right granted by the U.S. government to an inventor with a unique idea. The David Burke Group has recently been awarded a patent for our dry-aging beef process – the technique that makes our steaks and burgers exceptional and stand apart from the rest.  The insightful creativity for infusing food with flavor won us the right to call the process our own, and to prevent anyone else from swiping the great idea.

Our process for dry-aging meat features a room lined with pink Himalayan salt, where the beef is allowed to naturally dry with help from the salt. At the same time, the beef absorbs the subtle flavors of the salt, resulting in beef that is tender, deep with flavor, and absolutely delicious. The steaks served in our restaurants are typically aged for 28, 40, 55, or 76 days. The longer the steak ages, the more intense it becomes as moisture evaporates and concentrates the flavors.

blind99

JustineCaseyFeldown said:

but also, go to a butcher's case, not a supermarket, a real butcher. nothing is wrapped, it's kept out in the cold air.  this is why a chicken bought from a butcher will brown better than supermarket chicken.  and it's how dry aging came to be.  no special tools or process, just keeping the meat in cold air until someone bought it. 

and to rewind even further - dry aging was the only aging before plastic vacuum packing was invented. 

fishlessman

JustineCaseyFeldown said:

oxidizing

fishlessman said:

salt acts as a prehistoric ionic breeze releasing negative ions that meld with the positive ions coming off the beef creating a fresher smell in the fridge and on the beef everything can be found on the web

sadly, this is closer to what i am betting everyone believes.

as for humidity, how would it 'control' humidity in an open system, one where the door keeps opening and closing?

it's like people suggesting using packets of dessicants to store old books.  their thinking is it absorbs moisture.

well, it does.  and then stops absorbing once it can't absorb any more.  then it gives it up when things get drier.  but you can't assume it is holding it at some ideal zone without actually measuring it.

the funny thing is you'll have one person saying it absorbs humidity (why you want that, i dunno).  another guy saying it helps maintain it.  or something.

like the frigging towels.  "hey guys, this time-tested process is working perfectly.  anything missing?"  "well, maybe we should drape towels on the meat?"  "hey....  great idea!"

it also hides those three unsightly drops of moisture that lands in the pan from the wife

theres a place in ireland making salt blocks with seaweed thats supposed to be even better for dry aging. adds an irish twist for marketing

fishlessman

blind99 said:

fishlessman said:

oh, and back to the marketing HIMALAYAN SALT BLOCK DRY AGED BEEF would sell for a pretty penny

@fishlessman don't even think about it,  already been patented by david burke   they were rated the #1 steak house in Chicago a few years back. i honestly didn't think it was that great.

from his website, my bolding:

Few things say “great idea!” like being awarded with a U.S. Patent – an intellectual property right granted by the U.S. government to an inventor with a unique idea. The David Burke Group has recently been awarded a patent for our dry-aging beef process – the technique that makes our steaks and burgers exceptional and stand apart from the rest.  The insightful creativity for infusing food with flavor won us the right to call the process our own, and to prevent anyone else from swiping the great idea.

Our process for dry-aging meat features a room lined with pink Himalayan salt, where the beef is allowed to naturally dry with help from the salt. At the same time, the beef absorbs the subtle flavors of the salt, resulting in beef that is tender, deep with flavor, and absolutely delicious. The steaks served in our restaurants are typically aged for 28, 40, 55, or 76 days. The longer the steak ages, the more intense it becomes as moisture evaporates and concentrates the flavors.

they have been doing this in europe for some time now he stole the idea. theres a place in ireland making blocks with coastal seaweed and salt for that romantic irish induced flavor in their beef as well

JustineCaseyFeldown

"the beef absorbs the subtle flavors of the salt". 

so.  um, a mineral somehow becomes airborne and lands on the meat?

what a crock of marketing bvllsh!t.  just the dumbest crap possible.


and you are not trying to dry out the beef faster than it otherwise would.  dries too quickly, and you can't age as long.  or, age as long, and your meat will be drier than you want.


as long as it sounds good and reasonably plausible, the public will latch on

bgebrent

Eggdicted_Dawgfan said:

Dyal_SC said:

I've used the umai bags before and the steaks tasted great.  Here is an interesting article though about whether or not using those is truly "dry aging" since the bags do not let oxygen in. They do however release moisture, which is a benefit over the traditional wet aging process.

http://blog.golbsalt.com/2012/09/07/umai-dry-bag-is-it-really-dry-aging/

It it would be interesting to do a blind taste test on a umai "dry aged" steak vs a traditional dry aged steak that utilized oxygen. 

I believe @DoubleEgger and gang did this a few months ago. Maybe one of them can chime in on the results. I know they both looked great. Even the 100 day. 

We went 100 days, one prime boneless ribeye roast in the bag and one naked and skeered.  While they differed in appearance (color) and size (naked roast was smaller and drier), once cooked they tasted essentially the same.  100 days is a different animal.  We plan to repeat the experiment with 45 day period.

bgebrent

Here's the link for anyone interested.

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1199253/100-day-dry-aged-beef-project#latest

JustineCaseyFeldown

45 is the bomb. sweet spot for home aging without humidity controls (to go longer without drying too much)

trivia question.

why 45 days?

it's everywhere now.  never was.  21 and 28 days were the maximums that were available.

hint: greeneggers+eggheadforum+lurkers  (plus a little spill over on the bag forum, i'm sure)

blind99

bgebrent said:

 

We went 100 days, one prime boneless ribeye roast in the bag and one naked and skeered.  While they differed in appearance (color) and size (naked roast was smaller and drier), once cooked they tasted essentially the same.  100 days is a different animal.  We plan to repeat the experiment with 45 day period.

@bgebrent let me know when.  you may need a blind taste tester.

bgebrent

blind99 said:

bgebrent said:

 

We went 100 days, one prime boneless ribeye roast in the bag and one naked and skeered.  While they differed in appearance (color) and size (naked roast was smaller and drier), once cooked they tasted essentially the same.  100 days is a different animal.  We plan to repeat the experiment with 45 day period.

@bgebrent let me know when.  you may need a blind taste tester.

We'll start it after the holidays some time.  We would welcome a blind taste tester my friend!

Dyal_SC

bgebrent said:

Eggdicted_Dawgfan said:

Dyal_SC said:

I've used the umai bags before and the steaks tasted great.  Here is an interesting article though about whether or not using those is truly "dry aging" since the bags do not let oxygen in. They do however release moisture, which is a benefit over the traditional wet aging process.

http://blog.golbsalt.com/2012/09/07/umai-dry-bag-is-it-really-dry-aging/

It it would be interesting to do a blind taste test on a umai "dry aged" steak vs a traditional dry aged steak that utilized oxygen. 

I believe @DoubleEgger and gang did this a few months ago. Maybe one of them can chime in on the results. I know they both looked great. Even the 100 day. 

We went 100 days, one prime boneless ribeye roast in the bag and one naked and skeered.  While they differed in appearance (color) and size (naked roast was smaller and drier), once cooked they tasted essentially the same.  100 days is a different animal.  We plan to repeat the experiment with 45 day period.

Good information to know!  Don't know how I missed the original post. If ya plan on a 45 day experiment, lemme know.