28 Day Aged NY Strip Steaks (Pic Heavy)

blairz212

Thanks to this site I fell down a meat aging rabbit hole. Once I saw how easy it was I knew it was something that I had to try.

At the time I did not have a spare full size fridge so I decided to try the Umai bags and use my kitchen fridge.

I wasn’t sure if I would like the end product so I started small with a 14.5# choice boneless strip loin from Sams. The diameter wasn’t huge so I only went 28 days in the fridge. After 28 days it was just under 12# so I cut it into 12 nice sized steaks.

This was in January and I was just getting over a cold so I decided to try out the new SV I got for Xmas. Seasoned with Weber Chicago steak seasoning and into the water bath at 131 for 2 hours. Then seared on a cast iron pan 90 sec per side.

The results were fantastic! Better than anything I had ever had even that fancy place in NYC I visited! Decided it was time to buy a basement fridge and up the operation :)

Apologies for the Kraft Mac side it’s what the little guy wanted and I was ok with that lol

Secondary pic from the following weekend.

Things I will do differently next time will be to trim the steaks. I left the hard outer crust on as well as most of the fat as I wanted to see if there was anything good there. Sadly 90% was inedible so I will trim next time. Also I preseason and vac sealed and froze the remaining steaks thinking it would be easy to drop in the SV bath. Next time I won’t preseason as it was just too strong. Lastly, time to upgrade to a prime cut and a ribeye...speaking of which I already got one in the new basement fridge that will finish at 49 day on 5/10...stay tuned for a new thread!

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GoooDawgs

Very nice! Ive been wanting to try those Umami bags. Great post!

blairz212

The Umai bags are great if you don’t have a dedicated fridge for the aging process. All you need is a cheap vac sealer, meat and the Umai bag. The hardest part is just waiting :)

smbishop

Thank you for sharing your experience. Think I might have to try the bags. I have been trolling these aging posts, but haven't had the confidence to dive in...

TEXASBGE2018

I am completely oblivious to this process. Is the flavor that much better? I am tempted to try it sometime but have zero knowledge as to how.

blairz212

Flavor and tenderness are improved considerably. I would say it took that choice meat to prime level.

check out the Umai website and watch one of their videos. You literally put the meat into their bag vac seal it and put it on a wire rack in your fridge for at least 28 days. Pull it out and cut into steaks. I paid less than $85 for the loin and got 12 great steaks!

MNEggerandStuff

what is different about that bad than a normal vac sealed one?

blairz212

Think of these more as a membrane than a bag. They are not ribbed like a regular vac bag. These do allow air to escape. Umai provides what they call a vac mouse which is a strip of what appears to be dryer sheet material that helps you suck the air out of the bag. You don’t have to get all the air I believe they want 80% contact between the bag and meat. The meat will eventually shrink some which is fine if the bag gets a little loose during the process.

Photo Egg

Great post and photos!

JohnEggGio

Nice job! I’ve done a couple rib-eyes. My next one will be prime strip.

Sea2Ski

Good looking results you have there!

Trimming: I trim the fat cap to about 1/4” I do not remove it all.

The bags allow the moisture to escape without any smell. Also, you do not even need a vacuum sealer. You can twist it and create a vacuum by sucking the air out and twist tying the neck of the bag. The thing you want is to have as much unseamed contact between the bag and the meat. So once you get it smooth, put it in the fridge and forget it for several days until it is firmly stuck to the meat.

With all that being said, now I go naked and do not use the bag. No difference and cheaper.