Dry Aged

rowmsu

I have never had a dry aged steak so I thought I should have a go at it. 12lb. Ribeye Roast and some Umai Dry bags. I will either get some great priced dry aged steaks or some expensive waste.

For those that have used these bags, did anyone have trouble getting good suction in their vacuum sealer? I felt like I had to massage the bag along the meat to get most of the air out.

I will post some updates as the days go by.

bgebrent

@DoubleEgger.

Photo Egg

Umai are not vacuum seal bags. They will loosen. Sounds like you did perfect. There are many videos online that give tips. Most people trim some of the bulk fat first.

Keep us updated. How long are you going to age?

johnmitchell

If we can get @DoubleEgger off the lake we might get him to respond..😎

SmokeyPitt

I heard @RRP might also know a thing or two about those bags.

DoubleEgger

You want as much bag to meat contact as you can get to start the process. It doesn’t have to be a true vac seal though. The meat will shrink as it ages so you’ll lose contact. I ended up using a straw to suck out the air the last time I used a bag. It was easier than messing with the sealer.

You don’t need the bag anyway. The result is the same with or without the bag.

JohnInCarolina

Yeah if you’re using a dedicated fridge for this I’d toss the bag. The bag is actually slowing down the drying process, at least initially.

bgebrent

Our 100 day comparison showed only cosmetic differences. After that experiment I’d skip the bag.

blairz212

Yup looks good ur just trying to get as much contact as possible. What’s your plan how long ru going for.?

i have a 17 pound prime ribeye roast that will be cut on Friday at 49 days. Pics will follow so u can see what to expect...spoiler alert it will be awesome!

edit: a good tip to get ur vac sealer to work better is to crinkle up the end of the bag so it doesn’t need lay flat in the sealer.thus helps evacuate the air a little easier.

rowmsu

blairz212 said:

Yup looks good ur just trying to get as much contact as possible. What’s your plan how long ru going for.?

i have a 17 pound prime ribeye roast that will be cut on Friday at 49 days. Pics will follow so u can see what to expect...spoiler alert it will be awesome!

edit: a good tip to get ur vac sealer to work better is to crinkle up the end of the bag so it doesn’t need lay flat in the sealer.thus helps evacuate the air a little easier.

The plan is to go 45 days. I have friends visiting at day 41 - 43 so chances are it gets cut then. 

The crinkle would definitely help. I will try that next time.

Can't wait to see the pics. 

Side note: I am not using a dedicated refrigerator. I do have a dedicated wife who is allowing me to occupy a good portion of it for this experiment. She may get to eat well in the end. 

fishlessman

if you have never had one you might want to buy one to try, make sure they dont remove the exterior, it usually looks dry and hard but softens up during the cook.  they cook way faster than regular nonaged steaks and its good to get a greater understanding on how its supposed to look and smell so theres no second guessing with the one you aged

Mattman3969

SmokeyPitt said:

I heard @RRP might also know a thing or two about those bags.

Evidently you have to say it three times to get him to appear 

blairz212

I was in your exact same spot in January especially with the wife situation lol

needless to say we were both very pleased with the results and I now have my own dedicated meat fridge. Currently it’s filled with a huge brisket, NY strip that ribeye I mentioned and some Mt dew!

heres a link to my first thread u might enjoy

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1218934/28-day-aged-ny-strip-steaks-pic-heavy

rowmsu

14 days

blairz212

Waiting is the hardest part! Here’s my 49 day results

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1219458/49-day-dry-aged-prime-ribeyes#latest

rowmsu

Update: I came home from the Memorial day weekend and noticed what appeared to be White mold. I got a little scared and decided to cut this one short. Only 20 days. I forgot to take pictures to have it verified as i wanted to get it cut, trimmed and vacuumed sealed. 

bgebrent

rowmsu said:

Update: I came home from the Memorial day weekend and noticed what appeared to be White mold. I got a little scared and decided to cut this one short. Only 20 days. I forgot to take pictures to have it verified as i wanted to get it cut, trimmed and vacuumed sealed. 

The white mold is typical when aging beef and poses no problems.  It cooks off whenever you cook it or can be wiped off.

rowmsu

bgebrent said:

rowmsu said:

Update: I came home from the Memorial day weekend and noticed what appeared to be White mold. I got a little scared and decided to cut this one short. Only 20 days. I forgot to take pictures to have it verified as i wanted to get it cut, trimmed and vacuumed sealed. 

The white mold is typical when aging beef and poses no problems.  It cooks off whenever you cook it or can be wiped off.

Great to know. I will be starting a prime NY next week. 

Kent8621

i will be in DC the 6 thru 13th if your gonna try it early.

rowmsu

lol Nice. I would be but we head to Michigan for the 4th.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

I think @RRP is a mod over on the Umai forum. Or at least an active member/poster for a long ass time. 

smokingal

@rowmsu Like others have mentioned, a little white mold is no big deal.  Just cut it off with the trim.  The first time I dry aged a prime ribeye to 90 days, I noticed a tiny patch of white mold on a corner.  It was no big deal and the steaks were tasty.  
Some years later, I ended up dry aging a prime ribeye subprimal for 2 years.  There were zero signs of mold or anything unwanted.  This tells me that no bad stuff was introduced into the bag in the beginning.

NorthPilot06

smokingal said:

@rowmsu Like others have mentioned, a little white mold is no big deal.  Just cut it off with the trim.  The first time I dry aged a prime ribeye to 90 days, I noticed a tiny patch of white mold on a corner.  It was no big deal and the steaks were tasty.  
Some years later, I ended up dry aging a prime ribeye subprimal for 2 years.  There were zero signs of mold or anything unwanted.  This tells me that no bad stuff was introduced into the bag in the beginning.

@smokingal 2 years?!?  Do tell...

smokingal

@NorthPilot06
Pics or it didn't happen, right?  https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/2347961#Comment_2347961
I do not recommend trying it, lol.  It started out as a 60-day dry aging run that turned to 90 days...then 180.  When a year hit, it just became a part of the fridge's 2nd shelf.  I'd think about cutting into it and something would come up.  Didn't give it another thought until I was cleaning out the fridge 12 hours before I was set to move back to GA.  Ended up giving it to a professional chef and I have no idea how that turned out.  Stuff smelled like pure cheese.  It wasn't an unpleasant smell, just nothing reminiscent of meat.  Like walking into a cheese shop in France.

NorthPilot06

Hah - would have been really interested to hear about the funky flavors that developed over 2 years!  I'm actually really surprised by how similar it looks to 60-day dry aged roasts.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

*smelled like pure cheese. This is gold. 

SGH

smokingal said:

I have no idea how that turned out.  

I would of had to tried it. My inner slob would of demanded it👍

RRP

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

I think @RRP is a mod over on the Umai forum. Or at least an active member/poster for a long ass time. 

yup! first moderator from the start of her forum way back in May of 2010. Though I serve in that capacity gratis I still try to never answer dry aging questions here so there is no conflict of interest.

JohnInCarolina

RRP said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

I think @RRP is a mod over on the Umai forum. Or at least an active member/poster for a long ass time. 

yup! first moderator from the start of her forum way back in May of 2010. Though I serve in that capacity gratis I still try to never answer dry aging questions here so there is no conflict of interest.

Don't they throw you some bags for free, Ron?

RRP

JohnInCarolina said:

RRP said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

I think @RRP is a mod over on the Umai forum. Or at least an active member/poster for a long ass time. 

yup! first moderator from the start of her forum way back in May of 2010. Though I serve in that capacity gratis I still try to never answer dry aging questions here so there is no conflict of interest.

Don't they throw you some bags for free, Ron?

Yes, she did early on, but I'm not bitchen. Us retired dudes like to help people we like when we can.

SGH

RRP said:
 Us retired dudes like to help people we like when we can.

Your a good man Ron👍