Dry aged steaks 8 week cure?

emilluca

I got a Mens Health magazine in the mail and it has an article on the best Mens food joints.
The best was a resturant that serves 8 week dried BONE-IN RIB steaks.
Have we any brave aged steak guys to give it a try and report on it?
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Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

fidel had a 60 day steak at a restaurant, i believe.
i've had 45 day, but have only aged maybe 28 days, max of 35,36.

at home and doing it without the dry bags, the issue would be one of too much drying, especially since we are likely to use choice rather than prime. My interest in the dry bags is to see whether they slow drying enough to allow aging much longer, in line with 45 days like the stuff i otherwise need to pay for.

in truth, though, i have had enough dry aged stuff now that i can't imagine how much better 60 or-so days would be. at a certain point it's about bragging rights.

one thing...
i noticed both you and thirdeye (king of curing!) referring to aging as a cure. not sure if that gives a false sense of security. it's really not a dry cure at all. no salt or anything is involved.

for the home ager, i would suggest 21-days with the commando method (no fancy bags), and 28 days or just a bit more with the bag system. i have noted that the dry-bag system seems to slow the drying quite a bit, and the steaks, especially when trimmed heavily, don't look very aged at all. i honestly am not sure if the brown color is an effect of drying, or the enzyme action (aging). if the dry-bags slow aging TOO much, you might really need to go as long as you propose (56 days)to achieve something closer to truly aged (say 45 day) beef.

it's splitting hairs, though, i think. and the longer you go, it's probably more about bragging rights.

Clam

Yes, it sounds like the old economic law of diminishing returns- eg. more dry age time = less flavor enhancement. Of course there is an optimal time. My meat shop does 14 days.

Anyway, would dry ageing flat iron steaks in a bag work or are they too small?

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

just wet age.
same flavors from the aging, but no weight loss from the drying. you sacrifice the condensing of the beef flavor that you get from water loss, but you don't want to dry age everything.

emilluca

I would think you need a large primal to do it. Whole beef rib or bone in strip would be my choice.
I don't eat beef for a lot of reasons so can't really do it myself. Worked in a meat department for 27 years but we never aged because of the shrink and price per pound shock in order to make a resonable profit to keep open.
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emilluca

Could be. I would wonder when the beef would approach jerky like texture and chew on the outside.

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

it already does, to some extent, at 28 days or so.

the exposed flesh (underside of a strip loin, or exposed ends) can become very leathery and hard.

sometimes that should actually be trimmed... but the whole thing should not be carved completely all around to remove anything that is simply brown

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

one of the reasons aged stuff is so expensive is because the weight loss needs to be accounted for. that, and it is usually (often,, anyway) is prime beef.

but you lose almost 20% just in drying

RRP

not trying to pry or get personal here but did your 27 years in the meat biz have anything to do with why you don't eat beef?
Starting in high school and then college I have noted that the majority of kids raised on a farm will not eat chicken! Kinda like they know something the rest of us don't! :laugh:

emilluca

Well actually I have had Gastric ByPass 31 months ago and my stomach will not digest beef yet.
I actually do not miss it because there is enough variety with all the other protein...
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