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Any advice on dry aging beef?

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Comments

  • @trevorst
    if you are using a foodsaver the bags do not allow moisture to escape (like wet aging)... if you are dry aging in a bag like i am trying, they are special bags (very thin) that allow moisture to escape. 

    dunno about the pork but i do know the chicken in Pappasito's chicken fajitas is aged (i was floored when i heard that one and not sure how long or in what environment it is aged but i know it is fact)...

    oh, and the one i am aging now is from Costco... I know the website advertises wet aged prime but not sure if it is in the stores and could not find a kill date as i looked. guess i will have to break down and ask the person behind the glass LOL
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    @billyray:  no exaggeration here.  the USDA states clearly that food (meat, too) kept properly frozen may be kept that way indefinitely, and will be safe to eat.  and that's "indefinitely' as in: effectively forever
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • crghc98
    crghc98 Posts: 1,006

    @billyray:  no exaggeration here.  the USDA states clearly that food (meat, too) kept properly frozen may be kept that way indefinitely, and will be safe to eat.  and that's "indefinitely' as in: effectively forever

     

    Yet when they tried to serve teh frozen stuff past "expiration" in the schools in Boston people were up in arms.....I mean seriously is a tater tot ever going to go "bad"......at least the prisons stepped in and took it....

     

  • KingRover
    KingRover Posts: 115
    edited January 2012

    Great thread, very educational. I have a question about fridge placment: Is it ok for the beef to placed in a pull out drawer? I have a drawer at the bottom of my fridge that can be set colder than the rest of the fridge. Would the lack of airflow around the beef be a problem?

    Thanks

  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    @crghc98: i agree totally. but people pick and choose what they believe without regard for education about the subject and logic

    i know people who think it is safer to drive to new york than it is to fly. 
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    @kingrover... the "meat" drawer is the called the meat drawer usually because it receives some amount of direct air from the freezer side and can be set much colder than the rest of the fridge.  meat drawer is a good spot for dry aging as long as there is good air around the meat. a spare fridge is best, but a regular fridge works fine.

    ignore worries about opening and closing the fridge and causing temp swings.  it's not possible to change the temp of the meat just by opening and closing the door.  even with teen age boys in the house.  if it were possible, your milk would go bad first.

    there's a slight chance the warm air coming in could condense on the meat and provide an opportunity for bacteria, but you can check on that easily enough.  i've never had it happen.

    again though, i don't advocate aging beef unless you've tried it and like it to begin with, and know what it looks like (and smells like) raw.  eating a dry aged steak in a restaurant doesn't teach much, as good as it may be.

    you want to know what to expect, otherwise you'll be scratching your head come dinner time.


    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • @trevorst
    if you are using a foodsaver the bags do not allow moisture to escape (like wet aging)... if you are dry aging in a bag like i am trying, they are special bags (very thin) that allow moisture to escape. 

    dunno about the pork but i do know the chicken in Pappasito's chicken fajitas is aged (i was floored when i heard that one and not sure how long or in what environment it is aged but i know it is fact)...

    oh, and the one i am aging now is from Costco... I know the website advertises wet aged prime but not sure if it is in the stores and could not find a kill date as i looked. guess i will have to break down and ask the person behind the glass LOL


    Cryovac packing does not allow moisture to escape either.
    Main question I have is how long is a reasonable time to keep meat (beef, pork, chicken, lamb) in the fridge sealed in a food saver bag.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    @trevor.  i thought you were asking about freezing.  you asking about wet aging?
    i've wet aged up to 60 days myself, but in the original factory packed cryo

    better to NOT take it out of the cryo and then vacuum pack and then wet age, simply because it increases handling.  cryo is a little more antiseptic than pure vacuum packing yourself. 

    if you want to keep it long term, i would freeze it.




    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Thanks Stike.. Agree for long term storage.
    I am more thinking in the 10 - 15 day range as we can usually eat the meats within that period.
  • billyray
    billyray Posts: 1,275

    @Stike;

     Thanks for the advice about not buying a large piece of meat to dry age until you know if you like it. Thought I would do an experiment and went to Costco yesterday and bought a whole boneless ribeye. Today I cut a nice rib roast off the loin end and then 4 steaks 1-1/2" thick, sealed and froze them. This left about a 7 " or 8" piece that I'll dry age. Thought I would cut a steak off of it @ 28 days and cook with one of the frozen ones to see if I could tell the difference and if I like the taste. Then I'll do the same @ 45 days and then I should know what my likes are. Do these two dates sound right or should I do something different?

    Thanks, Bill

    Felton, Ca. 2-LBGE, 1-Small, PBC, PK360, Genesis Summit, Camp Chef Flattop, Smokefire 24, Traeger Pro Series 22 Pellet with a Smoke Daddy insert, Gateway 55 Gal. drum, SNS Kettle w/acc.
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817

    @ billyray

    Stike is an incredible blowhard. Your plan is fine but it is better to give the whole primal a little time before you start cutting. It will give you a good idea about dry aging though.

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • Steven is right. Stike is a blowhard who's only regret is probably the fact that there isn't audio of his responses so he can hear himself pontificate. I would think, and I'm sure I'll be corrected that if you cut off a steak at 28 days that end of the primal is no longer at that stage of aging because you've exposed un-aged meat.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    @stilllaughing....

    GFY. in your book i guess explaining something is pontificating.  you go right ahead and just keep telling people what to do.  i'll just try to help them figure it out for themselves.

    @littlesteven, you'll get yours, pal-o-mine

    @billyray:  yeah, that sounds like a plan.  the exposed end will become too dry, and you can slice that off when you take the next steak.  i've tried various ways to save it (plastic wrap, or wax paper), none worth the trouble and even debatable if they did anything.  just sacrifice that cut end when you cut the next steak
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • @Stike

    Strickly meant as a joke. I have enjoyed your posts for years.

  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    @tweev.
    every time i mention anything (like the brats) i mention it's from ruhlman.  i trip over myself giving credit.  was about three years ago i began pimping that book on your favorite forum. and every time i post something from it, i mention it's ruhlman.  keep trying.  i love that you love me. 

    @stilllaughing: so was i.
    sorry

    irony does not transmit well, web-wise.
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante