aged beef

Unknown · December 2005

Tired of turkey and looking for something different!Remembered having ribeyes that were aged at home.These were great but aged and cooked by someone else.I want to do this for our Christmas dinner and not sure where to start.Any/All help appreciated.
Trey

Marvin · December 2005

5 o'clock somewhere,
Put the steaks on paper towels in a fridge at 32-34 deg; flip them every 12 hours and change the toweling. Do this for 10-20 days. The critical thing is to keep the fridge closed at all other times in order to maintain temp and to protect the meat. The steaks should lose about 20% or more of their weight, but the time and effort are worth it as you have found. Enjoy.

Unknown · December 2005

5 o'clock somewhere,[p]
Go to foodtv.com and under search type Alton and aged beef. It should bring up the show he did on it. Hope this helps.[p]Bullet

BlueSmoke · December 2005

Marvin,
Keep in mind, too, that a 20% decrease in weight translates to a 25% increase in cost per pound, i.e. if you paid $5 per pound for steak, after aging it would be worth $6.25 per pound.[p]Ken

fishlessman · December 2005

5 o'clock somewhere,
these look like the directions i followed. its simple
[ul][li]dry aging[/ul]

thirdeye · December 2005

5 o'clock somewhere,[p]I age standing rib roasts and thicker steaks along the same lines as the links and suggestions below. I do them in a separate refrigerator and the only thing I do different is to build a rack using plastic chopsticks to keep the meat off of the drainage towels. My time is only 3 to 7 days.[p]You will most likely hear come comments regarding the importance of air circulation in the aging process, which you do not get in a home refrigerator. I guess that is why I opt for shorter aging times.[p]~thrdeye~

stike · December 2005

Marvin,
a bit of a caveat here, you generally want to dry aged the whole cut of beef, then cut steaks from it.[p]dry aging the individual steaks will drastically increase the surface area, and you are flirting with drying them out, versus just dry-aging.[p]a little drying is preferred, since that's the idea (to lose some water, as well as give time for the enzymes to munch on the meat), but there can be too much of a good thing.[p]if possible, buy the whole rib-eye roast, tie it up if need be, and then cut it afterward.[p]see link below for the clearest, least fear-inducing method for dry-aging i've found. then, instead of roasting, cut as steaks..
[ul][li]dry aging ala Alton Brown[/ul]

Citizen Q · December 2005

5 o'clock somewhere,
I did some research last spring and tried it at home a couple of times, well worth the effort. I'll include links to where I got some info and credit Steve at AskAButcher.com with some valuable guidance. There were a couple of others here who gave some good advice, but I can't remember who and I'm too lazy to search the archives, and I also talked to a couple of guys down at the local meat packing plant for some tips on how the fancy-shmancy restaurants do it.[p]You'll need to have a spare fridge that won't be in use for anything else throughout the process. Make sure it is in good working order and will hold a steady 34-36 degrees, and that the inside of the fridge is ultra clean, no other foods are stored inside that can give off any odors. If the fridge is in a garage or basement where fuel or solvents are stored nearby, remove them from the area, fumes from these items can permeate the fridge and ruin the meat. [p]Start with a whole 7 bone rib roast or boneless, depending on your preference and availability (whole sirloin strips are also great for this). Line the lowest shelf with paper towels and place the meat on a rack so that it is suspended above the towels at least 1/2" for good air circulation. If you can make up some sort of rig where you can hang the roast vertically in the fridge, even better. Check the roast daily and flip if on a rack, the towels should be stained red and brown but fairly dry to damp, if they are soaked or puddled change the towels, if not leave them alone. Opening the fridge should be kept to a bare minimum. [p]I did this for 3 days the first time with minimal results, then tried it for 9 days (excellent results) and 12 days (even better). The longer you leave it there, the more it will shrink and the more surface area will need to be trimmed, but the flavors will be more concentrated and the meat more tender. When you reach your desired level, trim the outer parts of the meat where it is dried and decrepit make sure to trim any mold that you find, (I haven't had any mold), till the meat looks freshly trimmed, a nice uniform bright red in the meat and clean white or yellowish in the fat. When done trimming, wipe the meat down good, and clean your work area and knives well before slicing your roast into nice thick steaks, you don't want to spread any surface bacteria into the meat when you cut into it.[p]Any steaks that aren't going to be cooked right away should be vac sealed or wrapped tightly in saran and bagged, and frozen right away. I thaw frozen steaks in a tub of ice cold water an hour before I light the grill.[p]Some links: http://www.ivyhillhoa.org/bryan/Recipes/dry_aged_ribeye_roast.html
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/nutrition/DJ5968.html
http://muextension.missouri.edu/xplor/agguides/ansci/g02209.htm
http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/Season5/EA1E02.htm
http://www.cbbqa.com/articles/PrimeRib.html[p]Hope this helps.[p]Cheers,
C~Q

Sandbagger · December 2005

Citizen Q, that is some very good information. It is the subtle things that can make the difference. By chance, does the meat loose anything from freezing. I could see doing several roasts at one time and freezing, for a six months supply...thanks Tom

BabyBoomBBQ · December 2005

Citizen Q,[p]Thanks for sharing a link to my recipe! For some reason, it didn't work, so here's another link.[p]I basically mixed Alton Brown's, Cooks Illustrated's methods and added my experiece notes. I have a 7 pounder aging right now.[p]Merry Merry!

[ul][li]Bryan's Dry Aged Rib Roast Page[/ul]

Marvin · December 2005

stike,
Good point!

Citizen Q · December 2005

Sandbagger,
Freezing shouldn't hurt them at all if you do it right away. I find that after they are cut and wrapped, the steaks can take on somewhat of an off flavor, like old hamburger, if left in the fridge too long, so I grill a couple right after I cut them up and freeze the rest immediatley.[p]Cheers,
C~Q

Dos Huevos · December 2005

Citizen Q,[p]Same here CQ, and we're real happy with the results. I actually buy a whole ribeye and bring it home, cut and trim it and immediately freeze (and vacuum seal) what's not getting cooked that night.

Sandbagger · December 2005

thanks CQ and DH, I've always been hesitant to freeze steaks. Always figured, fresh is best. Now I need to work a plan to age some steaks...Happy Holidays, tom

Unknown · December 2005

Sandbagger,
Fresh is always best, but if you buy in bulk, a tightly wrapped, quick frozen steak, thawed in an icewater bath just prior to cooking is a very close second. [p]Cheers & Happy Holidays To You and Yours,
Sean

irishrog · December 2005

Citizen Q,
I ask my butcher to hang my beef for me in his fridge. If I am organised enough I order my rib about 4 weeks in advance. My butcher watches for a nice rib coming in and hangs it for me for 21 days in his shop. He then bones and rolls the full rib (7 bones) for me and I cut it into 2 pieces, one for the EGG and 1 for the freezer. Dont ever worry about having meat left over when it is well hung beef, it is devine, and normally I dont even have any left for a sandwich.
Roger

Unknown · December 2005

irishrog,
Well, there's nothing like being well hung........

stike · December 2005

Dublin Dawg,
...from what i've HEARD, anyway

aged beef

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