dry aging

Darby_Crenshaw said:

trimming though....  [bangs head on table]

now I understand your head banging

I don't trim at any point. Before or after

i DO clean it up before though. Because they arrive in cryo in various shades of 'tidiness'. Or not

hanging strip of fat, dangling? I trim it off. Because it will be catgut after a month of drying. 

Loose slippery barely-attached fascia or membrane on the fat? Almost like thin Film of nothingness? I lose that too

a quick rinse usually too. Because, well, any fecal bacteria that you'd worry about are external. No sense letting them hang out. 

Then pat dry

onto a raised drying rack over a cookie sheet, to catch the one drop of liquid that you might see, and to promote drying of the entire surface


then let it ride

trimming afterward is, to me, defeating much of the purpose. Why frost a cake and then scrape off the frosting? 

Fully half the intent with dry aging is to promote the dried exerior fat and flesh surface. And as hard as it may be when you check it a month later, it will soften when cooking. And that dried fat will fry the meat. It provides the best possible crust you can ask for

and traditionally, it was never trimmed. 

Trimming is something i watched overtake the process like a frigging tidal wave of paranoia. As people fell in love with the *idea* of dry aging, but couldn't get over the actual result 

you are NOT trying to create a juicy pretty red steak like you'd see in "Good Housekeeping" or the Sunday "Parade" magazine

you're trying to condense the meat by letting it give up water

and you are letting it rot (literally). This is decomposition. And it's the same exact process in prosciutto, or other aged meats. So don't run away from it at the last second. 

Trimming it is like putting ice in your wine. You can do it. And it's your wine. But don't do it and then announce how much you appreciate wine. 

don't flinch at the last second. It's ok to try it and not like it. But stay true to tradition. There's a reason they never trimmed. 

Store near me finally started trimming, because there was a ton of buzz about dry aging, but the yuppy housewives buying a nice roast for Christmas didn't like how it looked. True story. 

So now the store trims automatically. Last time (years ago) i bought there (since closed) the dude trimmed my rib eye without asking. I blanched and he said "oh. Sorry". And  with a shrug "sucks. They all ask for it trimmed now. I guess they like the idea of paying for it more than the idea of actually eating it"

SmokeyPitt said:

hashissmokin said:

Darby_Crenshaw said:

trimming though....  [bangs head on table]

confused...

There is another discussion here:
http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1196654/calling-the-dry-aging-experts#latest

Basically some think it is a waste of time to dry age beef and then trim off all of the dried exterior.  

I literally just finished reading that other thread as you posted.  thanks

Darby_Crenshaw said:

hashissmokin said:

I believe the article I posted was referring to trimming excess fat before you begin the process.

Nope.  Look at the denuded roast at the end

Dry aged beef was never trimmed. It's just the modern desire to sanitize every damn thing that has so many assuming you need to make it pretty before cooking it

shrug

it's like "i love making apple pie. When it comes time to serve, i throw away all the pie crust and just eat the filling. Pie is awesome!"

well said...In the future I'll know never to mention "trimming" around you.  

Darby_Crenshaw said:

it's fine.  to each his own

i just don't agree that trimming is a given, and feel the need to fight the good fight on going au naturale...hahaha

i just don't understand the desperate desire of a lot of folks to jump on a fad without doing it the way it was originally intended, and learning from that. 

just seems awful strange.

Agree.  Just thought it was a good article.  Didn't really know what I was getting into.  That's why I read it.  Thanks for the advice though.