Dry Aging vs. Wet Aging

Spring Chicken · November 2007

In my post below, "Texas Monthly Magazine - Best Steaks In Texas," I read where most of the restaurants named in the article used either dry aged or wet aged steaks, usually for about 21 days. [p]I know it has been discussed here before but I will soon be going to the annual Christmas Office Dinner and the restaurant, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, is known for it's steaks. They claim to age their steaks "up to four weeks." [p]I plan to spend lavishly (using Judy's boss's money) and I want to get a good steak. But I'm told that dry aged steak is the more flavorful over wet aged steak but Fleming's web site does not say which method they use. I'm also told that aging produces a sort of "musty" taste in steaks. I'm not partial to "musty" anything so is this something that should direct me more toward their seafood menu?[p]Anyway, your thoughts and comments would be appreciated.[p]Spring "Plop Plop Fizz Fizz Is In My Future" Chicken
Spring Texas USA[p]

Unknown · November 2007

Spring Chicken,[p]Dry aging is a expensive traditional way to really kick ujp the beefy flavor in a steak. It is expensive because you start out with roast that weighs x pounds and 21 days later it weighs a fair amount less due to evaporation. But that is where the magic happens, the concentration of the oh so wonderful beefy goodness.[p]I get my dry age stuff from Niman Ranch and have never detected anything musty...[p]Wet aging is not true aging from what I understand, is is basically just cold storage of the sealed product but I am not sure on that.[p]Try a dry age Bone In Rib Roast - It will TRULY bring tears of joy to your eyes.....

fishlessman · November 2007

Spring Chicken,
you will either like the dry age or not, i really dont see a difference with wet aged stuff. stike will tell you to go for the ribeye,hes right on with that. ive tried a few different cuts because the butcher near me sells it all, the cuts with a bone seem to have an off taste (tingling almost numbimg effect)when you get near the bone so i dont buy those anymore, the fat on a ribeye is unreal. you also need to get it cooked less than your used too, ribeye i like from med/rare to med, but with an aged piece, you really want it rare to med/rare. as for getting the steak verse seafood at a fancy expensive place, i tend to get a hamburger, i dont understand and am un willing to pay 20 or more dollars for a meal thats mass produced regardlwess of the resteraunt. call me cheap when it comes to dining out as i would rather cook the good stuff myself

Fidel · November 2007

Spring Chicken,[p]The others' explanations are spot on. Dry aging is great for beef. Wet aging doesn't do much.[p]For a great exerience go with either the ribeye or, if available, a dry aged bone-in Kansas City Strip. Both are fantastic. I would ask your server if the meat is prime. I know at the Fleming's I have been to they do not exclusively serve prime cuts. For the prices the command, they should.[p]Fleming's, by the way is a national chain restaurant owned by the fine folks at Outback steak house. They are more known for their extensive wine offerings than their meats in most markets. I have had great service at the ones I have visited across the country.

Flashback Bob · November 2007

Mr Chicken,
I am not an expert, but am a recent convert to the Church of Dry Aged Steak. I don't know what they mean by a "musty" taste - It was the best steak I ever had!!!I typically try to get the best flavor out of the cheapest meats I can get. But ever since tasting dry-aged, I'm planning to spend $20./lb to bring some home to try! I've also been thinking of keeping the dry-aged for myself and feeding the rest of the family the $8.00/lb choice beef.[p]The flavor is better and the texture was different, both more dense and more tender. It is not an acquired taste, but if you have been eating wet aged steak and really enjoy them, you should appreciate the difference dry aging makes.[p]As has been recommended to me, I will pass along to you - go for the dry aged ribeye.

Spring Chicken · November 2007

Thanks guys. Now I know a lot more about what I'll be putting in my body that night. [p]Although my cardiologist would prefer I eat the salmon I think I "NEED" a steak.[p]Spring "A Good Steak To The Heart" Chicken

fishlessman · November 2007

Spring Chicken,
these are alot more filling than a regular steak, you can get by with a smaller cut to make the doctor happy

stike · November 2007

Spring Chicken,
can't add much to what's been said already, except that wet aging IS legitimate. it does everything dry aging does, except it does not dry the meat. the drying, for me, is the biggest part though, because nothing but water is lost. dry aged steaks can lose 20% of their weight, all of it water. water so pound for pound, dry ages already has more flavor.[p]also, wet aging is usually a couple weeks at most. dry aging can go up to as much as six weeks.[p]wet aging and dry aging both benefit from enzyme action. enzymes already present in the beef break down proteins, and literally tenderize the meat. they also produce flavors in the process.[p]the 'musty' word isn't quite right. some say 'gamey', as though it's a bad thing. i don't think 'gamey' is a bad wod. still, it's not quit gamey either. [p]essentially, wet aging is doing everything dry aging does, except condensing the beef. in a dry aged steak. the fat is no longer mushy and watery. it's nearly butter (which is beef fat after all, sorta).[p]believe it or not, most beef we eat is already aged in some way. meat is not sold at grocery stores a day after slaughter. it is aged for a few days as a side of beef, which allow it to begin to break down. then, the cryovac process gives it an extended shelf-life...[p]stored at proper temps, beef doesn't go rancid or 'bad' even after a month in the fridge. stored properly, it becomes unpalatable far before it becomes unsafe.[p]as fishless dais, get the rib eye. filets don't get much more tender, in fact, they are rarely dry aged, since they are tender and hgave no real good amount of fat. a regular unaged strip is already damn good. the rib eye, though, fattiest of all, benefits the most from aging.

Buster Dog BBQ · November 2007

Fidel,
They also own PF Changs.

Morro Bay Rich · November 2007

Spring Chicken,[p]OK, lets get to the musty aspect.[p]What happens in dry aging after a number of days is a mold grows on the outside of the meat. Obviously, I am referring to large pieces not individual steaks. When the â€œdry-agedâ€ steaks are needed, the large piece of meat is trimmed of the mold and the steaks are cut.[p]If they butcher decides to be â€œeconomicalâ€ in his trimming and leaves a small amount of the mold or does not cut deep enough (i.e. Â¼ to Â½ inch) one will experience the taste of the mold; thus the musty taste.[p]My dad told me when they aged a side of beef for three weeks there would be â€œwhiskersâ€ of mold 3 inches long on the outside. Prior to trimming they would wipe the mold off with towels, trim the outer layer of meat off and then cut it into steaks and roasts.

Spring Chicken · November 2007

Morro Bay Rich,
WOW! Like cheese huh?[p]We've all seen the photos of cheese and sausages and even chickens, pigs and goats hanging in outdoor stalls in Europe for what appears to be months or even years. Those people must have found a way to stop the rotting process altogether.[p]I know that enzymes take over and begin to break down the tissues but I thought that process continued right up to the total disappearance of the fleshy part of a body.[p]My Dad was a butcher and I've been to many slaughter houses and cold storage lockers. I realized at an early age that beef slaughtered in St. Louis spent days on a refrigerated rail car on the way to the wholesaler near my Dad's store. Then it hung in the wholesaler's lockers until purchased by my Dad. Then my Dad held it in his locker until cut up and sold as "fresh beef." [p]Plus, I knew from seeing dead animals in various places that visual rotting was a two to three day period depending on how warm it was. [p]So you can understand my confusion as to what "aging" does that "rotting" doesn't do.[p]Now I hear that aging is the rage.[p]Thanks for your explanation.[p]Spring "The Longer I Live The Confuseder I Get" Chicken

Morro Bay Rich · November 2007

Leroy,[p]We have taken to just leaving the cut of beef in the frig uncovered for 3 to 4 days ala Alton Brown. Both Teri and I think we can taste the difference for the better after this treatment.[p]Regards,
Rich

Spring Chicken · November 2007

Morro Bay Rich,
I might give it a try. I wonder if putting it in the "crisper" where the air is supposedly dryer would help.[p]Spring "Full Of Warm Moist Air Today" Chicken

stike · November 2007

Spring Chicken,
enzymes are merely the same kind of stuff that is in meat tenderizer. it won't 'rot' the meat. if you really want to know what's going on....[p]when a living, muscular animal dies, it will go into rigor mortis. eventually the limbs are no longer stiff... that's because (among other things) the enzymes have begun to break down the muscle fiber itself. that's an aspect of decomposition, but it isn't 'rotting'. rotting is from microbes, insects, etc. from OUTSIDE the meat. enzymes are natural, not living. papain, from papaya tree, is an enzyme used to tenderize meat. it's what 'adolf's meat tenderizer is, essentially. you can add too much. the muscles (beef, us, etc.) themselves, however, only have a fixed amount, and won't ever work to the point that the meat is mushy.

Big'un · November 2007

Spring Chicken,
It sounds to me from all the great info on this post that you'd do fine to order the ribeye. But since the musty rumor has been heard by several,including me, the best course of action would be to get the surf & turf. That way, you get to try it, and if you don't care for the beef, you're covered with the surf, and Mr. Cardiologist should be happy too! Win-Win. [p]Loved the email

Unknown · November 2007

Spring Chicken,
try the veal chop; its kindof a seceret and I think that it is one of there better steaks.

Dry Aging vs. Wet Aging

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