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Question on dry aging steaks

AZRP
AZRP Posts: 10,116
edited November -0001 in EggHead Forum
I ordered some of those dry aging bags Todd was talking about yesterday. My question is, is there any problem with dry aging a primal then cutting into individual steaks and vacuum bagging and freezing them? -RP
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Comments

  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 34,583
    i was wondering if you could just cut off a couple at say 14 days, then 21 days, then 28 days, then 35 days until gone and just leave it in the dry age bag. i know the ones at the meat house here are aged 40 something days and then the primal sits in the meat case til gone
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 26,455
    Randy,

    I wouldn't see why not because when I could buy dry aged steaks from a local butcher shop (BTW at 19.99 a pound for NY strips!) I would freeze those and there was never a problem.

    I've been trying several times this morning to order the full starter kit and something keeps going awry when I hit "add to my cart" it sends me to PayPal and says there's a problem. Did you have a problem ordering?

    See you in Oswego shortly!

    Ron
    Re-gasketing the USA one yard at a time 
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 26,455
    I got the problem straightened out and ordered the kit plus extra bags too. A couple weeks ago Kim Komando had a privacy hint that I followed and it has caused me more grief than good!
    Re-gasketing the USA one yard at a time 
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  • AZRP
    AZRP Posts: 10,116
    I didn't have any problem, it did kick me into paypal to complete the order. -RP
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  • Unknown
    Unknown
    i still don't understand what the bags do for you versus just aging it the good old regular way....
    sigh.

    i think it's a psychological crutch maybe.

    people fear putting beef in their fridge without being wrapped, and that by putting it into a bag it's easier or safer. i dunno.

    just throw the primal in the fridge and walk away.

    dryagedstrip.jpg

    the_harvest.jpg

    Xfive-day-dry-age_prepped02.jpg
    no bags, no towels, no spare fridges, no confusion...
    the whole concept is being overcomplicated and frankly, misunderstood.
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  • Unknown
    Unknown
    you don't want the exposed end to dry out. if you don't mind cutting off the beef jerky every time you cut a new steak you could do that, but the cut end would be sacrificial.

    look at the exposed end of the strip primal. it was a "fresh" end. i cut off four steaks, went camping, leaving the primal in the fridge. that cut end gets overly dry.

    better to age all at once, cut, freeze
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 34,583
    how deep does it dry though every few days, is it dry deep into the meat or would just a 1/4 inch need to be removed. i dont see doing all the work and time to freeze
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • Unknown
    Unknown
    it just dries out. i dunno, quarter of an inch in a week maybe.
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 34,583
    seems worth wasting a quarter inch and keep aging to me. just cant see freezing it
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • Unknown
    Unknown
    could always slap some plastic wrap on the cut end, or maybe wax paper
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  • Bacchus
    Bacchus Posts: 6,019
    This could be worth coming out of hiding for!
    Right, Stike-Orama?
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  • loco_engr
    loco_engr Posts: 5,818
    There was just a program on Travel Ch. featuring steak houses and one place ages the steak for 6-8 weeks at 34 degrees in a special refrig. w/o any bags.
    aka marysvilleksegghead
    Lrg 2008
    mini 2009

    Henny Youngman:
    I said to my wife, 'Where do you want to go for our anniversary?' She said, 'I want to go somewhere I've never been before.' I said, 'Try the kitchen.'
    Bob Hope: When I wake up in the morning, I don’t feel anything until noon, and then it’s time for my nap
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  • Rees
    Rees Posts: 12
    Rot is all you'll get if you cover the surface of your beef with regular plastic wrap, wax paper, or anything that blocks moisture. The beauty of the drybagsteak.com thing is that somehow the moisture comes through the bag at just the right rate that it dries with a nice clean surface--cleaner for sure than something under a wet paper towel, a cloth or even open air, like the professional dry aging operations.
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  • Rees
    Rees Posts: 12
    Hiya.

    That's how I always use the Drybags--age a whole strip loin or boneless ribeye, then after 14-21 days (depending on what I bought), I trim it, steak it out and seal it three or four a pack in the little laminated vacuum bags that came with the sealer. They look like regular vacuum bags. Anyhow, with the moisture content reduced after dry aging, they freeze and thaw out again beautifully.
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  • Rees
    Rees Posts: 12
    The problem with this idea is that the Drybag actually forms a bond, like a second skin with the surface of the fresh meat. Once the aging process begins, the proteins on the surface of the meat and the Drybag unite. Once you crack open your aged piece and peel back the Drybag, you have a nice shiny clean surface. If you cut off a piece of the subprimal, I'm not sure you can get the cut end and the Drybag to bond again. I suppose you could just make sure not to peel the Drybag off the part you want to keep aging... then leave the one end open to air... . You'll have to trim it later, just perhaps a little deeper.
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  • Rees
    Rees Posts: 12
    After getting a look at a couple of traditional dry aging places over the years, and now trying Drybags, it looks like the thick bark that forms on the open air aged pieces actually gets so thick and hard at some point, that it inhibits the moisture release. It's also really, really tough to cut through.
    With the Drybag, the outer surface gets hard, for sure, but not rock hard. I think this also means that if you age beyond 14-21 days you might get even greater moisture loss and shrink than with traditional air aged. I'm not sure about this, but I know my Drybag aged pieces start looking awfully puny after I go beyond 14 days!
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 26,455
    I see you are a brand new poster here, but I assume you know what you are talking about so I thank you. Today my bags arrived from MN and according to an email advice the sealer being shipped from CA is to arrive on Wednesday. Looking forward to all of this for sure!
    Re-gasketing the USA one yard at a time 
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