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Aging Beef at Home

post #1 of 18
2/20/09 at 2:12am
Thread Starter 
I really want to do this well. Last time I tried doing this I wet aged a couple of steaks in a vacuum bag and got the runs after eating them... obviously I did something wrong with this. My ref is at a constant 41 degrees btw. So any tips on doing this safely at home?
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post #2 of 18
2/20/09 at 2:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by acidicboy View Post
I really want to do this well. Last time I tried doing this I wet aged a couple of steaks in a vacuum bag and got the runs after eating them... obviously I did something wrong with this. My ref is at a constant 41 degrees btw. So any tips on doing this safely at home?

good luck, not someting that I have the balls for.
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post #3 of 18
2/20/09 at 2:36am
acidic - I haven't tried this yet but have been wanting to as well. The two dry aging techniques I've read up on were by Alton Brown and America's Test Kitchen. I think some other members may have tried home aging as well, and apparently are still alive and kicking (http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=56349)
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post #4 of 18
2/20/09 at 2:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by acidicboy View Post
I really want to do this well. Last time I tried doing this I wet aged a couple of steaks in a vacuum bag and got the runs after eating them... obviously I did something wrong with this. My ref is at a constant 41 degrees btw. So any tips on doing this safely at home?
I think your first mistake was to age individual steaks, not a big chunk of beef.
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post #5 of 18
2/20/09 at 2:47am
I don't believe you can wet age at home. Bacteria loves moist environments so making sure everything is spot on would be next to impossible. However, I have aged rib roasts along with individual steaks for upto 3-4 days without any problems. The best thing for the steaks is that the surface becomes nice and dry. This allows you to sear a good crust on the steak with a medium heat. In an apartment, this fact alone can prevent your apartment from smelling like beef.
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post #6 of 18
2/20/09 at 6:56am
I'd be interested in trying to dry age at home, but dont you think it would be easier to buy aged from your butcher (and with better results)?

K
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post #7 of 18
2/20/09 at 10:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spatlese View Post
acidic - I haven't tried this yet but have been wanting to as well. The two dry aging techniques I've read up on were by Alton Brown and America's Test Kitchen. I think some other members may have tried home aging as well, and apparently are still alive and kicking (http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=56349)

The method I did worked great. It had a richer flavor and was more tender.
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post #8 of 18
2/20/09 at 11:08am
Wet aging is essentially worthless, IMHO.
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post #9 of 18
2/20/09 at 1:38pm
FYI: I would lower the temp of your fridge a bit. Kwilk can probably chime in, but 41 is just cracking that "critical cut point," that prohibits the bad bugs from growing at a fast rate.
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post #10 of 18
2/20/09 at 1:55pm
There are a couple of steps one must take before dry aging your beef. The first thing to do when you bring home the beef is to rinse it under cold water, scrubbing away those loose meat bits and/or fat bits. Pat the meat dry as much as you can. Get a rack and put it in a stainless steel pan. (Stainless steel is not a friendly surface for bacteria.) Put 2-3 sheets of paper on the rack and rest the meat on in. Everyday, flip over the meat once to expose every surface to drying. Mind you, I don't think you can ever age meat in your home fridge for 21 days like the pros do it. On ATK, I think they did it for a max of 7 days. I tried upto 7 days but found that after 4 days, the meat becomes too dry. So I do 4 days max. There is a profound taste difference not to mention cooking difference just after 3 days. I tend also to put the meat on the top shelf since I have a freezer on top fridge. It's the coldest area.
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post #11 of 18
2/20/09 at 2:47pm
I dry aged a prime rib, the post is somewhere on here, the texture was amazing, taste, no difference. I was kind of disappointed that i did not get that nutty taste, as the thing smelled pretty 'nutty' by the end...
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post #12 of 18
2/20/09 at 8:35pm
I follow Alton Brown process to the T every time - and it works exactly the way I expect. the steaks come out great every time. I used to buy all Prime Dry Aged, now I do it myself! follow every step exactly - and make sure the temp on your refrigerator is accurate.
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post #13 of 18
2/20/09 at 9:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Piobaire View Post
FYI: I would lower the temp of your fridge a bit. Kwilk can probably chime in, but 41 is just cracking that "critical cut point," that prohibits the bad bugs from growing at a fast rate.

41 is the upper limit for keeping foods. However, I don't know if that's the case with dry aging. Take, for example, making serrano or iberico ham, you would want it to be a few degrees over 41, because the bacterial growth is really what makes the meat what it is. If you keep it at 41, it might inhibit that huge fuzzy growth on the outside that makes the inside as good as it is.
I'm not saying that this is the case with steak, and I would make sure I'd researched it well before I tried to keep something over 41 degrees. I just don't know if having it that cold would be optimal for dry aging and curing.

Aging beef at home sounds cool and would be fun to try, but personally I'd leave it to the professionals.
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post #14 of 18
2/21/09 at 1:48am
Aging beef at home is a misnomer. A home fridge normally doesn't have a fan circulating air which is crucial to proper aging. What you are trying to achieve is really to dry the steak enough so when you cook it, it can achieve a great crust with a medium heat and almost no splatter. Because you are evaporating water from the steak, it does achieve a deeper favor however because the drying time in your fridge can really only be 3-4 days, the nutty flavor won't be there much but definitely better then no aging. What I can guarantee is that if done and cooked properly, you usda choice meat can taste much better then that charred usda prime steak they serve at almost all steakhouses.
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post #15 of 18
2/21/09 at 3:20am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by globetrotter View Post
good luck, not someting that I have the balls for.

my ass agrees with you 100%!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Spatlese View Post
acidic - I haven't tried this yet but have been wanting to as well. The two dry aging techniques I've read up on were by Alton Brown and America's Test Kitchen. I think some other members may have tried home aging as well, and apparently are still alive and kicking (http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=56349)

Thanks for the link. I think I'm gonna try that next.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkNWorn View Post
I think your first mistake was to age individual steaks, not a big chunk of beef.

Yes, apparently.

Quote:
Originally Posted by VKK3450 View Post
I'd be interested in trying to dry age at home, but dont you think it would be easier to buy aged from your butcher (and with better results)?

K

Butchers here in Manila aren't like that- its usually a slaughter, cut and throw it in the counter kind of operation. And better beef for roasting and steaks are usually sourced out (United States and Australia usually)
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