Beef Aging Process Info...

[Hines57]

Ok, so what you let it sit on your counter for 21days? I have no idea about this aging thing.... and Im wanting to buy some of hines' meat so I'll need to know what to do.

Thanks

No you would need to leave it at a perfect temp without freezing it . You can cut these now of you like you don't have to age them . When you buy them at Walmart they are roughly 10 days old . It's really hard for me to tell you the best way because I don't know the space or equipment you have. You
Can find a ton of valuable resources online about different ways of aging .

[Hines57]

That shit don't rot??

Yes if you left it out it would. The meat here is cryovac sealed and kept about 29 degrees all the time . It is never frozen

[Hines57]

Maybe this will help. There is just to many different ways for me to get into great detail about this and typing it up in my phone. Soooo

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=How+to+properly+age+beef+#seen

[Hines57]

Actually try this link it will explain a little better

http://bbq.about.com/cs/beef/a/aa030301a.htm

[Geor!]

Yes if you left it out it would. The meat here is cryovac sealed and kept about 29 degrees all the time . It is never frozen

29 degrees is frozen.

[Hines57]

29 degrees is frozen.

I guess I should reword that. The room is kept at 29 degrees

[bcoop]

That shit don't rot??

Beef has a shelf life of about 7 weeks from slaughter to spoil (when kept within safe temp range). Bet you didn't know that did yous?

Hines may not know the exact date every time, but when I picked up my primals he was able to give me the slaughter date (it's not marked on the package, so if you do buy from him, ask). At the very least he can get you within a couple days of it.

If you didn't want to mess with wet or dry aging, you could let it age in the cryovac for up to six weeks from slaughter/pack date, then wash thoroughly, trim, and slice. It's important to check it every couple days to make sure a seal hasn't busted, or that it's not leaking. Usually not an issue, but it can happen. Then you can slice and cook, or freeze. Highly recommend vacuum sealing f you freeze, so it doesn't get freezer burn.

You HAVE to wash thoroughly though. Also, if you do let it go six weeks, you WILL get a bit of a smell when you open it. It's perfectly normal, no reason to worry. The whole process of aging is about the enzymes breaking down the fatty tissue.

To delve a little deeper -

Dry aging is when you unwrap and hang the primal in a temp and humidity controlled climate. Can be done in a fridge. But not one you open several times a day. You lose moisture, and about 20% weight loss when you dry age. As you lose moisture it concentrates the flavor. That's why dry aged steaks (Al Biernat's, for instance) has a more intense flavor. In the old days, dry aging wasn't even refrigerated. Every butcher had a dark corner they would put their primals in. Then after how ever many days, they would trim the bacteria and mold off, then slice in to steaks.

There are a couple ways to wet age, but most common is to just keep in cryovac in fridge for however long you want to. It's called wet aging, because you don't lose moisture. The flavor isn't as intense though. 95% of steakhouses wet age. Chain restaurants (not fine dining) usually don't age. It takes up a ton of refrigerated storage to do it,

[Hines57]

Thanks bcoop I don't have time to type that much. I will do everyone a favor and write the slaughter date on all peices. I can get you normally within 2 days of slaughter date even if I don't write it down due to I know what dates are on hand.

[mstng86]

If you didn't want to mess with wet or dry aging, you could let it age in the cryovac for up to six weeks from slaughter/pack date, then wash thoroughly, trim, and slice. It's important to check it every couple days to make sure a seal hasn't busted, or that it's not leaking. Usually not an issue, but it can happen. Then you can slice and cook, or freeze. Highly recommend vacuum sealing f you freeze, so it doesn't get freezer burn.

This is refrigerated right? not frozen

[Hines57]

This is refrigerated right? not frozen

Yes but not like a fridge at home . Humidity and temp is very closely watched

[Geor!]

Beef has a shelf life of about 7 weeks from slaughter to spoil (when kept within safe temp range). Bet you didn't know that did yous?

Hines may not know the exact date every time, but when I picked up my primals he was able to give me the slaughter date (it's not marked on the package, so if you do buy from him, ask). At the very least he can get you within a couple days of it.

If you didn't want to mess with wet or dry aging, you could let it age in the cryovac for up to six weeks from slaughter/pack date, then wash thoroughly, trim, and slice. It's important to check it every couple days to make sure a seal hasn't busted, or that it's not leaking. Usually not an issue, but it can happen. Then you can slice and cook, or freeze. Highly recommend vacuum sealing f you freeze, so it doesn't get freezer burn.

You HAVE to wash thoroughly though. Also, if you do let it go six weeks, you WILL get a bit of a smell when you open it. It's perfectly normal, no reason to worry. The whole process of aging is about the enzymes breaking down the fatty tissue.

To delve a little deeper -

Dry aging is when you unwrap and hang the primal in a temp and humidity controlled climate. Can be done in a fridge. But not one you open several times a day. You lose moisture, and about 20% weight loss when you dry age. As you lose moisture it concentrates the flavor. That's why dry aged steaks (Al Biernat's, for instance) has a more intense flavor. In the old days, dry aging wasn't even refrigerated. Every butcher had a dark corner they would put their primals in. Then after how ever many days, they would trim the bacteria and mold off, then slice in to steaks.

There are a couple ways to wet age, but most common is to just keep in cryovac in fridge for however long you want to. It's called wet aging, because you don't lose moisture. The flavor isn't as intense though. 95% of steakhouses wet age. Chain restaurants (not fine dining) usually don't age. It takes up a ton of refrigerated storage to do it,

Didn't know that. I was actually thinking wet aging was soaking them in a brine and dry aging was coating them in salt as a curing process or something.

[bcoop]

This is refrigerated right? not frozen

Yes. You don't have to go down to 29 degrees, but you absolutely can't let it get above 35. This is why you want a dedicated fridge. Every time you open the door, it fucks up the temp swing, and gets out of range. The more time it is out of the desired temp range, the quicker it will spoil. Exponentially.

Same goes for humidity. Keep in mind, humidity is relative, so Every time you open that door, it fucks it up. The target for relative humidity is 85%.


There is also a way to speed age, but, I'm not sold on it. I've never knowingly had a steak that was speed aged, and it makes sense in theory, I just have no experience with it.

[Randy]

So..... 21 days when the come from you hines right??

[bcoop]

Didn't know that. I was actually thinking wet aging was soaking them in a brine and dry aging was coating them in salt as a curing process or something.

Not exactly, but you're not far off on either. The salt cure, as mentioned in the "how to cook a perfect steak thread" on here, kind of mimics the dry aging process. Kind of. It's a cheaper, quicker way to do it for your average home cooking. That said, it's not exactly the same. With the salt cure, you do pull moisture out of the steak. But, because of that, some of the enzymes and flavor leave the steak with the moisture. When you age, most moisture is lost through evaporation (you get some drip too). When you lose moisture through evaporation, the flavor is left behind in the meat, hence why you age, to concentrate that flavor. The salt cure method is just more convenient and practical for someone who doesn't have a dedicated fridge. You don't lose all flavor with a salt cure, but someone with a good palate can tell the difference in flavor.

[mstng86]

So, I am just assuming, any dedicated refrigerator will work. As long as it stays between 29-35 degrees and stays closed 99% of the time.