Such a thing as aging (or aging) of beef, or dry aging, sounds rather exotic for most: even many of those who seriously consider themselves to be a connoisseur and lover of meat have not heard of it. On the contrary, according to the old habit, the best meat in our country is “steamed”, which is helpfully reported by price tags and sellers on the market. In general, a person who hears about it for the first time, the phenomenon of ripening of beef causes skepticism: if the meat is good, why torture it? An excursion into anatomy is indispensable.
What happens to the meat
To begin with, we note that the sellers from the market who promise you fresh meat are still decently cunning: fresh beef is considered within 2-4 hours after slaughter, but then, due to the cessation of oxygen access to the muscle tissue, rigor mortis occurs. Its peak falls on the second day after slaughter, then rigor mortis begins to gradually subside under the influence of a process called “autolysis”. It is triggered by enzymes that are contained in the meat itself, and under the influence of which the muscles begin to relax. After that, the beef hits the shelves, but the autolysis process does not stop there, the enzymes continue to work, and further aging of the beef (of course, subject to storage conditions) leads to the following results:
- Evaporation of moisture, in connection with which the meat loses up to 1/3 of its original weight.
- Destruction of connective tissue, making the meat softer and more tender.
- Drying and the appearance of a “crust” on the surface of the meat, which must be cut off before cooking.
- With longer aging, enzymes and fat oxidation result in a pleasant, deeper meaty flavor and aroma with hints of nuts and cheese.
The result described above is the so-called dry aging of beef, when carcasses or half carcasses, after cutting, are hung in a chamber, the temperature in which is maintained at about 0 degrees. This process takes from one to several weeks, and since the weight of the meat drops dramatically as a result, aged beef is not often found in stores, and it will cost much more than regular beef. Most often, steaks made from such beef can only be tasted in restaurants and steak houses, some of which age the meat on their own. Sometimes this meat is called dry aged. However, there is another option: the aging of beef can be reproduced at home.
Aging meat at home
The choice of meat for this needs to be given special attention. First, the quality of the original beef must be high, with a good distribution of body fat: you are unlikely to want to mess with mediocre meat, and the result is not worth it. Secondly, the piece must be large enough, because the resulting crust will have to be cut off.
Of course, you can try your hand at one steak, but in this case, the holding time should be no more than a week, otherwise the same crust will begin to form, and the meat will simply dry out. Ideally, it makes sense to bond with a solid piece of bone – for example, a thin edge with several ribs. Since such meat is usually not on the shelves, you will most likely have to order it from the butcher.
So, let’s go:
1. Buy a matching piece of beef. Do not cut off excess fat and do not worry too much about the surface of the meat, it will still have to be cut off.
2. Set aside enough space in the refrigerator to place the meat – ideally on a wire rack.
3. Make sure that moisture can leave the meat. Fans of this business install a fan in the refrigerator to circulate air and evaporate moisture, but there is an easier way – wrap the meat in a piece of cloth that you will regularly change. For the best effect, you can put salt next to the meat, which will “pull” excess moisture from the air.
4. Turn the meat over and change the cloth or gauze frequently so that moisture does not get trapped on the surface of the meat.
5. Wait! How many?
Depends on your patience and intentions. On average, at home, it makes sense to focus on 1-3 weeks, some enthusiasts keep the meat for 4-8 weeks, and Heston Blumenthal cooked a steak as much as 90 days old, and it still remained edible and tasty. I recommend starting with a small amount of time and, if the result inspires you, go up.
6. Trim the dried crust and cut a piece of meat into individual steaks or bake it in one piece.
Aging meat by express method
This method allows you to accelerate the aging of meat, although, of course, it is not a complete analogue. The essence of the method is that we not only leave the meat to lie down in the refrigerator, but also rub it with salt on all sides. Thanks to this, the meat will “lose weight” much faster, thanks to which, firstly, it will not have time to absorb too deep the foreign odors that are in every refrigerator, and secondly, you will be able to cook express-aged steaks in 7-10 days.
The disadvantages include the fact that the enzymes do not have time to turn around properly, so such meat will have a richer, but still the usual taste of beef without those nutty-cheese undertones, for which everything is often started.
1. Choose a piece of meat that you will be exposed to express aging.
In my case, it was a thick edge (ribeye) weighing 772 grams with good marbling. Since there is less moisture in the meat after aging, a sufficient amount of fat is the key to juiciness of the steaks.
2. Rub generously with salt on all sides and wrap in a couple of layers of nonwoven fabric.
3. Place the meat on the wire rack on the top shelf of the refrigerator.
4. Replace the blade after 1-2 days.
5. After 7-10 days, remove the meat and cut off the dried surface.
The thick edge, which I stood in this way, after drying and stripping, lost about 50% of its own weight – this must be borne in mind right away when estimating the final cost of the steak. 6. Cut a large piece into steaks and grill them in a pan or grill; keep in mind that aged beef this way has lost a lot of moisture, so it will cook much faster. Adjust the cooking time to avoid overdrying the meat and keeping it juicy. The same goes for the crust on the outside – due to the “dehydration” of the meat, you will get it much faster than when frying a regular steak.
Wet aging
In conclusion, I cannot help but mention wet aging as opposed to dry aging. To some, it will seem much more convenient, because for wet aging, a piece of meat is simply packaged in a vacuum bag and kept in the refrigerator. It takes less time – just a few days, moreover, the meat practically does not lose weight, but the disadvantages of this method are a continuation of its advantages.
Firstly, in the absence of air, there is no oxidation of fats and, as a result, the appearance of the very aroma that lovers of aged steaks appreciate so much. Secondly, maintaining weight prevents the flavor from becoming more meaty and full-bodied. As a result, the taste of a wet-aged steak is practically indistinguishable from the taste of an un-aged steak – except that the meat actually becomes a little softer. In general, wet aging of beef is not a profanation and its use is quite justified, but you should not expect any miraculous results from this. I wish you juicy steaks, tart wine and hot love!