Joined: Jun 2005 Gender: Male Posts: 2,702 Location: Ft. Myers, Fl Karma: 4
Dry Aging Beef using the DrybagSteak method « Thread Started on Dec 1, 2009, 7:53am »
This will be photo heavy, so if on dial-up, might as well go to another thread!!!! LOL.....
Here is a nice 12.95 lb USDA Choice Hereford Strip Loin from The Fresh Market. It had been wet aging since 10/26/09 until 11/21/09 when I DryBagged it for dry aging.
I opted to cut the loin in half so that I could age one for 2 weeks and the other for 3 weeks to taste the difference.
Sorry, no photo's of the meat in the DryBags or of the process, but I will say that it takes a little practice to get all the air out!!
As bad luck follows bad luck, I had a refrigeration problem and they were only dry aged for 10 days.
This is what one of them looked like in the bag after 10 days. Note the vacuum has been broken due to my taking the internal temp of the meat after I corrected the refrigeration fiasco.
The DryBag has been removed and you are looking at the 'skin' that has formed on the outside of the meat.
You normally would NOT need to trim the meat this close, but for safety reasons I decided to over trim the loin.
Virtually all the fat has been removed.
Five nice steaks out of this half....
And four off the Sirloin end.
The steak was seasoned ONLY with Kosher Salt and granulated garlic. It was then reverse seared (Finney Style) on the Primo Junior.
Looks pretty good from this angle
The steak was served with a simple garden salad with olive oil dressing so I could focus on the meat and not the sides.
According to my wife this was the BEST steak she had ever had!! I have to agree with her.
I'm a believer and looking forward to a nice Chairman's Reserve Rib Eye for Christmas or New Year. Hopefully no antics from the refrigerator and I'll be able to age them the full two and three weeks!
If you truly love your steaks, like I do, this DrybagSteak method will take you to the next level of tenderness and flavor.
Expensive? Depends on how you look at it. Not counting the bags I used, but taking into account my 'over trimming', each 14 oz (approx) steak only cost me a little over $7 each. Try buyiing a steak of that quality for that low of a price!!!
Joined: Jun 2005 Gender: Male Posts: 2,702 Location: Ft. Myers, Fl Karma: 4
Re: Dry Aging Beef using the DrybagSteak method « Reply #4 on Jan 23, 2010, 4:33am »
Well, I bought this big boy (IBP Chairman's Reserve Rib Eye) just before Christmas. It was packed on 11/26/09 and I "wet aged" it for 6 weeks.
I cut half of it into steaks and the other half I put into a Dry Bag for for two more weeks of "dry aging".
OK, here is what it looks like after two weeks in a 35° dedicated refrigerator. You can see where the Dry Bag has formed a 'skin' with the surface of the meat.
A couple more views of the meat after the Dry Bag has been removed.
I then took a sharp knife and removed the 'skin', which in this case was just a little over ¼". Before the dry aging process this piece of meat weighed 7 lbs and after the two weeks in the Dry Bag and trimming off the 'skin', I was left with 5 lbs and 6 oz of usable meat.
These Boneless Rib Eye Steaks weigh approximately 1 lb each.
The steak was seasoned with Kosher Salt and granulated garlic only. It was then cooked on my grill, alternating between indirect and direct grilliing, until the internal temperature reached 135°. I then removed it from the grill and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
It was served with parselied potatoes and a salad.
WOW!!! What can I say? In over 40+ years of eating steaks, I would have to say this was the best steak that ever crossed my taste buds! The flavor was immense with "beefy" taste, but without the normal "mustyness" of regular, old fashioned dry aged beef. There was NO 'off' taste either. Tender? You could almost cut this thick slab with a fork.
Yes, this meat was aged for a total of 8 weeks!!! However, it's not necessary for you to go trhough this timely process. Just pick up a cryovaced primal cut (Strip Loin, Rib Eye, Top Butt, etc), take it home and Dry Bag it for 2-3 weeks. You won't be disappointed!
Top end steak house steaks at home for a fraction of the price!
« Last Edit: Jan 23, 2010, 4:55am by BBQ Butcher »
Re: Dry Aging Beef using the DrybagSteak method « Reply #5 on May 2, 2010, 8:43pm »
I know other KCBS teams including myself, wet age Briskets in the Kryovac prior to contests, do you think the dry bag steaks method would work with briskets?
I know other KCBS teams including myself, wet age Briskets in the Kryovac prior to contests, do you think the dry bag steaks method would work with briskets?
A six week wet aged (from the date of packing, not purchase date) Brisket is the norm for quite a few teams and individuals. I think a further 3 week dry age, using the Dry Bag Steak method, would probably put the taste out of this world I also bet the aged Point would make some hellacious hamburger meat
Make sure the Brisket is Choice or Prime.
Find a 10-12 lb whole packer, if possible.
NO trimming until after the dry age.
Make sure to trim off the "age".
One of my bbq buddies is thinking of doing this, I'll let you know how he makes out.
Joined: Jun 2005 Gender: Male Posts: 2,702 Location: Ft. Myers, Fl Karma: 4
Re: Dry Aging Beef using the DrybagSteak method « Reply #7 on Dec 8, 2010, 5:49am »
I picked up a bnls 14 lb Choice Hereford Strip Loin y'day at The Fresh Market for $4.99 lb.
Packing date was 10/19 so I will let it wet age for another week to give it a full 8 weeks of wet aging, then cut it in half, Dry Bag each half for 2 and 3 weeks respectively.
After slicing, can the individual steaks be wrapped and frozen for later use. Is there any loss in taste or texture quality if this is done?
They most certainly can be wrapped and frozen. I use my FoodSaver and I've never noticed any loss in quality or taste. If any thing, freezing meat will actually help to tenderize it to an extent. Not enough to notice any change in texture, though.
Re: Dry Aging Beef using the DrybagSteak method « Reply #13 on Jan 11, 2011, 6:26pm »
I appreciate all the info on dry aging and have gone to the Drybag website and read their info. What I don't understand is the concept of wet aging. Can someone explain the concept to me and how it is similar to and different from dry aging. Thanks.
I appreciate all the info on dry aging and have gone to the Drybag website and read their info. What I don't understand is the concept of wet aging. Can someone explain the concept to me and how it is similar to and different from dry aging. Thanks.
Here is an ARTICLE that should help to explain it.