Aging Beef – just some thoughts

Directions

• Step 1 The general principles of aging are: 1) Temperature: Warmer ages faster with more mold growth and trimming but more flavor. Carcass needs to be chilled as soon after slaughter as possible. Over 38F. meat can get slick and off flavors then spoils. Commercially, meat is aged close to 33 for 10 days and has no aged flavor. 2) Humidity: Higher humidity encourages mold growth which enhances flavor to a point and increases trim losses. 3) Carcass Quality: The higher the quality (fatter, more marbling, not too old – preferably 2 years) the better beef ages and the better the flavor and the longer it should be aged. Lean breeds (dairy crosses, etc.) and grass fed animals should only be aged 2 to 3 weeks. Prime hindquarters can easily go for 4 to 6 weeks (This is truly “melt in your mouth” meat and is pure ecstasy!). Breeding is of lesser importance as long as there is a sufficient standard beef breeding (Hereford, Angus, Shorthorn, Devon, etc.) to have the quality. 4) Time. Depends upon temperature and quality. Ten days minimum, 6 weeks maximum. Forequarters don’t age as well as hinds and should come out about a week earlier.
• Step 2 Buy a whole Sub-Primal rib eye or strip loin when they are on sale (I think these things weigh 10 – 20 pounds, so take your piggy-bank to the store with you :-)). You probably won’t find Prime, but make sure you get no less than Choice. Take it out of the plastic wrap that it comes in and rinse it off with cold water. Let it drain and pat dry with paper towels. Wrap the meat in a large plain white cotton dish towel and put it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. The bottom shelf is the coldest place in the refrigerator and is out of the way. It might be a good idea to check the temperature with a freezer thermometer to be sure it is not too far outside the 34 – 38 F range. Adjust the refrigerator temperature if necessary. This could be a very expensive mistake if the refrigerator is too warm :-). The next day, change the towel. The first towel will be soiled by the moisture that has seeped from the meat. Continue to change towels as needed, from 10 days to 2 weeks. Now you can start to enjoy good steaks. Cut steaks as needed from each end. Rewrap the unused portion and continue to replace the towels while the remainder ages. If you have not finished the entire piece after aging for 21 days, remove the remainder from the refrigerator and cut into individual steaks. Wrap each one in heavy-duty plastic freezer wrap and freeze. They will keep for months in the freezer. To clean the soiled cotton towels for re-use, soak them in cold water overnight. Next, soak them in cold salt water for 2 – 3 hours to remove any blood stains. Then launder as usual.