Dry-aged beef

[Blueskies123]

Check out shabu shabu. It was my first experience with this kind of meat

[flintnational]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NYEXPAT Dry aging in your home is pointless and depending on what is in your refrigerator at the time can actually harm the flavour a bit.......

Strange...... Seems to improve steaks in Atlanta.

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winemaker ... There are a few things in life to enjoy like a grilled T-bone or porterhouse, with a great dry red wine. I have already told the kids, that if I am laying in a hospital bed with tubes sticking out of me, it wasn't the tofu.

In my father-in-law's last two years of life, he could have anything he wanted. As long as it was passed through a food processor to puree, as he could not swallow solid food.

So, you will not have to eat tofu. Purée rare steak it will be.

And that was in a nursing home, not a hospital, where the nutritional stuff usually had to go through a tube, fed through the nostril down to the esophagus. I saw that with my father.

For longer-term tube feeding, they would make an opening in the torso, and thread the feeding tube directly to the stomach. That would make it easier for the patient to breathe.

[explanade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NYEXPAT Dry aging in your home is pointless and depending on what is in your refrigerator at the time can actually harm the flavour a bit. I live in South America and we are loaded with high end steakhouses (think Peter Lugar). Professionally dry aged (several months) beef has a intense flavour like no other. Not to say everyone likes such a strong flavour. Grass Fed vs UDSA Prime? Grass fed cattle (in SA) can be a variety of ages when slaughtered, USDA Prime are younger and more tender then Choice by design. We generally order one of each on our bi-weekly outings. Grass fed is more coarse and has less fat (marbling) than USDA Prime and while may be as tender has less flavor than USDA Prime. I eat and enjoy both but it comes down to personal preferences. My Wife agrees but wants to maintain her figure, so she goes for the Argentinian grass fed and sneaks a few bites of my USDA Prime!

When I visited Buesos Aires in 2006, supposedly all the beef served in restaurants were grass-fed and cheap. I remember paying $9 for a meal and it wasn't a big slab of meat but diced up to about a quarter or a third of a pound and served with a selection of dipping sauces.

When I revisited in 2014, they were saying most places were serving grain-fed meat by that time and the prices weren't that great unless you took a lot of USD and exchanged it in some back rooms for like 50% greater than the official exchange rate or something.

[explanade]

I was planning on a trip to Switzerland for August and in many cases, the best restaurants are in hotels of these alpine villages.

Some hotels offer half board options which would save you some money over going out for dinner so I ended up studying some menus when I booked hotels and deciding whether to take the half board or not.

In a lot of menus, one of the starter choices was some kind of dried beef. It isn't like jerky though, I've heard.

Anyone try it? Can't think of what they called it.

[Clone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by flintnational ^^When you buy a half cow, do you order the front half or the back half.

You can buy front quarters or rear quarters, or half of a half. You can also have different types of cuts or grinds. For example, if you don't use many roasts, you can have those ground into burger. Some roasts can be cut into steaks. And thickness is your choice.

If you want some great beef, buy a 4-H steer from the county fair!

We have had halves hung longer before cutting. They will let you select how thick you want them cut, and how you want them packaged.

I am not a fan of grass fed beef. To each their own.

We have an excellent grocer with an excellent meat counter close to the house. The cut that you buy and how you prepare it is the key to great steak. I am not an expert at it, but am practicing!

[USGrant1962]

Oh, and as an aside, try a day or two in the fridge to dry after you spatchcock and season a chicken. Amazing crisp skin and browning. I learned this one from Salt, Fat, Acid, and Heat: https://www.amazon.com/Salt-Fat-Acid...+fat+acid+heat All you need is an oven and the best cooking pan ever invented - the 12 inch cast iron skillet.

Another opinion here: https://www.themediterraneandish.com...hicken-recipe/

[Scuba]

If I’ve ever had dry aged beef, it would have been in a high-end steakhouse, but I don’t recall having it so maybe I haven’t.

For cooking steaks at home, about a year ago our Trader Joe’s started carrying center cut filet mignon. IMO it’s better than any other steak I’ve ever bought including Gelson’s, Bristol Farms, Costco or Whole Foods. DH & I prefer filets to other cuts of steak and now the TJ’s center cut is the only kind we buy to cook at home.

[explanade]

What about sous vide.

Anyone slow broiling and then blow torching their steaks?

[Winemaker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by explanade What about sous vide. Anyone slow broiling and then blow torching their steaks?

My son sent me a sous vide cooker for Christmas. I am pleased with the results so far, but I don't torch. I have several cast iron skillets/ cooking grates that I either superheat in oven or on grill, and sear that way. My only issue with it is timing; if DW and I cook that way that particular evening, it becomes an "event". Everyday meals around this household usually start with a raw veggie platter with a glass of white wine, timing is unimportant. When using the SV, cooking begins hours ahead of time, depending on cut /andor weather outside.

He also gave us a Himalayan salt block last Christmas, I like it also. However, I feel that if the "meat" is wet/juicy/runny then it picks up more salt, since the juices dissolve a lot more of the salt while cooking.

[Winemaker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound In my father-in-law's last two years of life, he could have anything he wanted. As long as it was passed through a food processor to puree, as he could not swallow solid food. So, you will not have to eat tofu. Purée rare steak it will be. And that was in a nursing home, not a hospital, where the nutritional stuff usually had to go through a tube, fed through the nostril down to the esophagus. I saw that with my father. For longer-term tube feeding, they would make an opening in the torso, and thread the feeding tube directly to the stomach. That would make it easier for the patient to breathe.

While I hope I am never in that situation, my point was that tofu or any of the other meat substitutes would not be responsible for putting me in that situation. And if it does, I will have died a happy and productive life, enjoying life's simple pleasures. None of us get out of here alive. Dietary fat/cholesterol or whatever the boogeyman du jour is not a concern of me today. Everything in moderation.

My father, who died at 70 of leukemia, had a feeding tube his last days. The man was never sick during his working days, he worked outside. He couldn't stand any fat in any meal, not even bacon or sausage, his BP and cholesterol were well under the guidelines. His brothers, all in their 80's, have sky high BP and cholesterol, and worked indoors all their lives, around chemicals, paint, dust and coatings. Their parents lived long lives also.

[Midpack]

Thread drift much?

[Tailgate]

OP here... did a reverse sear on these 14 day dry-aged NY strips cooked medium rare. Sorry, no pic of the finished product, but they were good steaks, however in mine and DW's estimation, not 'special' or worth the $25 a pound price. We'll go back to the filets we've always enjoyed. Same price point but better flavor IMHO.

[savory]

Quote:

Originally Posted by flintnational You might want to try drying your own. I saw Alton Brown do this on his cooking show. You can search home dry aged steaks. But, basically I dry the steaks with paper towels and turn them on edge and allow them to dry in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I have dried roasts more than 5 days. I turn the steaks once per day. If they will not stand up on their own, I place toothpicks between the steaks for supports. This is not a true dry aged steak. But true dry aged takes weeks and requires trimming the steaks afterwards. This method replicates some of the qualities of a dry aged steak at a lower cost and less time. The photo is day two of steaks I bought yesterday at Costco.

We do a similar thing but age a prime rib for about 40-45 days in our second fridge. Just put it in the fridge and wait. We have been changing residence so living far from a Costco now. We will need to drive or find an alternative store. My SIL is a wonderful cook. To me, the aging of the meat results in a wonderful, tasty meal.under his cooking approach.

[flintnational]

Quote:

Originally Posted by davef We do a similar thing but age a prime rib for about 40-45 days in our second fridge. Just put it in the fridge and wait. We have been changing residence so living far from a Costco now. We will need to drive or find an alternative store. My SIL is a wonderful cook. To me, the aging of the meat results in a wonderful, tasty meal.under his cooking approach.

Thanks. I will try this. I have aged prime rib but not nearly that long. Do you need to trim the roast after aging for 40-45 days? They are opening a new Costco this summer that will be about 2 miles from the house.

[savory]

Quote:

Originally Posted by flintnational Thanks. I will try this. I have aged prime rib but not nearly that long. Do you need to trim the roast after aging for 40-45 days? They are opening a new Costco this summer that will be about 2 miles from the house.

Yes, the ends are very dry and they need to be trimmed. Tt drives up the cost per pound. More expensive than the original purchase but cheaper than a restaurant. Keeping the temp in the fridge as consistent as possible does seem to help. At least that may have been one thing that has caused some variation in our age beef.

[Midpack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by davef Yes, the ends are very dry and they need to be trimmed. Tt drives up the cost per pound. More expensive than the original purchase but cheaper than a restaurant. Keeping the temp in the fridge as consistent as possible does seem to help. At least that may have been one thing that has caused some variation in our age beef.

The meat actually loses (water) weight through dry-aging anyway. And it has to be trimmed too, additional weight loss, the total is substantial and part of the reason dry-aged steaks are much more expensive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Men's Health Water weight drops about 10% in the first 21 days, 15% total at 30 days, 23% at 50 days, and 35% at 120 days. So now you’re at 30 days, which is the most commonly asked for. At that point, you start to pick up dry-aged flavor. [Maybe that's why I didn't pick up much difference at Capital Grille, theirs are only aged 14-21 days...] You have to “face,” meaning you have to take a slice off the front and back, because you have to remove all that outer crust in order for the USDA to allow you to sell it. You can’t sell it with that black mold on it.”

https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition...eef-explained/

[savory]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack The meat actually loses (water) weight through dry-aging anyway. And it has to be trimmed too, additional weight loss, the total is substantial and part of the reason dry-aged steaks are much more expensive. https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition...eef-explained/

Yep, it is controlling the moisture loss. the 40-45 day mark seems to have worked well for us.

[YVRRocketSurgery]

Nick Solares who does the Meat Show on Eater's Youtube channel has some pretty far out segments where he visits some chefs that experiment with some extreme dry aging. Think 400+ days. The beef's flavour seems to evolve, it gaining a blue cheese flavour. Wacky stuff.

Here's

one video

.

[NYEXPAT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by flintnational Strange...... Seems to improve steaks in Atlanta.

Gotta luv Atlanta!

Anyone living outside Atlanta should read this:
https://www.seriouseats.com/2013/03/...f-at-home.html