Re:N00b questions from Germany

Bernd,

Welcome aboard!!! Every week it seems like another country is represented here so DrybagSteak is obviously becoming a world wide entity! Congrats to Thea!

As for the questions you asked I’m the guy who started the hot tubbing thread as I firmly believe in that method and I also am a big proponent of light trimming.

Once I have finished aging I discard the Drybag – you’ll know why after you get that far. Then since you will cut the sub-primal into steaks or roasts there’s a good chance you will be freezing them for later use – right? When I begin a hot tub effort I start with a new food safe plastic bag – doesn’t even have to be all that heavy – just not something that will tear either. I also discard that bag when done with it.

Now OTOH if you froze that steak or roast and have thawed it out you certainly can keep it sealed in that bag and hot tub it in it.

As for trimming I always say – why trim off all the dark aged beef back to red meat – why did you bother aging? Granted it’s not for everyone, but I find that the dark rind mellows during the cook and yes it softens in the hot tub process too. My wife doesn’t care for the rind even after cooked, but she knows I love the rich taste so we save it. Tasted when cold the next day it’s like jerky! I would never trim the raw meat and try to cook the trimmings though! It’s just going to be something you should try on your own.

Lastly, about washing and drying before going in the Drgbag – it depends, but I have an aversion of rinsing my raw meat under cold tap water which MAY have contaminents. OTOH the chunk of beef if handled in sanitary ways probably has no more bacteria and it’s probably natural bacteria.

Again Welcome aboard!

Ron