Search Results for 'wet aging before dry aging'

[Ron Pratt]

As long as it stays cold and sealed in the cryovac you’ll be fine – in fact while it is sealed in there it is actually being wet aged. The sell date normally stamped on the bag at most places in the USA is just a guideline that the meat will continue to appeal to the mass public before it starts to lose it’s bloom. I even know some people who only buy the packages that are beyond expiration in order to save some money – plus to them the wet aging enhances the meat somewhat before then transferring from the cryovac bag to the DrybagSteak product.

[Scott Mark]

Er, THAT birthday was over six years ago!

I’ve got lots of pictures, that need to be resized and uploaded,etc. before I can use them.

We had 22 diners, four did not eat beef. We didn’t get 18 ballots, but we got at least a dozen, and all but three preferred sirloin to ribeye. Considering the economics of the thing, I know which way I’m going to go.

There’s one thing about sirloin that continues to make me nervous. At this point, I’ve dry-aged four top sirloins. The first came out great. The second one was horribly scented, weeping liquid, spoiled, and I pitched the whole thing. The third one was processed Thursday three days ago and came out great.

The one I processed Saturday morning — I don’t know. This one I had separated the rump cover from the rest of the top sirloin, and drybagged them separately. The rump cover was fine, but there was a noticeable wet spot in the main part of the top sirloin, as if the meat was weeping in that spot. I smelled it (fine) wiped it dry, and smelled it again (still fine. Beefy. Nothing else this time).

I kept it, probably cooked some of it yesterday, but it makes me nervous that top sirloin has had this weeping problem two times of four. I’m going to be doing MORE top sirloin, and I’ll let you know what I learn.

The party itself was a raging success. Steak, mushroom and bernaise sauces, beets, zucchini and squash and tomato “salad”, homemade bread, baked potatoes, a couple other things… Everybody seemed to have a good time.

[Ron Pratt]

Allen,

Just a few pointers or suggestions might help you in the future. Permit me to go backwards before I go forward -OK?

Very few of us have access to freshly processed beef sub-primals so we have to settle for ones which have been sealed in cryovac packaging and most likely have even been flash frozen! The juices in there are natural and actually start a wet aging process. It’s pretty safe to assume that meat was packaged under acceptable USDA food safety conditions.

Now – let’s move forward – I actually wash the cryovac with not hot, but really warm water and dry it off before ever slitting open the bag. Reason? I wonder how many people sorted through, handled or whatever that meat before I brought it home! Anyway I then slit the bag open and let it drain into the sink for about 20 to 30 minutes. I’m really reluctant to try to dry off the meat as there MIGHT be bacteria in the paper towel material, nor do I rinse the meat under the facet for the same reason! By that time I will have rolled back my bag top like a sock. I then grab the meat and pull it tight into the bottom of the bag and then roll up the bag assuring a clean, dry surface. If you slant your meat slightly then if there is actually any heavy liquid it will run to the bottom of the bag completely opposite from your sealer. Insert the vac mouse and seal away. Even if you get some liquid like you did in the first seal it really should have been hot enough to have sealed anyway, but with your 2nd safety seal you should be fine.

I hope I haven’t bored you nor scared you – trust me, I’m not a germaphobe! LOL – in fact when I think back I took very few precautions with my first sub-primals, used cloth towels to dry and bare hands to hold the meat – but you know what? We never had a problem so take what I have said tonight however you want to, but I hope I may have helped a little!

Ron

[Theron Malone]

RRP wrote:

quote :

Welcome aboard, Theron! Thanks for your report. That will be on nice chunk of cow – how long do you intend to age it and will this be your first attempt at aging a brisket? I’ll sure be curious as I wonder how much meat may be lost after trimming. Ron

I guess I’m going to go for 21 days. And yes this is my first attempt at dry aging a brisket or any other meat. I did try to wet age one once but I got scared after the first week and never tried it again. I do think this will work and I expect to lose at least 1.5 – 2 lbs. I’ll be sure to update the weight before I trim it also.

[Anonymous]

Kwood wrote:

quote :

Regarding the fridge, It’s brand new, update my existing one for this purpose of dry ageing. It’s frost free, in the garage, and I’ll fill it with more beer.

Exactly what I did. Well, almost. I had a dedicated beer fridge in the garage that I pressed into sevice as a dry aging fridge. I didn’t really make any changes. Temp is 35 degrees on the bottom shelf where I age meat. I didn’t alter air flow. I try to keep the beer away a little distance from the meat. I get beer out often enough 🙂 to stir up the air, I guess. It must work because I get great results.

toasty wrote:

quote :

Clam Digger wrote:

quote :

Drain the juice but you want to leave the thick blood

Further: drain the juice into a glass. Leave the thick blood for getting a good drybag bond. Then add vodka, Boody Mary mix, and a dash or two of hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce to the glass. And ice. Reflect on the goodness of life.

:blink: I am so glad I read this before bagging my new top sirloin. I am so definitely going to do this tomorrow. Thanks toasty! Cheers. :cheer:

[John]

Thank you for the warm welcome!

I was wrong before, the sell-by date on the package is 11-28-201, so really only 4 days since the sell by date. I think I’m going to give it a shot! Wish me luck!

[Frank]

Actually Ron here is the real recipe if you want it.

1 Tbsp Morton Tender Quick (or Basic Dry Cure) per pound
1/2 Tbsp dark brown sugar, packed per pound
1/2 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper per pound
1 tsp granulated garlic powder per pound
1 tsp ground coriander per pound

Directions:

Trim surface fat of an untrimmed brisket flat to 1/8”, this is important so that the cure fully penetrates the meat; yet it leaves enough fat to keep the meat moist. If you do a whole brisket or thicker cut of meat, you will need to prepare a wet cure and inject the meat.
In a small bowl, mix Morton Tender Quick, sugar and remaining ingredients. Mix all ingredients well, making sure to break up any lumps of sugar, no matter how small. I found that the bare hands work best. Rub mixture into all sides of brisket, and work it in welIn a small bowl, mix Morton Tender Quick, sugar and remaining ingredients. Mix all ingredients well, making sure to break up any lumps of sugar, no matter how small. I foundl (do not shake off any excess that is on the meat). I prepared a 5 ½ pound half flat (point end), used about ¾ of the mix, and the meat was fully cured.
Next place brisket into a two gallon Ziploc bag; expel as much air as possible, and make sure the seal is secure. Refrigerate and allow to cure 4 days, turning the brisket over every 12 hours, or at least daily. After 4 days of curing, remove the brisket from the bag, and thoroughly rinse under cold running water. After rinsing, place the meat in a container and cover with cold water. Let the meat soak for 30 minutes, change the water, and let soak for another 30 minutes. This helps reduce the saltiness from the meat. Pat dry with paper towels and apply rub.
If your brisket weighs 7 pounds or more, or if it is under 7 pound but unusually thick; you will need to add an extra day to the curing time.

Dry Rub Ingredients:
3 TBS. coriander seeds (4 TBS. if you don’t have white peppercorns).
2 TBS. black peppercorns
2 TBS. yellow mustard seeds
1 TBS. white peppercorns
2 TBS. of granulated garlic
Makes enough cure for one brisket flat.

Directions:
Combine the first four ingredients, and coarsely grind in a spice grinder or coffee grinder. Pour ground mixture into a bowl, add the granulated garlic and remix. Apply the dry rub to the brisket generously, working the rub into the meat by pressing it in with the palms of your hands. Air dry in the refrigerator for 4 to 8 hours before before placing it in the smoker.
Remove brisket from the refrigerator and place it on a tray, fat side down, and place in a pre-heated Bradley Smoker, at 220 degrees F. Apply 3 hours of smoke. I used 2 hours of pecan, and finished with 1 hour of apple. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 160 – 165 degrees F. You can also use a smoking temperature of 250 degrees F.
When the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 160 – 165 degrees F, take it out of the smoker. Wrap the brisket in one layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Wrap it in a towel, and place it fat-side up in a cooler or microwave oven for two hours (if just going into the microwave you don’t need the towel). Remove brisket from the cooler (or microwave) and remove the foil and save. Wrap brisket in plastic wrap, and then wrap it in the foil you just saved. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 day, two is better. When ready to eat thin slice the pastrami across the grain for a tenderer slice. You can either eat it cold or warm it up.

What i gave you earlier was the basic cure recipe (substitue for morton quick)

I’M a Bradley Smoker addict. I’m thinking of 11 days of dry aging prior making the recipe. Hope it will turn out good. At least good enough to rentabilise my drybag purchase.

Frank

[Anonymous]

I have aged both prime and choice Black Angus ribeyes. I have both aging right now. A prime ribeye that went into the dry bag on 9/16/10 and another prime on 2/2/11. I also have two choice rib eye that went into the dry bag on 10/29/10 and 1/10/11. All the meat was wet aged from three to eight weeks before they were put into the dry bag.

The longer the aging the greater the water loss.

Taste seems to be dependent on the cow and then the grade.

The longer the beef is aged the better it is.

Sear and cook over very high heat till rare or medium rare. The longer the meat is aged the faster it cooks.

I prefer prime over choice on short term aging (under 60 days). Long term aging brings the two closer together. I prefer 90 plus aging except for prime filet tenderlion where 30 plus gives a very nice untrimmed steak.

Richard

[Anonymous]

A tip – I’ve found that if you don’t have the material that is under the sealing bar 100% clean, dry, and FLAT, getting a good seal is almost impossible. When I say FLAT, I mean no creases AT ALL. Not sure if this is the problem you’re having, but it got me several times before I figured it out. Now that I’ve got the process down, I have no problems getting a good vacuum and seal (and I actually prefer to do it without any additional implement such as straw, paper clip, etc…..).

Also, you can play with turning the heat down on the sealer. You want the heat to be just barely enough to get the job done. If you burn through the bag anywhere, even if its just a little pinhole, you’ll lose vacuum like you’re seeing. “Double sealing” won’t help in this instance. Like RRP, I’ve got mine set to “4” and let it beep about 4 times before letting go. Also, its VERY important to push down evenly with both hands at either end…not one hand in the middle.

Finally, in my limited experience, I’ve found that its extreemly important for the meat to be wet when putting it in the bag. Otherwise, good ashesion isn’t achieved. I’m not sure how to re-wet the surface of a piece once you’ve already bagged it…maybe someone else can chime in here.

Don’t give up just quite yet…once you figure out all the little tricks it becomes very easy and repeatable. Hopefully these little hints will help you out..

Also, FYI, there are people that have reported the vacuum as unnecessary…they say just tie the bag off with a twist tie and call it good. The first brisket I did had a bunch of pretty good air pockets develop, and it turned out just fine. The top sirloin I’ve got aging now has air pockets as well, and they look alot like the brisket did so I’m confident it’ll be fine too.

[Anonymous]

Aegwyn11 wrote:

quote :

SmokieOkie, welcome to the forum! If you haven’t already, I hope you take the plunge into home dry aging…its a lot of fun.

I have been wet and dry aging beef for well over 25 years. Dry aging is very tricky w/o a walk in cooler. I prefer wet aging to dry aging for competition BBQ briskets, but prefer dry aging for grilling cuts. This is what has stirred my interest in the dry aging bags.

Just need to set the record straight here on several items as SmokyOkie has made several inaccurate statements. I don’t proclaim to be an expert, but I’ve come across a great deal of information during my research that I can share.

I am very well versed in Wagyu beef. I have consumed thousands of dollars worth of Wagyu beef, everything from briskets to steaks to burgers. I have been in touch with every commercial producer of Wagyu beef in the UNited states at one time or another.

If you would like to engage in a debate, I am more than willing to do so, but I don’t know as I think that you would be one to call my statements inaccurate or to “set the record straight”.

I am simply sharing my experience.

SmokyOkie wrote:

quote :

Grass fed beef is just a marketing gimmick. Fat is what makes a good steak, and they don;t spend all the $ grain feeding beef at feed lots just to increase weight, they do it for quality flavor.

Grass fed beef is the cheaper alternative. Feed lots charge a pretty good $ to prepare cattle for market.

Grass fed beef is usually more expensive for a myriad of different reasons. One of the primary reasons is the amount of time and space required for grass fed cattle when compared to grain fed. Reference:

http://beefissuesquarterly.com/thegrassisalwaysgreenerorisit.aspx

Some people like grass fed better and some grain fed better. Its a totally different taste. Personally I like grass fed better than corn fed (grocery store stuff is typically heavily corn fed). But I also like the Waygu samples I got better than grass fed.

What you are not taking into consideration is that all beef is grass fed before being sent to the feedlot to finish it. Grain feeding is an extras step. I am very familiar with cattle ranching. If you think the Wagyu beef is expensive, you really wouldn’t want to pay what it would cost if the beef was raised grain fed.

In the 70s due to Nixon’s price controls, ranchers slaughtered their herds on a wholesale level w/o sending them to the feed lost.
They called it baby beef. It was young beef, but not veal, and it was 100% grass fed. They did so because the could not justify the cost of finishing the beef at the feed lot given the low price they were allowed to command.

Grass is next to free. Corn is fairly expensive.
I stand by my original statement that it is a marketing hype, and see nothing in your source that disputes that.

SmokyOkie wrote:

quote :

As to Wagyu, there is only one ranch in the US that produces purebred Wagyu beef.

I could easily be wrong on this one, but I’m pretty sure this is inaccurate as well. If you look in the classified section of the American Wagyu Association, you’ll see lots of different ranches selling full bloded Wagyu. Reference:

http://www.wagyu.org/wagyuads.htm

Please allow me to emend my statement. There is really only one ranch that produces any considerable quantity of full blood Wagyu for the consumer market. Of course there are ranches that deal in full blood Wagyu. If there weren’t there would be no cross breeds. Perhaps that has changed since I last checked about 9 months ago.

SmokyOkie wrote:

quote :

It really isn’t as good as the Wagyu/Hereford or Wagyu/Angus cross beef for grilling. It is probably better for eating raw like sashimi though.

I have cooked both and eaten both raw.

Not that Wikipedia is a totally trustworthy reference, but I’ve seen this other places…the reasons for crossing Wagyu with more traditional breeds was to meet demand…not for taste. Reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe_beef#.22Kobe-style.22_beef

If you’ve eaten raw beef, more power to you. I’ll stick to cooking it on my
Primo.

Which Primo do you have? I’m looking hard at an oval. Nice cookers

I guess I am speaking from personal experience. I have eaten a lot of Wagyu beef. To me and the others that have dined on it along with me, the fat content of the purebred Wagyu is so high that it is a bit unpleasant when the fat begins to render (rare to medium).

As to eating it raw, I was merely referring to the way that it is typically consumed in Japan. Though I have no problem eating raw whole muscle beef

SmokyOkie wrote:

quote :

Dry aging should improve the flavor and texture of any beef though. the only thing that I would wonder about is through the loss of moisture (a good thing for flavor), one would change the ratio of fat to lean (because you would lose lean weight, but not fat weight), and this might end to being to greasy in some cases.

Which producer’s beef did you settle on and what kind of price did they quote you?

I’m hopeful that dry aging should improve the beef. The guy at the ranch I’ve been talking to has some experience with dry aging this beef and he assured me that it makes it out of this world.

The guys I’m talking to are at Strube Ranch. The ranch is in East Texas (close to where I was born and raised), the feedlot they use is in Sioux City, IA (1 hour away from me now), and their storage is is Omaha, NE (3 hours away). I’m waiting on one more answer and then I’m going to drive down there any pick some up either tomorrow or Saturday.

I’d rather not say the price, as its pretty spendy :blush: Lets just say the strip loin is around 3x as expensive as what I paid for my previous Choice strip loin here at a local meat market.

I am very familiar with The Strubes. they are a good producer. I am, however, aware of another producer whose product I prefer.

[Anonymous]

So I finally got the Wagyu sample steaks…2 NY strip and 2 Rib-eye. I am going to give this beef a shot a dry aging. The sample steaks were just wet aged like any “normal” beef and they were still fantastic. The taste was very very different from what I’ve become accustomed to with beef. Much richer. Reminded me a lot of the dry aged stuff I’ve already done. I wouldn’t say they’re better than my dry aged strips. But they were on par. Wife agreed. We cooked 2 of the strips and 1 of the Rib-eyes…heres a pic I snapped just before grill…only used oil, salt, and pepper.

I’ll get the beef that will be dry aged later this week. I’ll take more pics as I put them in the bag and in the fridge.

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