A little guidance

[Blue phillips]

Hello all,
I’m from Alaska and we’d always hung and aged before processing when we bought whole beef or shot moose or caribou, a few years ago I started to age steaks and roasts in just cryovac bags, doesn’t taste as good as hung meat, but tastey non the less. I recently learned of the dry age bags and bought some. I bought an 8 pound usda prime rib roast and put it in the bag with the white sealing saver, aged it for 30 days in my fridge on a wire rack, turning it every 5 or six days and it got a very beautiful crust as does beef when you hang it. I cut steaks off of it this evening and cooked them to slightly medium rare. The taste was very good, but the firmness of the meat was a lot firmer than any meat that I’d aged before and given it being both prime and aged I would have figured it to be tender, it wasn’t tough but not really tender as one would expect when the enzymes break the meat down. So what did I do wrong. Thank you in advance. Blue.

[Ron Pratt]

Welcome aboard! You were comparing your taste memory to that of hung meat aka commando. The UMAi Dry bag has more control than commando and my guess is you needed to go longer than 30 days. Also in the future I’d highly recommend not messing with the meat and turning it every 5 days. First there is no need to and secondly you actually are running the risk of tearing the bag plus disturbing the contact the bag makes with the meat. Ron

[Blue phillips]

quote RRP” post=7697:

Welcome aboard! You were comparing your taste memory to that of hung meat aka commando. The UMAi Dry bag has more control than commando and my guess is you needed to go longer than 30 days. Also in the future I’d highly recommend not messing with the meat and turning it every 5 days. First there is no need to and secondly you actually are running the risk of tearing the bag plus disturbing the contact the bag makes with the meat. Ron

How long and what kind of results can be expected? In just a cryo bag 21 days and it was cut with a fork tender, didn’t have the crust, but was a hair stinky until it breathed for a few minutes. Couldnt find a whole lot of instructions for the dry age bag, but what’s the rule of thumb to make beef cut with a fork tender in them?

[Ron Pratt]

When you leave the meat in sealed cryovac that is called wet aging since the moisture is never dispelled. Let’s don’t be squeamish – that is controlled rotting which explains the stinky smell. That is also what is making the meat tender, but no crust as you call it. Using the UMAi Dry bag the material permits the expulision of the moisture thereby “dry aging”. I personally find 45 days aging to meet my tenderness and taste expectations. I have gone 60 and 62 days, but have not felt the added time gave much better results. Like other things in life you need to find what aging period you like – not what I like. Ron

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