First Attempt.

[steven myers]

Greetings to all.
Well, I guess it is time for me to try this out. I have been eating store bought aged beef for years, but was always concerned about the possibility of a huge loss of beef, which I consider to be culinary blasphemy, so I never attempted to learn.
Now, having lurked here several days, I have a new found optimism about these dry bags. My Boss and I are kindred in that we both love to grill, and I personally have some talent in the kitchen, so he asked me to investigate and determine if we should try to age a whole ribeye. I have ordered the appropriate bags, which I think are 16 X 28, and he is charged with finding the meat. Difficulty is, he opted for a Choice Boneless 17 lb ribeye, where I would have preferred a Bone In 20# cut. I do not guess that is much of a problem. We will “Steak Out” the whole thing, but I sure would have loved a few “Cowboys”. Maybe next time.
We are using a dedicated fridge, in the Boss’s basement. He keeps a 12 pack or two in the bottom. Wire racks and set to keep 36 degrees. I have a Food Saver 2222 I have used for years. Hope that’ll work.
We planned to age this for 35-45 days. He doesn’t like it too strong, if there is such a thing. :whistle: Do you age boneless ribeyes shorter term, or does it matter? We’ll try to take pics so I can post ’em here in case I run into difficulty.
Thanx in advance.

[Ron Pratt]

Welcome aboard, Tiny1. Personally I think the boneless rib eye was the best choice for your first attempt. While a bone it is certainly doable the presence of the bone creates more concern in protecting the bag during sealing and storing – BUT it can be done. I personally am a big fan of 45 days for a ribeye since it is a dense, thicker sub-primal. The only concern I might have is about the bosses’ beer frig! Is he sure it is fully operational and circulates the air and removes moisture? A dormitory size or even a small under the counter frig cools things, but are not at all suitable for this dry aging. Good luck and keep us posted…and we love pictures! Ron

[steven myers]

Ron, thanx for your prompt response.
Well, I was prepared with parchment paper to address the puncture issue, but no matter. If I were looking to smoke a rib roast, I’d want the bone, but for a few steaks, it will be fine. Still, like those “Cowboys”.
The fridge is a full size 19 cubic footer. He USES it for beer, but it seems ideal for this effort. It has wire racks so the air should circulate fine. Humidity may be a factor, but I have no way to test it, presently, and as soon as my bags arrive, in the fridge it will go. We have tested the temp for a few days and it is always in the 34-38 degree zone. Will I need a fan, or a desiccant of some sort?

[Ron Pratt]

No fan needed if it is a normal refrigerator which cycles thus circulating air. In that process it is drawing off moisture that the aging meat will be giving up via the UMAi Dry® bag. Short of testing it with a humidistat I don’t know how to check otherwise. Would suggest you check on it after say the first 7 days to make sure that the meat surface has started to darken and that there is no evidence of moisture inside the bag. Ron

[steven myers]

Terrific, Ron. Thank you for all your help.
Hey, one more question and I’ll leave you alone, I promise.
How long does it usually take for the bags to arrive? Payment was made on Monday, and I am a bit anxious to get started. I am sure you understand.

[Ron Pratt]

Thank you. I’ll kick your question upstairs as that’s another department – but I know they have a well oiled order fulfillment and shipping department! Ron

[Jim]

If you ordered Monday afternoon then your order would be filled on Wednesday. If you are in the USA, priority mail will take 2-3 days to reach you. Typically you will receive your package Friday or Saturday.
Hope this helps.

[steven myers]

quote Jim” post=6842:

If you ordered Monday afternoon then your order would be filled on Wednesday. If you are in the USA, priority mail will take 2-3 days to reach you. Typically you will receive your package Friday or Saturday.
Hope this helps.

Jim, you are spot on. Well done. I received my bags last night, so I’ll be bagging up and posting my pics soon.
And, as an aside, I think I may have found a local farm to supply my meat. All grass fed Angus beef. It’s called the Mills Family Farm, in Mooresville, NC. The way I understand it, they ship anywhere in the US. Only about an hour from me.

[steven myers]

OK, it’s in the bag. The Boss took pics, but hasn’t sent ’em to me yet. Just as soon as he does, I’ll post ’em.

It went pretty well. I got a pretty good seal on the first attempt, but decided to try it a second time. Good and tight the second time.
Ron, you are a real asset to this site, and I hope this company treats you real good. If they don’t, they’re pretty foolish.

[Ron Pratt]

quote Tiny1″ post=6845:

Ron, you are a real asset to this site, and I hope this company treats you real good. If they don’t, they’re pretty foolish.

LOL – TRUST me – They treat me just FINE!!!

Keep us posted on your first venture here – have you two decided on the time frame? BTW bagging it was the easy part…being patient waiting for the time to go by is the hard part!

What has worked for many of us here is to start building up an inventory of dry aged steaks over a period of time. After aging then freeze your steaked out cuts in Food Saver bags. Not bragging, but right now I have a nice stash of frozen dry aged New York Strips, Rib Eyes and Sirloin to choose from.

Ron

[steven myers]

quote RRP” post=6846:

quote Tiny1″ post=6845:

Ron, you are a real asset to this site, and I hope this company treats you real good. If they don’t, they’re pretty foolish.

LOL – TRUST me – They treat me just FINE!!!

Keep us posted on your first venture here – have you two decided on the time frame? BTW bagging it was the easy part…being patient waiting for the time to go by is the hard part!

What has worked for many of us here is to start building up an inventory of dry aged steaks over a period of time. After aging then freeze your steaked out cuts in Food Saver bags. Not bragging, but right now I have a nice stash of frozen dry aged New York Strips, Rib Eyes and Sirloin to choose from.

Ron

Well, Ron, I am glad you get your due.
We are bound to “harvest” .for the fourth of July. Looks like only 28 days for this first venture. I hope it will be enough.
Yep, I plan to acquire a strip loin and a sirloin soon.
I have the Patience of Job, Ron. I have plenty of freezer space, I plan to fill. You see, I am on a low carb diet, so good meat is essential. Future cuts will go longer.
I appreciate your input. I value your opinion and advice. Thanx so much.

[steven myers]

Well, I hope I did OK. Looks a little looser than I originally thought.

I am a bit nervous about this. Ron?

[Ron Pratt]

You did fine – That meat sealing job looks good! I hope you don’t mind my editing your post so the pictures would show up. In the future copy and paste the link that is labeled IMG. Ron

[steven myers]

quote RRP” post=6854:

You did fine – That meat sealing job looks good! I hope you don’t mind my editing your post so the pictures would show up. In the future copy and paste the link that is labeled IMG. Ron

Not at all, Ron. Thank you.
I am not tech saavy, sorry. I don’t even own a cell phone, though I pay the bill on two. That said, I will remember the IMG thing. I appreciate your help. More pics in the coming, within the week.

[steven myers]

Well, its been six days. Looks like I may be looking at success.

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