flavor

[Ben]

Is there a huge difference in flavor if i was to dry age the beef for 14 days as opposed to 28 days?
And also is it worth buying prime, or is it better to age with choice?

[Ron Pratt]

Ben, to be quite blunt – yes there is a big difference between just going for 14 days vs. 28! Same way why many people prefer 45 days over 28 or even 35 days. Simply stated the longer it ages the more moisture is released thus concentrating the beefy taste plus the tenderization that aging causes.

As for starting with prime vs. say choice yes that will just be that much better. OTOH since there is loss due to trimming some people will feel that merely adds to the per pound cost and they stick with choice. BTW I would not use select, but stick with choice. Some butcher shops refer to their better choice as being premium choice. Ron

[Ben]

Thanks for the feedback.

I was looking to start with aging a top sirloin about 12 pounds but I was afraid trimming and slicing would be a bit complicated since there are about three different parts. Any suggestions or videos on cutting up an aged top sirloin?

[Ron Pratt]

I don’t know if you saw the thread I started 3 weeks ago about the sirloin I have aging right now so here’s the link:

http://www.drybagsteak.com/forum/17-dry-aging-with-drybags/2929-bon-voyage-sir-loin

What I want to point out was I trimmed nearly 2 pounds of excessive fat off of that before aging.

As for cutting up an aged sirloin I know of no videos, but what has worked for me is using a very sharp knife I cut it into large steaks of 1.5″ thick and then I trim off the hard outer aged rind. While this method takes longer I personally feel my yield is better – reason is if you try to “shave off” the entire aged exterior you will lose more edible beef due to trying to cut to a uniform depth.

[Ben]

Here’s a link up top i watched on cutting a whole top sirloin. Would you recommend cutting it this way after the 45 days?

[Ron Pratt]

Ben, Thank you for that link – I found that very informative. Obviously that gentlemen is a professional meat cutter and educator so it would appear there were some good hints to follow. BTW I know the piece I am aging is just the butt portion. Ron

[Dr. Frederick Howard]

Ron/Ben,

Another way to find out how to trim a sirloin, or any other cut, is to ask a meat cutter. I talked at length with a meat cutter at Costco when I bought my Rib Eye and Sirloin. It was most informative as he showed me the difference in how they cut a choice sirloin vice a prime sirloin. The top (prime) is taken off whole and then cut into smaller steaks used for fajitas or smaller portioned steaks. The larger piece is then cut into 1# plus steaks. In talking with him, he talked about another customer who dry aged his meats and even went into the back and brought out several cuts for me to review. He thought that these were better for dry aging – closer trim as suggested by Ron above- as opposed to just cutting them up without aging. In any case the more I read this blog and ask questions, the better prepared I am becoming. The tip given by Ron on trimming after cutting into steaks makes a lot of sense to me. Yes it will take longer, but after waiting 45 days, what’s a few additional minutes? I can hardly wait until the 20th of November!

Doc

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