Has anyone dry bag aged a whole shortloin?

[Phil Harvey Jr]

I have often seen whole short loins (T-bone/Porterhouse bone in) being dry aged on racks in restaurants. Can a whole short loin be dry bag aged, and what happens to the tenderloin side that has so little fat cover?

[Ron Pratt]

I wouldn’t see any reason that you could not – the only word of caution would be some protection where the bone comes in contact with the Drybag so that it doesn’t puncture it. As for the lean side that is really no different than the exposed meat of other cuts. You will have to trim or not trim it to suit your taste after the aging process. Good luck can keep us posted!

[Phil Harvey Jr]

Thanks! That was what I thought might work. Will a whole short loin fit in the large subprimal bag? I am also wanting to age a whole bone-in rib.

[Ron Pratt]

Phil – your best best to measure to be sure, but I believe you’ll want to use a Large bag. They measure 16 x 28 and are meant to hold a sub primal of 18 to 24 pounds. BTW welcome aboard! Ron

[Phil Harvey Jr]

I appreciate it, Ron. I just finished aging a whole Certified Hereford strip loin for about 21 days, and it turned out great! I have a whole choice Hereford Rib I bagged up Thursday, after wet aging for about 40 days. I think it will go well for 28 days as it has plenty of fat cover. I’m going to need to order more of the large sub primal bags…. I didn’t roll back the end the first time, couldn’t get a good seal ,and lost a bag. It does take some experimenting…..Phil

[Scott Mark]

Is there a commonly-available supplier for a bone-in short loin?

I get stuff from Sam’s Club usually, and all the subprimals are boneless.

[Phil Harvey Jr]

I get mine from supermarkets that carry Certified Hereford Beef. Any place that sells T-bone steaks gets whole short loins, I would think, including Sam’s. I think virtually any market that sells T-bones or Porterhouse steaks has to cut them from the subprimals. Where are you located?

[Scott Mark]

Ribstone wrote:

quote :

I get mine from supermarkets that carry Certified Hereford Beef. Any place that sells T-bone steaks gets whole short loins, I would think, including Sam’s. I think virtually any market that sells T-bones or Porterhouse steaks has to cut them from the subprimals. Where are you located?

I’m in Wisconsin. I’m a member at Sam’s Club. There is a CostCo about 30 miles away — I’m not a member there.

I was a little turned off by a local Supermarket when buying a sub-primal. I didn’t think that they gave me a fair discount for the amount of trim loss and the labor for sectioning it myself.

As for selling T-bones you raise a good question. I don’t remember if Sam’s sells them or not. You make an excellent point, but I don’t remember seeing any steak at Sam’s that includes a bone. I think it’s tenderloin or NY strip or ribeye, and not a bone to be found in the store.

I’d also at some point like your opinion on Hereford -vs- Angus. I’ve heard plenty of hype about Angus, but don’t know the first thing about Hereford or how the two compare and contrast.

Side note, I’ve got a fridge full of beef, aging with some of the tightest seals I’ve ever had, and I’m very much looking forward to trying these out around Memorial Day.

[Phil Harvey Jr]

Our local Sam’s has T-bones and Porterhouse with the bone. They usually package them 2 to a package, one of each, so you get one with a big filet and another not so big.

I have done a number of taste tests on Hereford vs Angus and find that Herefords have a high, mellow taste reminiscent of the way beef tasted back in the 50’s, 60’s and early 70’s, before the exotics took over, and before almost everything turned black, to get on the Angus bandwagon. I find straight Angus (CAB) to have a somewhat acrid flavor and inconsistent tenderness. Hereford (CHB) almost always has a really pleasing flavor, and is consistently tender. The juiciness of the two is about equal. One difference is that CHB has to be at least 1/2 Hereford, and the other half must be British (Angus, Shorthorn, or Devon), whereas Angus has to be 100% black-hided. There are so many exotic breeds that have turned black to ride the CAB wave, that much of what is supposed to be straight Angus is not. There is a fair amount of both CHB and CAB that is made up of black baldies (Hereford x Angus cross) and that may be the best of all worlds. The Angus cattle tend to marble and grade USDA Choice easier than Hereford, but are somewhat less efficient in the feedlot. Hereford cattle tend to be more efficient on feed conversion, but generally don’t marble as well as Angus. Angus originated in a grain growing region at Aberdeen, Scotland, and thus were cattle that were fed lots of grain to achieve the best palatability. Herefords originated at Herefordshire, England, an area with much less farming and more grazing of untillable land, so Herefords tend to be much more efficient gainers and are extremely well suited for the grass fed industry. They really do well in the feedlot, as well, but trying to feed them too long only puts on more back fat and causes them to be of worse yield grades. Hereford yearling steers can be fed about 120 days and achieve close to the best quality grade they can achieve, whereas the same weight and age of Angus cattle will take 160-180 days to get where they are best. Tests done in the late ’80’s-early 1990’s at Colorado State showed that USDA Select Hereford steers ate as well or better than mine run (various breeds) of USDA Prime steers!

I have to mention, that I do raise Hereford cattle, and have been involved with that breed all my life. Our family has also used Angus bulls on Hereford cows, and I have eaten home-raised steers of both breeds. The CHB program is much smaller and younger than the CAB program. CAB started in 1973, CHB in 1994, so Angus had a 20 year head start. The Hereford program is making great inroads and you can find CHB in lots of supermarkets across the country, but not the national big box stores like Sam’s, Costco, or Albertson’s. They are in stores such as The Fresh Market, Coburn’s, and other independent grocers serviced by the CHB distributors.

Glad to hear about your fridge full! I have a nice whole CHB Rib aging now. It definitely works!

[Scott Mark]

I was at the local Sam’s Club and looked for T-bones, found ’em, and asked the meat clerk for a price on a whole one. He couldn’t find it but suggested that I call back and I could get the info.

That would be something to try, but I’d want to plan ahead for steaking it. Can a knife be used to separate the vertabra, or do I need to have some kind of (clean) saw ready when the loin comes out of the bag?

[Ron Pratt]

good luck cutting the bone with a knife, unless you are Superman in disguise! :laugh:

[Scott Mark]

I’m certainly not Superman in the kitchen. My kids gave me a Superman T-shirt that I’m expected to wear under my dress shirt on certain business visits.

Imagine being on video-Skype with your kids:

How did the meetings go?

They went pretty well.

Did you wear our Superman shirt?

Well, yes, but it was underneath…

Show us! Show us!!!

[Ron Pratt]

Scott,
I don’t have any current catalogues on hand but I know I have seen saws meant for sawing bones manually – and they didn’t cost all that much. If you plan to age many in the future it might be a cheap investment with pay back quite short due to your savings. Just a thought…
Ron

[Scott Mark]

RRP,

I have a hacksaw that’s only for the kitchen, with blades that are used and cleaned only for the kitchen.

I’d plan on sawing only on the path of least resistance — for a bone-in rib that means finding the cartilage between the bones and cutting the cartilage. That can be done with a knife.

I don’t know as much about the T-bones. That contains different bone structures and I’m not sure if I’d be successful with either a knife or a hacksaw, or if I’d need a serious saw to carve the short loin into usable steaks.

Toasty

[Phil Harvey Jr]

I’ve cut up a number of short loins (t-bones) and it does take a good quality, large meat saw, and plenty of effort. It isn’t easy to keep the cuts even and going the way you want. A band saw is way better, but they’re not cheap.

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