Skirt Steak Dry Aged

[corey arzoumanian]

I keep hearing from many sources (including UMAI) that skirt steak is too thinn to dry age.
But my god… look at this, http://www.ekosher.com/dry-aged-skirt-steak-22-99lb-1lb-pack.html
So of couse, I want to experiement with a technique that will allow me to do this. I even contacted DR. BEEF
Dr. Gregg Rentfrow, Ph.D.
Associate Extension Professor – Meat Science
Department of Animal and Food Science
University of Kentucky
“right here you cut off the diaphragm @5:24
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PBGvoEFE74&t=325 (if that link works you will see he had dryaged a diaphragm) So I am now on a mission to dryage an outside unpeeled skirt using UMAI I will post my progress and attempts.
Presently I am purchasing these from a COSTCO Business Center (4 to a vac-pack). I want to try 2 per bag (I think the long tenderloin bags) Basically I want to be able to easily remove that membrane just as easily as the Dr. does.

[Jim]

cor,

Welcome to the forum. That is a great video! Its great when a guy knows both how to explain (teach) and understands how to fabricate the beef cuts.
I see why you are asking about dry aging flank steak, however in this video Dr. Rentfrow breaks down a dry aged half carcass and extracts the skirt, rather than dry aging an already fabricated skirt steak. The difference is that the skirt in a dry aged half carcass is protected from excessive dehydration by the rest of the carcass. When you dry age an already fabricated cut, there is nothing protecting it from dehydration resulting in “beef jerky” like “steak” . The fabricated skirt steak is very thin and will dry out in a matter of a couple of says, probably yielding something that you would not call a steak.

[Jim]

Cor,
I just re-read your post and see that you bought an unpeeled skirt, which will be pretty close to the method in this video. I would love to see your results.

[corey arzoumanian]

Thanks Jim. I have watched Greg’s video many, many times and while (and Dr. Rentfrow has confirmed this) that what he is removing at that time is actually the inside skirt (I have purchased and will be testing an outside skirt) I believe that outside skirt is thinker and may more protected than the inside skirt. (meaning a thicker membrane on the outside skirt)

Additionally I thinking of actually putting one (unpeeled skirt) on top of the other. Essentially my idea would be to dry age half of a skirt and the other half would (in theory) wet age, or at least would reduce the dehydration that I would expect to find at around 10 days.

I was even thinking (as far as scientifically testing goes) to put one (unpeeled skirt) in an UMAI next to my experimental double skirt in one bag and dry age both bags at the same time and see what happens to these different processes. (And to perfect the testing process I was considering leaving one out opn its own all together (essentially air drying) to see if the membrane acts as its own natural UMAI.

[corey arzoumanian]

woops I double posted

[corey arzoumanian]

OK now I don’t speak German, so I had to have my friend who do explain to me what I was watching (but it confirmed what I thought it was) but these crazy Germans did exactly what I was dreaming up (and they did it better of course).

They coated beef for aging in BEEF TALLOW (that’s rendered beef fat to the people like me who don’t know what that means) but check this out. (I posted these out of order) as they are just simply unbelievable.

First videos show what the tallow is like after it dryaged. (You want to look starting at about 46 seconds) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_5ihlSkrDI&t=46

The second shows how you do it.(You want to look starting at about 43 seconds) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obxZZJ5mSNY&t=41

So I plan to perform this process on skirt steaks, and then insert them into the UMAI bags. (I also plan to try this process with meats that have less fat) But enjoy these images (and the naration if you can understand german. And after I can get a hold of enought rendered fat (which I just bought a full brisket) I will post my adventures.

[Author]

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