Storing Dry Aged Steaks

[David Lockwood]

This site has been very helpful in my quest for Dry Aged Steak… but I have one questios. The strip loin sub primals I get usually yield between 8-10 steaks (I cut them 3-4 fingers). I understand loss will be about 20-30%so that would be 6-8 steaks… I only use two steaks a week (Saturdays) With the left over steaks how can I best store them without having to freeze them (I hate frozen steaks)? How long will they last?

I used to buy dry aged steaks from Whole Food (dry aged on premise) and they would cut my portion and return the remainder to their dry age refrigerator. They weren’t high volume… @ 27.99 per pound. I did it so often they would sell me a loin @ 6.99 per pound and then cut my portion weekly…. it would take me about 3-4 weeks to run through a loin. Unfortunately I don’t live in that area any longer and there is no one around here that dry ages on premise.

Any ideas or advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Dave

[Ron Pratt]

Dave, Based on the pattern you describe I’m afraid without freezing then you are possibly at risk of losing some steaks. Granted they may continue to age, but there are other issues. I have to ask though – why the aversion to steaks that have been frozen? When sealed in Food Saver bags in a good vacuum the meat is protected and will not become freezer burnt! Honestly I have enjoyed steaks that are over 2 years old! Ron

[David Lockwood]

Ron-

Thanks for the reply… For me it’s a consistency thing… Although slight, I have noticed the texture change when a steak has been frozen. (I seal just about everything…I keep 15-20lbs of Grouper on hand for the off season)

I guess I should have said that I would only cut the two portions off I need. I’d leave the bark on the unused portion. So later I’d only have to cut then de-bark the new portions as well as trim the exposed end.

My only other choice is to dry age smaller portions… but I think the bags might be more expensive than the @6.99 Choice I get that works really well for this. I even get prime @8.99 sometimes

Does that make any sense?

[Ron Pratt]

Ok – let’s take another shot at getting around your aversion to freezing…first I don’t recall seeing how long you aged your meat in the UMAi Dry bag. First – don’t start the process by cutting the bag too short then you should be able to peel it back and lop off a couple steaks and then not reseal the bag, but instead gather the loose bag and close it with a bread twisty. Then back into the refrigerator until next Saturday. Keep repeating until the whole sub-primal has been eaten! The longest I have aged has been 62 days, but hey I sealed them out and froze them. My suggestion might work for you! Ron

[David Lockwood]

That’s what I’m thinking… I just ordered my bags and I’m going to find a small cut to try at first….I’ll post results…

thanks

D

[Ron Pratt]

You’re welcome! BTW – not sure where you live but if you can buy ANY prime beef for $8.99 a pound then I say bully for you! I just wish I could buy anything other than Choice! What I have resorted to is going to my local SAM’S after the weekend when they refill the bins. I stand there and inspect or “read” as I call it – the ends of all the cryovac packages of sub-primmals. I’ve kinda gotten good reading those marbling veins. Ron

[David Lockwood]

Tampa, FL… I’ve been catching them every once in a while at Costco…. My brother grabbed some in Jacksonville and paid $6.99 per… I saw the cuts and they were nicely marbled….

[Ron Pratt]

You said “cuts” – hopefully you are not trying to age individually cut steaks instead of full sub-primals! Ron

[David Lockwood]

No sometimes though they will have a half slab of prime at $6.99 I figure that might be a good start….

[David Lockwood]

Ron-

Just an FYI… I picked up a Top Loin (New York) Prime 13.77lbs @ $6.99 per lb. Costco in Clearwater FL. My bags came Friday… so I’m going to start the process today… Hopefully on March 1st… I’ll be trimming a few nice Dry Aged – Prime Strips….

I’ll keep posting…

Dave

[Bob Zador]

I have kept steaks unfrozen for many week in the fridge without any problem. I vacuum seal them first in my chamber sealer. It draws out more air than the other sealers. I am running a test with cheese. I have sealed some differt types of cheese in this way and have had them in the fridge for over 18 months without any mold forming.

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