I don’t know that there is a trendier term to see on a restaurant menu than “dry aged”. It seems like every respectable restaurant, from swanky steakhouses to burger joints, offers something that has been dry aged. Heck, the trend is even starting to appear in sushi, which would seem like the last place to find dry aging. Eat something that has been dry aged and you will understand why it has become such a hot practice.
What is dry aging?
Dry aging is the natural refinement that happens to a piece of meat over time. The flavor and texture of meat will both change and compound while dry aging through three processes:
- Enzymatic refinement
- Meat has naturally occurring enzymes that while aging, break down its connective tissues, which dramatically increases tenderness. This breakdown also produces glutamate, glucose, and fatty acids, which create a new flavor profile. This is where the nutty, funky, or cheesy flavors come from that dry aging is often associated with. The amount of time you let a piece age will determine how strong each of these effects are. Tenderization starts to level out after about thirty days, and can actually start to be offset by dehydration. Flavor will continually become funkier indefinitely, but most folks think the sweet spot is somewhere between 28 and 60 days. Similarly to cheese, the funkier a piece is, the more of an acquired taste it is, and beginners should start somewhere around the thirty day mark.
- Density
- Over the course of dry aging, meat will lose a good amount of moisture through dehydration. This is why humidity control is important, because while moisture loss can’t be avoided, it can be limited through higher humidity levels. The downside of dehydration is a loss in yield, but it also increases the density of flavor. Moisture loss is accounted for entirely by pure water, which is flavorless. This means that whatever flavor you have in a piece will be compressed into a denser end product, aka more robust, flavorful bites.
- Terroir
- The physical location that a piece of meat is being aged in creates a unique profile, just as a fine wine takes on unique properties from its location. The fungal biome, air, and any other items in the area will bleed over into the meat. The finest dry aged beef comes from rooms that have been in continuous operation for decades. These rooms become unique gardens of fungus, and there is no way to recreate the exact profile present there. However, it is possible to nurture your own terroir by introducing rinds from an established ager, but it is absolutely not necessary, and in my experience, the terroir of dry aged meat accounts for only a small portion of its flavor.
The cool thing about dry aging is meat does it on its own! We don’t introduce any additional ingredients or steps, all we have to do is create an environment that lets meat do its thing. This environment requires four conditions:
- Temperature between 34° F and 38° F
- As opposed to dry curing charcuterie, dry aging does not include any salt. This means that we need to rely on low temperature to keep bacteria at bay.
- Humidity between 75% and 85%
- In your normal refrigerator, you’re going to have a very low humidity level. A low humidity won’t actually stop any dry aging process, but it will dramatically decrease yield, or how much weight you retain after dry aging. If you tried to age in a normal refrigerator, you’d end up with a shriveled piece with nothing left to eat. Maintaining a relatively high humidity level will help counteract this and keep your yield as high as possible.
- Airflow
- Because the dry aging process is biological, stale or uncirculated air will negatively affect them. Constant air circulation is important to ensure the effectiveness of the process.
- Isolation
- If you’ve ever eaten something that tastes like fridge, you already understand how items can induce off-putting flavors. This is why you need a dedicated space to isolate the meat you want to dry age, and you shouldn’t try to age in your normal refrigerator.
What can be dry aged?
It is possible to dry age any meat. I’ve seen venison, ducks, lamb, and even fish, but beef is by far the most popular. In addition to type, it is important to consider the cut of meat. Generally speaking, it is best to age large subprimal cuts, as opposed to smaller single pieces. Over the course of aging, the piece will lose weight through moisture loss, and will need to be trimmed before serving. Large subprimal cuts give you more material to work with after this step. This is less of an issue in shorter aging periods, which are generally used with fish and poultry. You should also look for cuts that have bones or fat to protect them, if possible. These act as barriers to dehydration, so they help to keep yield as high as possible.
Step by step
- Set the CELR-12 up with your cooler and let it stabilize
- Because subprimal cuts are relatively large, make sure to choose a cooler that has enough room for your chosen project.
- After configuring your CELR-12 and setting it to your target temperature, let the cooler stabilize overnight. After stabilizing, ensure your cooler is reaching your desired temperature.
- Source a cut
- The absolute best cut for dry aging is probably a subprimal ribeye. It is large, has great protection with bones on one side and a substantial fat cap on the other, and produces an excellent steak, BUT, it’s expensive. If you can dry age on your own, you have the ability to upgrade cuts that aren’t necessarily as highly regarded as the ribeye. My personal favorite cut is the whole chuck roll because it is relatively inexpensive, but after dry aging, you’d be hard pressed to pick it out versus a premium cut in a blind test.
- No matter what, always talk to your butcher about what you’re thinking and what you’re planning on doing. If you don’t have one already, find a neighborhood butcher and start building a relationship with them, I promise this will pay dividends in the long run.
- Trim any loose pieces
- It is best practice to sort of “cleanup” your piece. This just means trimming any loose pieces and making sure the exterior is relatively smooth. This is something that your butcher will be able to help you with.
- Place on grate
- For the dry aging process to happen safely and effectively, it’s important to ensure that every surface of your piece is exposed to air. You can use a cooling rack to keep the piece off the bottom of your cooler to let air pass underneath.
- Rotate daily, then biweekly
- To help your piece age evenly, both rotate and flip it daily for the first week, then twice a week for the remainder of the aging time.
- Ending the process
- How long to dry age is a matter of taste, but if you’re not already familiar with the funk flavor of dry aged meat, I recommend you pull your piece after no more than thirty days, and progress from there.
- Trimming
- At this point your piece will have a dark, hard rind on all of its exposed surfaces. This is normal, but the rind must be entirely removed.
Serving
Now that you have a trimmed subprimal cut, you can use it for anything you like and it is guaranteed to bring a totally new level of flavor. The most common use is to slice the subprimal cut into steaks, and is definitely the best way to showcase the unique attributes your hard work and patience has produced. When cooking dry aged steaks, keep in mind that they will cook more quickly than normal steaks due to their lower water content. And as for the rind, use it to make soups, sauces, or grind it with normal beef for some outstanding burgers.