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What is Dry Aged Beef ?

What is Dry Aged Beef ?
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What is Dry Aged Beef?

Once upon a time you could go to your corner butcher and buy an aged USDA Prime cut of beef. If you have had a good, aged steak, you know it is more tender and flavorful than what you typically buy in the store. The reason for this is that aging allows natural enzymes to breakdown the hard connective tissue in meats and for water to evaporate away concentrating the flavor.

The old method of aging meat in known as dry aging. Dry aging is done by hanging meat in a controlled, closely watched, refrigerated environment. The temperature needs to stay between 36oF and freezing. Too warm and the meat will spoil, too cold and it will freeze, stopping the aging process. You also need a humidity of about 85% to reduce water loss and to control bacteria and you need a constant flow of air all around the meat, which means it need to be hanging in a ventilated space. The last and most important ingredient in this process is an experienced butcher to keep a close eye on the aging meat.

There are many reasons that butchers don’t typically age meat these days. First of all the cost of aged beef can be very high. Because of the weight loss of aged beef, the price per pound can be pretty outrageous. If you add in the time, storage space, refrigeration, labor that price just keeps moving up. For aging to properly improve the quality of a cut of meat, it should contain substantial marbling. This means that there is fat evenly distributed throughout the meat. Only the USDA Prime Grades have this kind of marbling and make aging worthwhile.

Because of the high price and the space necessary to age meat, dry aging has become very rare. Actually only a few of the finest restaurants buy aged beef. Many in fact, have taken to aging their own beef....Thanks to About. Com.

1 800 Steaks. Com offers USDA Prime Dry Aged Porterhouse Steaks, USDA Prime Dry Aged New York Strip Loin Steaks, USDA Prime Dry Aged Bone-In New York Strip Loin Steaks, USDA Prime Dry Aged Rib Eye Steaks, USDA Prime Dry Aged Bone-In Rib Eye Steaks and USDA Prime Dry Aged Steak Combos to local high end restaurants in Southern California and online customers.