The food lab better home cooking through science ( PDFDrive ) 356
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after more than a bite or two. It is rare that you will find
anyrestaurantservingasteakthisaged.
OK,JUSTGIVEMETHETL/DR
VERSION.HOWDOIAGEMY
STEAK?
• Step1 : Buy a prime rib. Make sure that it is
bone-in, preferably with the chine bone still
attached, and the complete fat cap intact. If you
are buying from a butcher shop, ask them not to
trimitatall.Adecentbutcherwillnotchargeyou
full price then, since they are making money by
sellingyouthatextrafatandbone.
• Step2 : Place the meat on a rack in a fridge,
preferablyadedicatedmini-fridgeinwhichyou’ve
stuck a desk fan or small cabinet fan set to low
(with a small notch cut in the door seal for the
cord). Set the temperature to between 36° and
40°F.
•Step3 :Wait.Waitforanywherebetween4and
8weeks,turningthemeatoccasionallytopromote
evenaging.It’llstarttosmell.Thisisnormal.
• Step4 : Trim. For a step-by-step guide to the
process, see "Knife Skills:TrimmingAged Beef,"
here.
•Step5 :Cook.
•Step6 :???
•Step7 :Profit.
Q:Whataboutwet-aging?Whatisit,anddoesitwork?
Wet-agingissimple:putyourbeefinaCryovacbagandlet
it sit on the refrigerator shelf (or, more likely, on a
refrigeratedtruckasitgetsshippedacrossthecountry)fora
fewweeks.Thentellyourcustomersthatit’saged,sellitat
apremium.
The problem is that wet-aging is nothing like dry-aging.
Forstarters,thereisnooxidationoffatinwet-aging,which
means that there is no development of funky flavors. A
minimal amount of flavor change will occur through
enzymatic reactions, but these are, well, minimal.
Additionally, wet-aging prevents the drainage of excess
serumandmeatjuices.Tastersoftendescribewet-agedmeat
astasting“sour”or“serumy.”
Wet aging can result in the same tenderizing and
moisture-retaining benefits as dry aging, but that’s about it.
In reality, wet-aging is a product of laziness and moneygrubbing.It’seasytoletthatCryovackedbagofbeeffrom
thedistributorsitaroundforaweekbeforeopeningthebag
and calling it “aged.” When you are being sold “aged”
meat,besuretoaskwhetherit’sbeendry-agedorwet-aged.
If the butcher doesn’t know the answer or is unwilling to
