Dry Brine a 40 day aged ribeye

[BethV]

I dry aged a 20 pound prime ribeye roast 40 days. I cut it into 1.5" steaks tonight (Thursday) and plan to sous vide the steaks with a reverse sear on Saturday night. I sprinkled them with kosher salt (not over sprinkled) and set them on a rack to dry brine in the fridge. Then I realized I did this like a day early. My steaks will be dry brining for 48 hours.

My question, is that too long? I checked on them about an hour later thinking I could brush off the salt and start tomorrow, but the salt already absorbed into the meat (it looked wet). Too late. I don't plan on adding additional salt when them hit the sous vide.

Will my beautiful dry aged ribeyes be okay for 48 hours dry brining? I have eight of them for a party Saturday night.

Thanks for any advice.

[Jerod Broussard]

You Are Fine.

[barelfly]

I’ve dry aged a number of roasts over the years and go from dry age to vac seal and freeze. From there it’s usually the sous vide method straight from freezer. I think I’ve thawed and then dry brined once or twice, but it’s for a night. The one time I didn’t freeze, I did dry brine but only over night.

That said, when I dry brine other meat I’ll let it dry out a few nights in the fridge with the dry brine. You should be fine with the 48 hour dry brine.

Others will chime in and provide some thought. I know Troutman does a number of dry age roasts as well.

Have fun with your party! I know when I had a dinner party and served 44-day dry aged ribeyes, it was a feast and a memorable party! So enjoy!!!!

[bbqLuv]

hello for NW Oregon

[RichieB]

I think you received solid advise. Now let's discuss being a member to our community since May 2020 and this is your first post? Please contribute more as it's obvious you have knowledge and skill. I would like to learn from you.
To be blunt, woman are on the forefront of what has been a man thing. There are female members who out shine many including me in their cooks. Please step up and share the results of your cooks.
I guess a Welcome from Western Massachusetts is in order.

[RonB]

Welcome to the posting side of The Pit.

[TripleB]

Hey neighbor! Over here in La Crescenta. As stated above, you'll be fine. Welcome to the Pit.

[Panhead John]

Hi Beth V and welcome to The Pit. I’ve got just the man who can answer that for you…hey Troutman

[BethV]

I think you received solid advise. Now let's discuss being a member to our community since May 2020 and this is your first post? Please contribute more as it's obvious you have knowledge and skill. I would like to learn from you.
To be blunt, woman are on the forefront of what has been a man thing. There are female members who out shine many including me in their cooks. Please step up and share the results of your cooks.
I guess a Welcome from Western Massachusetts is in order.

Hello! I am a chef and I also own a couple of smokers. I'm really active on my smoke forums. Not sure why I haven't been on this one. I have to be more active.

[BethV]

Thank you all for the welcome and also the advice. Much appreciated.

[Rob whatever]

I dry brine all my steaks for 48 hours - better result than 24.

rob

[Waiting for the Worms]

Welcome!
How long they sit in the fridge won't change the ratio of salt to meat. All it will do is give more time for the meat to salt ratio reach equilibrium through the entire steak.
I'd love to see some before and after pictures of these steaks. My mouth is watering just thinking about a nice inch and a half, 45 day dry aged steak.

[Troutman]

Welcome Chef Beth!! We love having pros in our midst. Look forward to your tips and techniques marrying conventional cuisine with smoking and grilling food.

As to brining, I’ve done 48 hours fairly often. As long as the protein stays refrigerated, the salt will have a better chance to penetrate to equilibrium. It also gives you a degree of protection. I also encourage leaving it uncovered to promote a dry surface for better searing.

The only reluctance I have beyond the brining is the 40 day dry aging. I typically prefer 28 days, my sweet spot. I’ve found steaks at 40 days or longer tend to loose too much moisture and result in a dense texture. But that’s my preference.

I love dry aging, got a rib primal due to be cut up at the end of the month. Experiment with brining, I personally think salt is probably the most important flavor enhancer on the planet!!

Again welcome, look forward to your contributions!!!

[BethV]

Welcome Chef Beth!! We love having pros in our midst. Look forward to your tips and techniques marrying conventional cuisine with smoking and grilling food.

As to brining, I’ve done 48 hours fairly often. As long as the protein stays refrigerated, the salt will have a better chance to penetrate to equilibrium. It also gives you a degree of protection. I also encourage leaving it uncovered to promote a dry surface for better searing.

The only reluctance I have beyond the brining is the 40 day dry aging. I typically prefer 28 days, my sweet spot. I’ve found steaks at 40 days or longer tend to loose too much moisture and result in a dense texture. But that’s my preference.

I love dry aging, got a rib primal due to be cut up at the end of the month. Experiment with brining, I personally think salt is probably the most important flavor enhancer on the planet!!

Again welcome, look forward to your contributions!!!

Troutman thanks for your comments. I've aged quite a few large rib primals and I usually go about 46 days. I think I'm going to try the 28 day aging next go around. I agree, there is quite a dense texture at 40 plus days.

I wouldn't normally worry about the dry brining for 48 hours but I've never done that with an aged piece of meat. I appreciate the advice.

I did render some of the aged fat and after I sous vide the steaks I plan on searing them in the tallow.

You've been mentioned several times and comments. I'm anxious to follow you. Always lots to learn!

[BethV]

Thanks for all of your advice on the steaks. Like many of you said, 48 hours dry brining after 40 days of aging was just fine. Definitely looked a bit different than they do when I trim them up after dry aging. They had a much firmer exterior.

I used my cooler as the container for my sous vide which really worked well. I cooked the steaks to 110F and seared all 8 steaks in two large cast iron pans using tallow that I rendered from the pellicle. I was a very happy with the crust on the steaks.

One thing that I did notice that was different is that I don't normally dry brine after I dry age steaks. When I sous vide them there is always some liquid in the bag. With these steaks there was literally no liquid in the bag. It didn't have any effect on the steaks that I could tell. The crust was really nice and the steaks were very tender and beefy.

[das85]

That is just spectacular. Love how you decided to complement 40day dry aged ribeyes with lobster mac and shrimp appetizer...I think you'll find over-the-top is well appreciated here.

I associate both dry aging and multi day brining with reduced moisture loss during cooking...although in the case of dry aging, I don't know whether the aging helps with retention or the moisture is already gone after aging.

Anyway excited to see more of your cooks!

[Donw]

I want a reservation at your establishment! Great looking cook.

[Sweaty Paul]

Gorgeous! Worse, now I’m even more hungry than I was a second ago!