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**lonnie mac** · January 18, 2017, 05:59 PM

Ha funny, I just got my UMAi bags, and put a huge NY strip slab in the fridge last Saturday. First time for me. It's looking GOOD too.

**HorseDoctor** · January 18, 2017, 06:11 PM

OK, what do you want to hear? I have used the UMAi Dry system. I have mostly done boneless ribeyes to produce both roasts and steaks. To me, dry aged meat is an acquired taste. The more I try it, the better I like it. Still nothing wrong with a good fresh piece of meat at all. Sometimes a change of pace in the form of a dry aged steak/roast is a welcome change of pace.The longer a piece is aged, the more it changes the flavor profile. Some appreciate the change and some are put off by it. It's not hard to do. Try it and see if you like it, is the best advice I can offer. Not everyone likes asparagus or oysters either. I do now, but for sure I haven't always...

**Oakgrovebacon** · January 18, 2017, 07:47 PM

I have dry aged beef strip loin and ribeye in a cold refrigerator naked on a wire rack several times. Longest was 28 days, I enjoy the tenderness and flavor very much. Usually cut into 1" steaks, and cook over charcoal. Everyone that I have shared these with loved them. I prefer the roast type cuts more fresh, no more than one week of dry age. If you haven't eaten dry aged beef before I suggest 2-3 weeks for a test run. Enjoy!

**GadjetGriller** · January 18, 2017, 10:31 PM

GDavis Why do you believe that Meathead Doesn't like Dry ageing? I dont have his book so suspect that may be where you got it from. When I first joined (last year) I asked about Dry ageing rigs, Was surprised that most folks on here didn't have an opinion. A couple talked about the Umai bags, which I looked at but my vacuum sealer is an auto one (you stick the bag in a long distance and it finally starts, I figure its Food-saver making you waste a couple inches of bag on both ends so you have to order sooner) So decided against it. then found Golbsalt they had a rig using their salt, but had used some of their salt to cure my own bacon and was not happy with the results so on to the next item. the Steakager it fits in (and takes up most the room) a standard fridge. Has all the bells and whistles I was looking for. But ask what people thought. one other person had a steakager and said he liked it. Well in the comments section Meathead said he had told his research folks to look into dry age rigs and once they had he would publish the results. So he seems to have some interest in it, unless his folks came back and said it hooey!! So was wondering why you thought that.

**GDavis** · January 19, 2017, 05:51 AM

Here is the excerpt from the article about cuts of beef from Meathead. It didn't sound very positive to me.
Dry Aged Beef. Dry aging beef is an expensive process for tenderizing beef and concentrating its flavor. Dry aged beef is noticeably different tasting than fresh beef because the chemistry of the fat changes drastically. Some describe it as earthy, nutty, gamey, leathery, or even mushroomy. Some people are addicted, some just plain don't like it.

Large hunks meat, usually the best cuts such as the rib primal, are held in a sanitary room at 34 to 38°F and 70-80% humidity, with brisk airflow for 30-75 days. Dry aging is sometimes called controlled rotting because the exterior of the muscle gets dark purple and mold sometimes grows on the outside of the meat.

In the picture above we see bone-in rib primals in the aging locker of David Burke's Primehouse in Chicago. They range from, left to right, 7 days, 20 days, 30 days, and 60 days.

During aging natural enzymes break down connective tissue and tenderize the meat while moisture evaporates shrinking the meat up to 20% (fresh beef is about 70% water). The outside crust is trimmed off before they are sliced into steaks and cooked, so another 15% is lost, although some of the trimmings are used in Primehouse's incredible hamburgers. Aged steaks there sell for a bit less than $1 per day.

It is rare to find dry aged beef in grocery stores because most of them buy their meat in vacuum packed plastic bags. Some specialty butchers and high end restaurants offer dry aged beef. Because precise temp and humidity control are crucial, you should not try dry aging at home.

**Huskee** · January 19, 2017, 08:22 AM

He lists his favorite steakhouse as Burke's Primehouse, with their multi-day aged beef being something they're known for....therefore I suspect any reservations he may or may not have are more toward the inherent risks, costs, etc of home dry aging...although there are some companies selling products to make it easier and presumably safer that didn't exist a few years back, and he's mentioned some testing projects are in the works. However, to be sure, I've asked Meathead to comment on his thoughts on the matter for the record. Stay tuned.

**Meathead** · January 19, 2017, 11:26 AM

Gosh, all those years in journalism school and at the Chicago Tribune and Washington Post learning how to report facts without injecting opinion have failed. It looks to me in the article quoted above that I have simply tried to describe the facts and not interjected opinion. I have no idea how you "get the impression that Meathead is not big on dry aged beef".

Here is my opinion of COMMERCIALLY dry aged beef. I have tasted it from 28 to 72 day aged with multiple steps in between. My favorite is 28 day. I like it slightly better than 28 day wet aged. After that the character of the meat begins to change significantly so much that it is almost as if it is from a different animal, as different tasting from normal wet aged steak as is lamb or venison (although it really doesn't resemble them either). I once took Max and my tech team to David Burke's for dinner when they completed a big project. They have a beautiful aging cellar, and we ordered 4 different age steaks and comparison tasted. Once again, 28 day was my fave. I find 35, 42, 50, etc day aged to be fascinating, very interesting, enjoyable, but odd TO MY TASTES. An acquired taste. That said, they sell ground meat made from the aged beef for burgers and it is amazing. They also make the best burgers in town from those trimmings.

Here's my opinion of HOME dry aged beef. I've never tried it but I have read a lot about it from people I respect like Kenji Lopez Alt at SeriousEats. It seems as though the techniques are different enough that the results are different. It seems that aging small cuts doesn't work as well as large primals. There is also the issue of temp and humidity control. I have a spare fridge that I have rigged with humidity control and recording thermometers and a fan and I plan to get some tests going. I have also asked Prof. Blonder to buy Umai and other tools (Kickstarter is loaded with dry aging kits/solutions) and evaluate them. He has started work. It will be months before we have anything to publish.

For the record, taste is a matter of taste. My favorite steaks are corn finished USDA Prime 28 day wet aged ribeyes. I prefer them over Wagyu and even real Japanese Kobe, which are spectacular, but too rich for me to eat in any quantity. Also, if you placed me equal distance between a beef ribeye and a double wide lamb ribeye, I would die of starvation trying to decide which to eat.

**GDavis** · January 20, 2017, 03:31 PM

I have just finished prepping an aged standing rib roast in the Meathead method. The trimming method not the dry aging as far as the MH method. I lost about 40% from aging and trimming (including the bones). MH is correct about the dry aging is expensive. I will be cooking it on my Big Steel Keg, controlling pit temp with a Pitmaster IQ120 and monitoring the meat temp with the IGrill2. I will do a reverse sear on my trusty Weber Performer. I will report back here on the result.