Welcome!


This is a membership forum. Guests can view 5 pages for free. To participate, please join.

[ Pitmaster Club Information | Join Now | Login | Contact Us ]

Only 4 free page views remaining.

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

42 Day Beef Aging With Umai Bag

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    42 Day Beef Aging With Umai Bag

    I realize there have been several of these posts on dry aging of late, but I had started this process almost two months ago so I thought I would go ahead and post this. This is a step by step on how to dry age beef using the Umai Bag. Dry aging is the process of allowing meat, in this case beef, to cure out in a controlled temperature and humidity environment. All steaks you eat at a steak house are almost certainly dry aged. Dry aging accomplishes two things; first it draws out excess moisture in the meat giving it a deeper, beefier flavor (what the Japanese refer to as umami) as well as letting the natural enzymes occurring in the meat to begin tenderizing.

    For most of us at home that don't want to go to the expense of having such a controlled environment necessary for aging, a special type of bag has been developed that safely helps achieve a very similar result. The bag itself acts similar to the osmosis process whereby outside bacteria and such cannot enter the bag while moisture is allowed to escape. As a result of this dry aging, the exterior of the meat, or the pellicule, cures to a dry almost jerky like consistency while the meat inside becomes tender, dense and flavorful.

    Here are the instructions that come with the Umai Bag. It's really very easy to do, the only requirement is to have a refrigerator that should be kept relatively close to the safe zone temperature. I do mine in my garage refrigerator and keep it at around 35-36*.

    Click image for larger version

Name:	UMAI Bag Instructions.jpg
Views:	3128
Size:	157.1 KB
ID:	529102

    As you can hopefully see, the first step is to wash the cryovaced bag the meat comes in, cut the end off and insert into the Umai bag and draw out the cryo bag. Unfortunately my roast was a little too wide to accomplish that so I used a very clean pan and a pair of nitrate gloves to handle and insert instead.

    I started with a 13.93# Choice Boneless Ribeye from Costco. Taking choice and turning it into prime is part of the plus of this process. I got it bagged up and sealed with my vacuum sealer.....

    Click image for larger version

Name:	dry age step 1.jpg
Views:	2476
Size:	143.9 KB
ID:	529103
    Click image for larger version

Name:	dry age step 2.jpg
Views:	2450
Size:	77.5 KB
ID:	529104

    Word of caution, these bags are delicate and tear easily. They are not at all like the plastic food saver bags you are used to. At about $10 each, you want to make sure you don't ruin one. Sealing can be a little tricky.

    Once sealed and placed in you frig, it's now the hardest part, waiting for weeks to let it age. I usually just do 30 days but wanted to try 42 days to see if it did an even better job. More about my conclusion later. In the meantime, here are the intervals and how the meat began to look after each week of curing.....

    Week 1

    Click image for larger version

Name:	1 week.jpg
Views:	2484
Size:	102.6 KB
ID:	529106

    Week 3

    Click image for larger version

Name:	3 weeks.jpg
Views:	2346
Size:	157.2 KB
ID:	529105

    Week 4

    Click image for larger version

Name:	4 weeks.jpg
Views:	2397
Size:	91.1 KB
ID:	529107

    Week 5 1/2, really getting funky !!

    Click image for larger version

Name:	5.5 weeks.jpg
Views:	2405
Size:	144.0 KB
ID:	529108

    ....finally after 42 days of waiting I pulled it and unwrapped it. The first thing I did was to weigh it to find out my yield. Remember I started with about 13.93 pounds and ended up with a little over 10 pounds, lost 3 and 3/4 pounds of moisture !!!

    Click image for larger version

Name:	dry age step 3.jpg
Views:	2349
Size:	161.6 KB
ID:	529109

    Pellicle becomes very dry and aged, has the consistency to shiny beef jerky.....

    Click image for larger version

Name:	dry age step 4.jpg
Views:	2820
Size:	162.7 KB
ID:	529110

    Went ahead and cut 10 steaks that came out to be right around 1 3/4" each with an average weight of right around 16 ounces each, perfect pre-trimmed size. As to trimming, you can trim the entire roast prior to slicing or you can trim the sliced pieces. I choose the latter because I have more control and I do like to leave some on the steak, I really like the way it tastes after it is charred.....

    Click image for larger version

Name:	dry age step 5.jpg
Views:	2539
Size:	54.7 KB
ID:	529111
    Click image for larger version

Name:	dry age step 6.jpg
Views:	3014
Size:	81.5 KB
ID:	529112
    Click image for larger version

Name:	dry age step 7.jpg
Views:	6085
Size:	85.0 KB
ID:	529113

    Notice the deep, almost purple hew to the meat. That's a sign of intensified flavor. Even the fat ends up with a richer taste. I threw a couple onto the gasser and grilled to medium rare. Delicious.....

    Click image for larger version

Name:	dry age step cooked.jpg
Views:	2383
Size:	101.0 KB
ID:	529114

    PROS - As mentioned, the steak has such a better richness and tighter texture. I took a piece of choice meat and turned it into prime. If you love beef, this is beef on steroids. Even the fat takes on a better richness in my opinion. With the obvious lack of a lot of moisture, resting the steak only requires the time you pull it off the grill to the time it hits your plate !! Cutting into it doesn't gush out a ton of moisture and thus flavor is locked in. Plus just cheaper and better !!!

    CONS - A long waiting period. To be honest I prefer the 30 day age as opposed to the 42 day period. I found there was too much loss in yield this time and I like just a bit more moisture in the meat. Also as mentioned the bags are rather expensive (at $10 each) and are delicate. They can be tricky to seal properly.

    All in all I would highly recommend giving this a try. Buying ribeye in this quantity not only makes for a better product but costs a lot less as well. Starting at $8/lb, having it balloon to about $10-11/lb after aging, gives you a bunch of steaks that would easily go for $15/lb or more in the store !!

    THIS DEFINITELY GETS TROUTMAN'S GOLD SEAL OF APPROVAL !!!





    #2
    Thanks for the "review" Troutman .. I've been thinking of trying this myself..

    Comment


      #3
      Well done illustration. Troutman . It really breaks it down for anyone to feel confident about giving this a go.

      Comment


        #4
        Ok, so you leave the hard pellicle on it? I've bought dry aged steaks at the store, but they always trim that part off before weighing and wrapping. I wasn't aware it was really edible.

        Comment


        • EdF
          EdF commented
          Editing a comment
          Ah, young Ben, you have far surpassed your supposed teacher!

        • theroc
          theroc commented
          Editing a comment
          I find that the pellicle tastes like the best beef jerky you will ever have.

        • Troutman
          Troutman commented
          Editing a comment
          I take most of it off. Like has been said it’s very chewy and jerky like with a rich beefy flavor.

        #5
        Great write up and awesome pictures Troutman This really gives us an insight as to how to go about this. I still have yet to try it, but this post certainly makes me more willing to do so.

        That "deep purple" color is to die for, you know you nailed it when you see that. One thing to absolutely do is save all of that dry-aged fat and use it to make beef love. Beef love made from dry aged fat is out of this world rich and flavorful. This is something I do every X-mas, when I buy a dry aged rib roast.

        Thanks again for the great write up!

        Comment


        • Troutman
          Troutman commented
          Editing a comment
          Thanks, hope others take advantage!!

        #6
        Great write up.

        Just a 28 day dry-age is too much for me. I put it up there with rosemary and ginger, it's the aftertaste that turns me off.

        Comment


        • HorseDoctor
          HorseDoctor commented
          Editing a comment
          You must have a sensitive palate! At 28 days all I notice is an improvement in tenderness. Do you know how long it was "wet aged" before being dry aged? At 35 days I get a nice flavor change. As Troutman noted, I find that 42 is good, but plenty. My fav is 35...

        • Troutman
          Troutman commented
          Editing a comment
          No idea on the wet age, maybe two weeks. 42 days was too much for as thin a roast as this one. Obviously size needs to be taken into account.

        #7
        Good stuff right there Troutman! Great color inside and out. And as Spinaker said, make some beef love with some of that fat. I did on my last dry age and probably got 2-3 cups of it. it has wonderful flavor!

        so, you gassed the first two. What other ways are planning on preparing these?
        Last edited by barelfly; July 8, 2018, 02:46 PM.

        Comment


        • Troutman
          Troutman commented
          Editing a comment
          All my fat gets frozen then made into tallow.

        #8
        Originally posted by Troutman View Post
        As you can hopefully see, the first step is to wash the cryovaced bag the meat comes in, cut the end off and insert into the Umai bag and draw out the cryo bag. Unfortunately my roast was a little too wide to accomplish that so I used a very clean pan and a pair of nitrate gloves to handle and insert instead.
        Just making sure we read this correctly:
        • Wash the outside of the cyrovac bag, to remove any undesirables. (or use your method of clean pan and gloves for meat handling into the bag as necessary)
        • cut one end off the cyrovac bag
        • insert cut end of cyrovac into the Umai bag.... and then slip the the cyrovac bag out of the setup
        If doing this method, what happens to any of the juice from inside the cyrovac bag? Do we leave it in the bag with the meat, or do we drain it out to the sink? Or does this even matter, since the goal is it'll disappear over time anyway?



        Comment


        • Troutman
          Troutman commented
          Editing a comment
          Doesn't matter, just leave it. Can't really do anything about it anyway using this de-bagging approach.

        • barelfly
          barelfly commented
          Editing a comment
          I drain as much of the liquid off from the cryovac, or don’t let drain into the Umai bag. But you do want the meat to be "damp" so the bag sticks, if you will, to help adhesion.

        #9
        Great post, I missed it when looking for info last week. I have two rib roasts aging right now. 5 days in and they are doing fine.

        Comment


          #10
          I know it's over 3 years old but what a spectacular post. Thanks Troutman this is inspiring!

          Comment


          • barelfly
            barelfly commented
            Editing a comment
            Umai has a number of products to give a try - from the dry aging for steaks, to charcuterie and such. I have a few posts on charcuterie if you are interested in seeing that side of it as well. Really cool products to let you bring this into your kitchen!

            You will really enjoy these bags!

          • WillTravelForFood
            WillTravelForFood commented
            Editing a comment
            Share those salami posts, please... barelfly

          #11
          I am sorry, but I am not able to wait that long.
          Low and slow is long enough.
          I did not get my portly size by waiting to eat.

          Comment


          • Troutman
            Troutman commented
            Editing a comment
            I’m sure you plan ahead by having a pre-stocked supply of PBR ready for immediate consumption. Thus you can do the same for steaks. Come on man.

          #12
          You should try this if you are interested in dry aging. It is really great for someone who occasionally does it and doesn't want to invest in building a dedicated dry aging rig or spend the money on a pre made one. I started here myself.

          Comment

          Announcement

          Collapse
          No announcement yet.
          Working...
          X
          false
          0
          Guest
          Guest
          500
          ["pitmaster-my-membership","login","join-pitmaster","lostpw","reset-password","special-offers","help","nojs","meat-ups","gifts","authaau-alpha","ebooklogin-start","alpha","start"]
          false
          false
          {"count":0,"link":"/forum/announcements/","debug":""}
          Yes
          ["\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1157845-paid-members-download-your-6-deep-dive-guide-ebooks-for-free-here","\/forum\/the-pitcast","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2019-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2020-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2021-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2022-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2023-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2024-issues","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here"]
          /forum/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here