I need some advice, been searching and have only found bits here and there...I got a couple of 7lb whole strip loins from a local meat supplier, cryo-vac sealed and want to try wet aging it. One is in the freezer and one has been in the fridge for 5 days....what am I looking at, time wise...according to the supplier, they're meat is packed and brought from the processor within a day or 2...so theoretically, I'm looking at a week so far. Any advice on handling and time would be great....or is it even worth it?
Cheers!!
Last edited by Parkin; September 23, 2020, 12:05 PM.
I wet age all of my briskets to about 30 days. As long as they are in the vac sealed bag, you are fine. Go 30-days from the pack date. I have gone longer but with no real benefits, that I could tell.
You will have a little bit of funkiness when you open the pack, but that is okay. Any rotten, nasty smells are a give away for the trash. However, you will be able to tell if it is going that route through the aging process. If the bag becomes bloated, there is something growing in there and it needs to be tossed. This has only happened to me once while doing wet-aging.
do you only do this when it's factory sealed? my butcher trims it up and then vacuum seals it but it's definitely not as tight as safe from the packer.
I'm not sure if it adds flavor (I haven't notice a change when I have done it) but it does give the meat more time to breakdown/loosen/relax/tendaaaaaaarize.
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Weber Summit Charcoal Grilling Center (WSCGC) aka Mr. Fancypants
Pit Barrel Cooker (which rocks), named Pretty Baby
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Weber Kettle Premium 22" named Kettle Kid, eager to horn in with more cooks in the future
Camp Chef Somerset IV 4-burner outdoor gas range named AfterBurner due to its 30kBTU burners
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The whole idea scares me. Always has. I remember asking about it several years back, thinking to give it a go, got some great answers here, but still said, "Nope. Not now. Not ever."
That's the school I was raised in. My mom was religious about "use by" dates. So, the concept is foreign to me. I'm gathering that unlike a dry age, there is not much change in flavor, just tenderness. The big question now is, do I have the patience to wait, and is it worth it.
Personally, re-iterate personally, I gave up on wet brining over 24 hrs a long time ago, just about the time I joined AR. Why? When I have any other which way.
........and drink em boat up!
I wet age all my briskets for 60 days. Granted I'm using choice angus not prime, but I've had great luck with this. I do the aging in a refrigerator in the garage. It stays at very close to 32 degrees F and is opened very seldom. The difference is most noticeable in how tender the meat is. There can be a funky odor when you first open the cryovac package. To me it is an odor with a heavy sulfur smell. As soon as the meat and sink are rinsed the smell is gone. If the smell persisted I'd chunk the meat, but so far it hasn't. I've done cryovaced ribeye rolls and NY strip with good results also. To be honest I use it as a tool to let me save a bit on price and still get a great brisket.
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