October 24, 2021
Dry-aging is a time honored, old-world tradition that’s been used to store beef all the way up until the 1970’s, when vacuum packaging was brought to the meat industry.
When dry-aging, primal beef cuts are aged for 28-50+ days in a controlled, open air environment. During this process, the external surface of the meat becomes hard and envelopes the internal meat with a crust. The beef inside the crust develops a fine, richly concentrated flavor and tender texture as the natural moisture in the muscle evaporates. When the beef has reached the desired age, the inedible outer crust is carefully removed and the meat can be cut and made into the best steaks you’ve ever had.
To properly dry-age your beef, you must have a separate microclimate that ensures precise temperature control, relative humidity and air circulation along with specific UV lighting to control bacteria.
Dry-aged beef is more expensive than wet aged beef, because in the process of water loss throughout the aging process, you enhance the flavor and texture of the meat well beyond an average steak. Dry-aging is best for cuts of beef that have higher marbling, such as Prime and Upper Choice grades. The most typical dry-aged cuts are from the short loin (Porterhouses, T-Bone, Bone-In Strip) and the ribs (Bone-In Ribeye Steaks).
Other factors that affect the taste and texture of beef are the breed of cattle, feed and USDA grade. Proper aging of beef is always a beneficial enhancement. Learn more about our dry-aging technology here.