can we do this ourselves at home?
I got my hands on 80 pounds of Prime-grade bone-in, fat-
cap-intact beef ribs to get my answers. Over the course of
two months or so, I aged them in close to a dozen different
ways in order to determine what works, what doesn’t, and
what matters. Here’s what I found.
The Purpose of Aging
Q: How does aging work?
Good question! First, a brief rundown on why you might
want to age meat. Conventional wisdom cites three specific
goals when dry-aging meat, all of which contribute toward
improving its flavor or texture.
Moisture loss is said to be a major factor. A dry-aged
piece of beef can drop up to 30 percent of its initial mass
through water loss, which concentrates its flavor. At least
that’s the theory. But is it true? [Cue dramatic
foreshadowing music.]
Tenderization occurs when enzymes naturally present in
the meat act to break down some of the tougher muscle
fibers and connective tissues. A well-aged steak should be
noticeably more tender than a fresh steak. But is it?
Flavor change is caused by numerous processes,
including enzymatic and bacterial action, along with the
oxidation of fat and other fat-like molecules. Properly dry-
aged meat will develop deeply beefy, nutty, and almost
cheese-like aromas.
Q: But is aged meat really better than fresh meat?
It depends. I had a panel of tasters test meats aged to various