change, during which it gets progressively
more flavorful. Meat also becomes more
tender. In the 19th century, beef and mutton
joints would be kept at room temperature for
days or weeks, until the outside was literally
rotten. The French called this mortification,
and the great chef Antonin Carême said that it
should proceed “as far as possible.” The
modern taste is for somewhat less mortified
flesh! In fact most meat in the United States is
aged only incidentally, during the few days it
takes to be shipped from packing plant to
market. This is enough for chicken, which
benefits from a day or two of aging, and for
pork and lamb, which benefit from a week.
(The unsaturated fats of pork and poultry go
rancid relatively quickly.) But the flavor and
texture of beef keeps improving for up to a
month, especially when whole, unwrapped
sides are dry-aged at 34–38ºF/1–3ºC and at a
relative humidity of 70–80%. The cool
temperature limits the growth of microbes,
barry
(Barry)
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