Why is “aged meat” a good thing? I see a 30 day aged meat on a menu, and it’s like HOW!? WHY!? Wouldn’t it be “bad meat” by that point?
EDIT: Holy wow I learned so much about aging meat!! Thank you for all the comments and videos!
In: Biology
Dry aging steak is a way to increase the beef flavor in the cut while adding complexity to the flavor.
A dry aged steak is placed on rack in a controlled environment. Both humidity and temperature are kept at a specific level to keep the steak from spoiling.
Over time, the outside of the steak or round begins to dry out. The moisture of the steak is being pulled out so the outside becomes a rather gross looking dark crust. However, through pulling moisture out, the beef flavor on the inside grows stronger.
The final step is to trim away the dried out crust. You end up losing a lot of mass in the process, so for that reason its recommended you buy an entire round of steaks, pre-cut. Once you trim away the exterior you should be left with a dark but healthy looking steak.
As I mentioned, beef flavor is increased in this process. You also add additional flavors to the meat through aging as well. Shorter age times result in a nutty flavor, while longer ages can take on cheese-like tones.
If you want to try dry aged steak without paying restaurant prices, you can buy a dry age steak bag on Amazon. The bag helps regulate humidity to prevent rotting. I’d recommend trying a 10 to 15 day age. Shorter ages can be more palatable as an intro to dry aging.
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