42 day dry aged ribeye

[SKade]

A little while ago Kroger had half ribeye on sale for $6 a lb. I picked one up and tried my hand for the first time at dry aging. Today I trimmed it up and cut the steaks. Six gorgeous inch thick steaks. The aroma was unique. Beef with just a little bit of funk. Kind of like someone had blue cheese but had left the room with it awhile ago. I tried a piece of the trimming and I’m vary pleased with the flavor and texture. Intense beef and soft melting mouthfeel. I saved the stuff that was leftover and I’m going to grind it with some other beef for burgers or some kind of sausage. Any suggestions on what to do with it are welcome. I’ve got a whole strip loin that just started today. I might go shorter on the time where it’s a leaner cut and see how it turns out.

 

[tx smoker]

I would not go with a shorter time. I've done quite a few dry aged projects on large primal cuts. Everywhere from 30 days to 90. You really don't see a difference in flavor till you hit the 40 to 45 day mark. As for how to handle them, just trim off the hardened exterior, trim and excess fat that you don't want, and throw those babies on the grill. You're in for one heck of a treat!! The patience will pay off.

Robert

 

[SKade]

I would not go with a shorter time. I've done quite a few dry aged projects on large primal cuts. Everywhere from 30 days to 90. You really don't see a difference in flavor till you hit the 40 to 45 day mark. As for how to handle them, just trim off the hardened exterior, trim and excess fat that you don't want, and throw those babies on the grill. You're in for one heck of a treat!! The patience will pay off.

Robert

Thanks. The grill is definitely where they are going. I’m just trying to figure out what to do with the trimmings. I don’t want to waste them and I think they can add a lot of flavor to some burgers or a sausage. I will give the strip plenty of time to age. What are the concerns / things to look for on long aged projects. Can anything bad happen after 60 days that won’t happen after 40? I don’t have a chamber built yet. I’m just using the bags. Are they good for that long?

 

[tx smoker]

I’m just trying to figure out what to do with the trimmings.

My first thought would be to use it in a batch of chili. Sausage might be OK but you'll have to add more liquid when mixing to make up for the meat being very dry.

What are the concerns / things to look for on long aged projects

There really are no concerns except for making sure the fridge temp stays low to mid 30's. Getting upwards of 40 for short periods of time is ok when it hits the high temp set point to turn back on to cool but you don't want the temp that high the whole time. Other thing is to make sure you have the meat on a ventilated rack so it gets air under the meat. If it's just sitting on a shelf or in a pan, the meat on the bottom will rot.

Can anything bad happen after 60 days that won’t happen after 40?

Nope, nothing bad at all. Only good stuff. Up to 40 days you'll notice a difference in color ad tenderness but not so much in flavor. That doesn't really start to happen noticeably until about the 60 day mark. The longest I've run a roast is 90 days but I read an article about a place that does a 180 day aged steak. They literally have to cut the white mold off prior to cooking.

I don’t have a chamber built yet. I’m just using the bags.

Heck, you don't need a chamber or even the bags. I only used the uMAI bag once. The rest of the time I just put the meat on a bread rack right into the fridge and let it go. Now I did have a seperate fridge other than the main one in the kitchen that was not accessed as much but nothing special.

A couple links to threads I've posted.

60 Day Aged NY Strip Steak Dinner...OMG!! (Heavy Pics)

A couple months ago I posted a thread about 45 day aged Rib Eye steaks I'd done with a 22# rib roast. That post garnered a lot of attention and I mentioned that I was planning to do a couple of strip roasts for 60 days and cutting them into NY Strip steaks. That dinner happened yesterday and...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

65 Day Aged CAB Prime Rib: A Truly Epic Experience (Very Long W / Heavy Q-View)

Observation: I can only imagine that folks are getting burnt out with all of my recent beef related posts and the Santa Mara grill. Here is the issue on my end. With all the great threads here and all of the inspiration I get from this group, the creativity keeps increasing and the meals just...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

45 Day Aged Rib Roast: Phase 3 (It's Done) w/ Pics

I've posted the first two steps in this process now to the final one.....except for cooking and serving it. The roast actually dry aged for 47 days. I had some time on Wednesday so went ahead and trimmed it and cut it into steaks. To save time and bandwidth, I won't post the pics taken each week...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

45 Day Aged Ribeye Steak Dinner: My Best Yet (Heavy Q-View)

I posted a thread a couple of days ago on the process I went through aging a 20+ pound rib roast, stated that dinner would be served yesterday, and I'd get the the results of that posted ASAP. I was given no choice but to post it quickly and with detail because Chilerelleno said he has his eye...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Hope this helps,
Robert

 

[Gonna Smoke]

Very nice looking steaks and Robert has you covered. I've done some dry aging in the UMAi bags and as Robert said, the noticeable changes happen around the 6 week mark and beyond. I've seen but not tasted 100 day dry age ribeyes, but would love to taste some...

 

[gmc2003]

Man those do look powerful good. Have fun chowing down on them.

Point for sure
Chris

 

[browneyesvictim]

Looks great! And it looks like Robert has your answers, and I agree as well. There's a few of my dry age posts with and without UMAI bags in the link in my signature also.

On the topic of what to do with the scraps... By my experience in the long run, it was best to just throw it away. I've tried to use it different ways and was palatable. But boy does it play pinochle with my gut!!!! Given as treats for my dogs was also a similar experience, and that required the use of our carpet shampoo'er!
Good luck if you find a good use for it that doesn't have "consequences"!

 

[SKade]

My first thought would be to use it in a batch of chili. Sausage might be OK but you'll have to add more liquid when mixing to make up for the meat being very dry.



There really are no concerns except for making sure the fridge temp stays low to mid 30's. Getting upwards of 40 for short periods of time is ok when it hits the high temp set point to turn back on to cool but you don't want the temp that high the whole time. Other thing is to make sure you have the meat on a ventilated rack so it gets air under the meat. If it's just sitting on a shelf or in a pan, the meat on the bottom will rot.



Nope, nothing bad at all. Only good stuff. Up to 40 days you'll notice a difference in color ad tenderness but not so much in flavor. That doesn't really start to happen noticeably until about the 60 day mark. The longest I've run a roast is 90 days but I read an article about a place that does a 180 day aged steak. They literally have to cut the white mold off prior to cooking.



Heck, you don't need a chamber or even the bags. I only used the uMAI bag once. The rest of the time I just put the meat on a bread rack right into the fridge and let it go. Now I did have a seperate fridge other than the main one in the kitchen that was not accessed as much but nothing special.

A couple links to threads I've posted.

60 Day Aged NY Strip Steak Dinner...OMG!! (Heavy Pics)

A couple months ago I posted a thread about 45 day aged Rib Eye steaks I'd done with a 22# rib roast. That post garnered a lot of attention and I mentioned that I was planning to do a couple of strip roasts for 60 days and cutting them into NY Strip steaks. That dinner happened yesterday and...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

65 Day Aged CAB Prime Rib: A Truly Epic Experience (Very Long W / Heavy Q-View)

Observation: I can only imagine that folks are getting burnt out with all of my recent beef related posts and the Santa Mara grill. Here is the issue on my end. With all the great threads here and all of the inspiration I get from this group, the creativity keeps increasing and the meals just...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

45 Day Aged Rib Roast: Phase 3 (It's Done) w/ Pics

I've posted the first two steps in this process now to the final one.....except for cooking and serving it. The roast actually dry aged for 47 days. I had some time on Wednesday so went ahead and trimmed it and cut it into steaks. To save time and bandwidth, I won't post the pics taken each week...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

45 Day Aged Ribeye Steak Dinner: My Best Yet (Heavy Q-View)

I posted a thread a couple of days ago on the process I went through aging a 20+ pound rib roast, stated that dinner would be served yesterday, and I'd get the the results of that posted ASAP. I was given no choice but to post it quickly and with detail because Chilerelleno said he has his eye...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Hope this helps,
Robert

Thanks for all the info.