Dry aging my first time

[joseadrianmanutd]

Hi everyone. Hope you can help me with some ideas. I am dry aging ribeye in the umaidry bags, it was almost impossible for me to vacuum seal it so I did the other method where you put the meat inside the bag in water and use a clip to seal it, after 18 days I don’t see almost any difference in the meat, can somebody tell me if I did something wrong? Or what is actually happening to the meat. I attached a couple of pictures, thanks in advance.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

UMAi bags will not pull a total vac like regular vac bags do. UMAi bags are made to just adhere to the meat. Your meat should be most when you place in the bag.

 

[joseadrianmanutd]

UMAi bags will not pull a total vac like regular vac bags do. UMAi bags are made to just adhere to the meat. Your meat should be most when you place in the bag.

It was moist, but at this point what can I do? Or everything is normal with the meat?

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Press the large areas down onto the meat where the bag is not touching. So far its normal.

 

[Gonna Smoke]

My question is did you try to vacuum seal the bag per the instructions included? These big bags don't fit a standard vacuum sealer so UMAi sends specific instructions on how to do it. Their website also contains a wealth of information about the process.

Here's one that I've got drying right now. Started January 19...

Now 12 days later. Per BGKYSmoker suggestion, I moved the label to the bag off of the meat...

My target is 60 days at least. The UMAi website says that 75%-80% of the meat surface should be in contact with the bag. Yours, though not as dry looking as mine, looks OK to me, too. Just let it go or you can use another bag and try to seal it again.

 

[joseadrianmanutd]

My question is did you try to vacuum seal the bag per the instructions included? These big bags don't fit a standard vacuum sealer so UMAi sends specific instructions on how to do it. Their website also contains a wealth of information about the process.

Here's one that I've got drying right now. Started January 19...
View attachment 524017

Now 12 days later. Per BGKYSmoker suggestion, I moved the label to the bag off of the meat...
View attachment 524018

My target is 60 days at least. The UMAi website says that 75%-80% of the meat surface should be in contact with the bag. Yours, though not as dry looking as mine, looks OK to me, too. Just let it go or you can use another bag and try to seal it again.

In casa I use a new bag, do you suggest me to moist the meat again in water? So it sticks to the bag? And start the day found from 0? I am in day 19 without to much results

 

[BGKYSmoker]

In casa I use a new bag, do you suggest me to moist the meat again in water? So it sticks to the bag? And start the day found from 0? I am in day 19 without to much results

You can if you like unless you added any type of aromatics to the top of the meat.

Has the meat started to harden any or is it still like soft like when you bought it.

 

[joseadrianmanutd]

You can if you like unless you added any type of aromatics to the top of the meat.

Has the meat started to harden any or is it still like soft like when you bought it.

It is exactly like it was when I bought it, and after 18 days it thought it was not dry aging the way it should be, just resealed it in another bag, uploaded a picture, what do you think?

 

[BGKYSmoker]

If you can take some new pics, lets see if its getting darker.

 

[Gonna Smoke]

I have mine in the bottom of my refrigerator on a rack so that it gets good air flow all around. I do not have any kind of fan, just natural air exchange from opening the door regularly to obtain an adult beverage from the shelf above... The UMAi website says that this is enough. From your latest pictures, it appears that you did not try a vacuum sealer, but they say it can be done without one. Let it go and send some more pics along the way...

 

[Gonna Smoke]

It is exactly like it was when I bought it, and after 18 days it thought it was not dry aging the way it should be, just resealed it in another bag, uploaded a picture, what do you think?

It's been 3 weeks now, how's it going?

 

[joseadrianmanutd]

It's been 3 weeks now, how's it going?

Hey, I think now it going great, the BIG difference was I changed the meat from an small fridge (those ones you can use as a freezer) to my normal fridge, I realized that the humidity in that one was 99%, in the normal fridge is about 60%, a few days after I started seeing a big chance. My question is.... it is more than 5 weeks since I started (my target is 35 days) but.... the process seems to started exactly 2 weeks ago when I changed fridges, what should I do? when should I start counting. Can the other 3 weeks with too much humidity affect the meat somehow? thanks in advance

 

[joseadrianmanutd]

Hey, I think now it going great, the BIG difference was I changed the meat from an small fridge (those ones you can use as a freezer) to my normal fridge, I realized that the humidity in that one was 99%, in the normal fridge is about 60%, a few days after I started seeing a big chance. My question is.... it is more than 5 weeks since I started (my target is 35 days) but.... the process seems to started exactly 2 weeks ago when I changed fridges, what should I do? when should I start counting. Can the other 3 weeks with too much humidity affect the meat somehow? thanks in advance

what do you think?

 

[Gonna Smoke]

Looks good to me, I'd let it go a couple more weeks. Looks like you've got it figured out now and that will be some good eats. Remember, there are those who will dry age them for 100 days. I've never had one aged that long, but I sure would like to try it. Most of what I've read says that the magic really starts happening around 35-40 days...

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

I pulled mine to take look yesterday. One more week and calling it done.

 

[Gonna Smoke]

I pulled mine to take look yesterday. One more week and calling it done.

Come on Brian, you know how this works. We've got to have pictures...