| Aging, or conditioning, of beef is a completely natural | | | | individual cuts. |
| process that adds flavour and tenderness to the meat. | | | | WET AGING |
| If beef is allowed to age, the natural enzymes in it will | | | | Most commercial beef operations, who generally |
| break down the tougher components of the meat | | | | supply supermarkets, don't age their beef at all. The |
| fibres. The longer it is aged, the more tender the beef | | | | ones that do use a process called wet aging. Wet |
| becomes. | | | | aging seals individual cuts in vacuum-packed bags so |
| So how do you find dry-aged beef? It is served in | | | | they can be shipped without spending time on aging |
| some upscale hotels and restaurants, and you may be | | | | the meat. The idea is to use vacuum sealing to give |
| able to find a local producer so you can cook your | | | | the same kind of protection as the fat in the dry-aging |
| own. Check your local farm listings for naturally-raised | | | | process for hung sides of beef. |
| beef, or do a web search for "dry aged beef" in your | | | | Wet-aging has the disadvantages that the meat can't |
| area. You may be able to buy some directly from the | | | | breathe, and that it remains at a high moisture content |
| farm, at a price that's not much more than you would | | | | during aging. It does become more tender, but it tends |
| pay at retail. | | | | to take on a slightly sour and metallic taste that comes |
| And you'll be discovering a new world of beef flavour | | | | nowhere close to the rich, full, aromatic flavour of |
| - like our grandparents used to eat. | | | | dry-aged beef. |
| There are two methods used to age beef: dry-aging | | | | DRY-AGING GIVES THE BEST FLAVOUR... |
| and wet-aging: | | | | If you see beef in vacuum bags, it has been wet-aged. |
| DRY AGING | | | | And if it's on a styrofoam tray with cling-film, it hasn't |
| This is the most effective, time-tested and | | | | been aged at all. Either way, you're missing out on a |
| old-fashioned method. To dry-age beef, the whole | | | | whole new level of flavour. |
| sides are hung in a cooler where the right conditions of | | | | Most beef in stores today isn't aged at all - the |
| humidity, temperature and air movement are kept | | | | packaging factories take in whole animals on one end, |
| accurately - usually 1-3°C and 75-80% relative | | | | and spit out packaged beef at the other. So you may |
| humidity. | | | | never have had the opportunity to try the gourmet |
| While dry aging, the beef is protected by its outer layer | | | | flavour of naturally aged beef. |
| of fat and bones. After around three weeks, when the | | | | So do yourself a flavour, and do a search for |
| beef has become tender and amazingly flavourful, the | | | | dry-aged beef in your area. Your family and guests will |
| outer fat is trimmed, and the meat is butchered into | | | | be blown away! |