Dry-Aged Beef for the Holidays

Why is it so delicious? The process and benefits



Dry-Aged Beef at Baron's Meats & Poutry in Alameda CA

They have been dry-aged, that is to say stored in a temperature and humidity controlled environment so as to enhance flavor through the natural process of proteolysis accompanied by controlled dehydration. The entire cut loses up to 20 percent of its original moisture during the aging process (which concentrates flavor), and the darkened protective crust is trimmed from any customer portion.

Dry-aging produces an intensely flavored and tender cut of meat; the flavor is an heirloom experience as it cannot be replicated by any modern method. The taste has been described as “buttery” or “a more brown-roasted beefy flavor” than a similar wet-aged cut.

Due to the loss of water weight and the additional loss of product to the formation of the protective crust, dry-aged beef is expensive to produce. It is becoming an increasingly rare product. We purchase our dry-aged beef from Niman Ranch: experts in the dry-aging process.

More information on dry-aging:

Today butchers no longer hang sides of beef in their coolers—the industry has changed. Almost all meat is now reduced in the slaughterhouse to “primal cuts” that are immediately vacuum packed. The meat, sealed in its own juices, is easily stored in boxes, which saves on water-weight-loss and in storage space capacity.

All meat is aged; soon after slaughter natural enzymes in muscles begin to break down proteins in the muscle fibers. This process (proteolysis) occurs most rapidly in the first 3 to 7 days and tenderizes the meat. Vacuum packed meat undergoes proteolysis in the package, during storage and shipping. This process is called wet-aging.

However, certain well-marbled cuts of beef lend themselves to the traditional dry-aging process. Direct from the slaughterhouse, cuts are transferred to a humidity-controlled room at a temperature of 34-38 degrees Fahrenheit with plenty of air circulation. Closely monitored so as to prevent premature drying, freezing, or microbial growth, the meat ages over a 3-6 week period. During this time 20 percent of the original weight of the meat will evaporate, the color of the meat will change, and a protective crust will develop around the center, aged portion.

As in wet-aging, the initial tenderization process occurs at the start of dry-aging. However, the gradual water loss concentrates flavor in the meat and concentrates the natural tenderizing enzymes within the tissue at the same time. Thus a dry-aged cut is not only more flavorful, but also more tender.