Living in Montana has spoiled me on steaks. With so many ranches within 100 miles of me, I not only have a variety of local vendors to choose from, but I can frequently purchase directly from the rancher as well. (More often than not, that rancher is Oxbow Cattle Co. in Missoula. ).
Such high-quality meat demands proper preparation and cooking. Typically, I’ve kept steaks wrapped in butcher paper or in the foam container they were packaged in in my refrigerator. However, I discovered that I could duplicate the dry-aging process—which is typically reserved for upscale steakhouses—in my own refrigerator. My steaks were previously thought to be delicious, but dry-aging has elevated them above that standard.
How To Age a Steak In The Refrigerator?
There are only four simple steps required to age a steak in the refrigerator. Here is our guide to aging a steak in a dry-age refrigerator. Steak Locker simplifies the process of dry aging steaks and reduces the risk involved with the dry aging procedure. The eye muscle, also known as the prime rib or whole rib, is the cow’s least-used muscle. Due to this, it produces the most tender yield, the most marbling, and generous portions.
Dry aging is done to enhance the flavors of the beef. The meat will lose some of its initial weight while being aged dry. As your sub primal cut is dry aging, slowly dehydrating and losing water, it concentrates the flavor but also loses about 15-25% of its starting weight This is predominantly the reason that this type of high-quality product costs at least 70% more than the non-dry aged product However, it will be worthwhile because you will receive the most tender and naturally flavorful beef, which is made simple by our dry-aging refrigerator.
Make friends with your butcher or meat supplier and ask them to make sure the steak is “Bone In” and a Prime or Choice graded sub primal cut as our first step in aging a steak in the refrigerator. Although boneless cuts can be used, we do not advise keeping them for longer than 35 days because the bones give the meat structure and flavor.
If you are looking for a high quality boneless cut of meat, our friends at Meat N Bone would be happy to help.
Unpack the beef and pat it dry with paper towels. Do not trim the meat. If you prefer, you can loosely wrap the cut in three layers of cheesecloth because it is a little cleaner. However, keep in mind that wrapping the cut requires much more labor because you need to replace the cloth every week.
Place the meat on the Steak Locker rack so that the forced air flow can reach all sides of it. While the meat is being aged in the dry refrigerator, make sure the UV (Germicidal Light) is always on.
We advise resting the cut for a minimum of 28 days and a maximum of 75 days. This is due to the fact that beef becomes tastier as it ages, developing more complex and intense flavors. At 28 to 35 days, delicate mushroom and umami flavors emerge; at 45 to 75 days, strong blue cheese notes appear. How long can dry aged steak be kept in the refrigerator? is a blog post on our website that contains a detailed explanation of our dry aging time scale.
Use a sharp knife to trim off a 2-inch portion of a steak when you’re ready to serve only a portion of the cut. 5-inch steak along the bone. Remove and discard the meat’s tough, dried-out exterior. To maximize flavor, remove any dried-out portions of fat but keep as much of the healthy fat as you can.
What to do after learning how to a age steak in the refrigerator:
Now that your dry-aged steak is ready, you can cook it on a grill or in a cast-iron pan. The remaining primal cut back can be put in the steak locker for more dry aging time. Alternately, if you don’t want to give the sub primal more dry aging time, cut it all into steaks and freeze them separately. To avoid freezer burn, we advise using vacuum sealing devices and bags.
By “multifunctional,” we mean that our steak locker meat aging fridge range is capable of more than just dry aging steaks. We will go into more detail about the Steak Locker’s ability to cure charcuterie, cheese, and fish in subsequent posts.
Visit our product page to learn more about steak locker dry age refrigerators.
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How to Properly Age Your Own Steak at Home
FAQ
How do you age beef without it spoiling?
When aging beef, the meat must be kept in a dry-aging chamber with a special air flow, temperature, and humidity levels. The beef can be aged in one of these chambers for seven to twenty-one or even up to 120 days without going bad during that time.
How do you wet age beef in the refrigerator?
Wet aging is relatively new. All you have to do is vacuum seal the meat and store it in the refrigerator for 7 to 28 days. While the tissue is still being broken down by the enzymes, the bag seals out air to prevent contamination. Frozen meat can be processed in this way much more easily.