Talked with an old timer about dry aging tenderness

I was breaking down a steer last Tuesday and an old butcher I know stopped by to chat. He said most of us are too impatient with aging, that even an extra 4 days on the rail makes a difference in tenderness. It hit me because I always rushed things to get the meat in the case, but he showed me a loin he aged 21 days and the texture was way better. Has anyone else tried pushing their aging time past what you normally do?

3 comments

3 Comments

davis.ruby1mo ago

The extra few days really do make a difference. I used to pull my strip loins at 14 days max, thinking that was good enough. Then a buddy convinced me to let one go to 28 days. The difference in texture was night and day. That longer aging broke down the connective tissue way more than I expected. Now I aim for at least 21 days on most of my beef, especially the higher end cuts.

the_eric1mo ago

Man, you're speaking my language there @davis.ruby. I had the exact same wake-up call when a buddy of mine said to push a ribeye to 35 days once, and I couldn't believe how much more tender it got compared to my usual 14 day stuff. Now I pretty much let everything sit at least 21 days too, especially for special occasions where you really want that melt-in-your-mouth thing going on.

sam_thomas19d ago

That 21 day mark is where everything starts to click, isn’t it? I pushed a whole rib primal to 30 days once just to see what would happen and the fat cap turned almost nutty in flavor. The 14 day stuff is fine for everyday, but that extra week changes the entire eating experience. Makes you wonder why we ever settled for less in the first place.