Dry Aged Beef In Fridge- Top Tips

We have put together some of our top tips and everything you need to know to get the best results from your dry aged meat. It can be hard to know what to expect from dry aging as it is a relatively niche style of meat preservation in today’s society. After reading through our top tips you will truly be able to evoke the tastiest flavours and textures from your dry aged beef in fridge. 

Tip 1

Make friends with your best butcher or meat source and order the cut you want. Ensure it is “Bone In” and a Prime or Choice sub primal. Meatnbone.com is one of our favorite on-line purveyors. We tend to source all of our meat from here as it provides the perfect dry aged beef in fridge.

Tip 2

Unpack the beef and pat it dry with paper towels. Do not trim because the meat will lose a lot of its weight during the dry age process, plus it adds to the taste and texture. You may wrap the cut loosely in a triple layer of cheesecloth if you prefer. It is a little cleaner but also a lot more labor intensive as you have to change the cloth every week. 

Set it on the Steak Locker rack with all sides exposed to the forced air flow. Ensure the UV (Germicidal Light) is always on while the meat is in Steak Locker’s Dry Age Refrigerator.

Tip 3

Let the cut rest in the meat aging fridge for at least 28 days or up to 75 days; the longer the beef ages, the tastier it gets. You can read more about the dry aging process in detail from 7-120 days in one of our previous articles: ‘How long can you keep dry aged steak in the fridge’.  Discover the flavours unlocked over the time scale of your dry aged meat. 

Tip 4

When ready to portion out a steak and not the entire cut, use a sharp knife and cut off a 2.5-inch steak along the bone. Shave off and discard the hard, dried outer layer of the meat. Cut away any dried areas of fat, but leave behind as much of the good fat as possible.

You are now ready to grill (cook) your dry aged steak. You can place the remainder of the primal cut back into Steak Locker’s dry age fridge for additional aging time. 

Alternatively, if you do not desire additional dry aging time, cut the entire sub primal into steaks and freeze them individually. We recommend using vacuum sealed machine and bags to prevent freezer burn.

Further Information on The Process Of Dry Aged Beef In Fridge

So, now you’ve read out top tips to getting the aged beef, we wanted to share some additional information on the process. This is to ensure that you know exactly what to expert from the dry aging process and how to prepare your meat so you get the best possible results.

Weight Loss Due to the process of dry aged beef in fridge

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 reward you with the most tender and truly naturally flavorful beef.

How to cook the best steak: 

Depending on your choice of cut and due to the nature of the dry aging process, it is almost always preferred to cut at least 1.5-inch thick steaks.

Once you are ready to cook your steak, ensure that the meat is dry and fully trimmed of all hard dried out layers as well as any dark areas from the dry aging process. 

Remember: your dry aged steak will cook in about half the time compared to a non-dry aged steak, mainly due to the reduced moisture within the muscle of the steak. 

Also, we have found that electronic and analog thermometers can be unreliable. As with most things delicate, one gets better with practice. It is best to always undercook dry aged steaks and then, if desired, have additional cooking time. You can never un-cook a steak but always have the opportunity to add more cooking time.

Don’t forget to ENJOY you dry aged beef and please do share your results with us on social media- we can’t wait to see your dry aged steaks!