21-day dry-aged ribeyes!

[DivotMaker]

Day 13 update!  The ribeye is looking really good!  You can see the shrinkage in the fat cap, and the side-by-side comparison of the day 1 and day 13 pics of the meat side!.  The fat cap is more brown, and the rind forming on the meat side is a deep crimson.  No odor, and the colors are just what they should be! 

 

[Wik]

Just went to a upper end steak house and I treated myself for my birthday to the dry aged ribeye and my wife had there standard.  WOW what a difference when you have them side by side!  Can't wait for your results, I think I'm going to have to try this out once grilling weather returns for me.  Is my understanding right, that once the long wait is over you trim off the outside a bit, then toss on the grill as normal?  Do you end up grilling them differently than a normal non-aged steak?

 

[DivotMaker]

Welcome to the dry-aged club, Chad!  Yep...just don't know the difference until you have one, and especially compare them side-by-side!  That's awesome!  You're right; you have to trim the rind off, then treat like any other steak.  You can smoke them, grill them, or slow smoke the whole thing like a roast!  The difference is taste and tenderness.  Drying "concentrates" the beef flavor, much like reducing a sauce on the stove top.

 

[Wik]

I just ordered the sampler pack and started watching videos and comments on their forum.  Did you think it was tricky getting a good seal?  If so any tips?  Sounds like some have had issues / concerns while reading their forum.  Now that my beer fridge is back alive I'm thinking that needs to be put to work double duty.  It has a recirculating fan that constantly runs so I would think there would be good air movement.

 

[DivotMaker]

Nice, Wik!  Yes, the seal was a little tricky.  I had t set the seal time up a little on my Foodsaver Pro 3, and had to be careful to keep the little vac assist thing in place (the "VacMouse").  When it's vacuuming the air out, you have to keep massaging the air pockets forward, and then hit the seal when you've got all you can get.  Close enough is ok with these.  There are no grooves, like on a regular Foodsaver bag, so nothing to channel the air.  I think my first attempt came out fine, as it appears the bag is almost completely adhered to the surface.  I'll get better with practice!

 

[DivotMaker]

Day 16 update!  It's getting so close, I can almost taste it!!  Sunday is going to be SUCH a good day!  The little jewel is looking really good!  Excellent colors coming out in the rind.  I know it looks like "rotten meat" to some, but when you see the pics of the beautiful meat contained within that brown surface, you'll be amazed!  The rind develops kind of a "nutty" aroma when you trim it, not a "rotten" smell at all.  These bags keep out the bacteria that causes rotting, but allows drying.  Stay tuned for some fantastic ribeyes!

 

[benjammn]

Oh Hell you are making me jealous and hungry. CAN"T wait to see the results!

 

[DivotMaker]

I know, Ben, it's cruel!  I just wanted others to suffer with me while I wait! ;D  I plan to cut some nice "3-finger" steaks out of it.  Should be some kind of good!

 

[benjammn]

oh man......I need a napkin for this drool

 

[DivotMaker]

;D ;D

 

[DivotMaker]

Steak alert!  Tomorrow's the day!  Been a LONG 21-days, but it's almost here! ;D

 

[benjammn]

Can't wait to see your results!

 

[Paul Case Luca]

Fantastic!

What time should we be over?    ;D

 

[DivotMaker]

Just finished trimming and slicing the steaks!  The photos show the various stages of the process.  The rind was pretty tough, and took a little elbow grease to get it trimmed!  This is the longest I've dry-aged beef, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

Turned into 10 nice steaks, and one small one.  I'll show pics of the prepped/cooked steaks later!  ;D

The cut steaks you see laid-out on the board went directly in the vacuum bags and in the freezer.  Should have 2 more nice steak dinners out of this!

Taste report to follow in about 5 hours!

These are a little over a pound each.  So, conservatively, at $40 each (at a good steakhouse), I've turned $100 worth of beef into $400 worth of great steaks!  3 weeks of waiting is definitely worth it!

 

[BHamel]

Gonna try that this summer. 

 

[DivotMaker]

Hardest part is the wait!! ???

 

[Walt]

Whats the maximun you can age in these bags?  Is there a point of diminishing returns?  I will be picking up a small refrigerator to put under the house with the smoker & I could see keeping something like this in a reserverd spot.  Sure looks good.

 

[DivotMaker]

The bags will hold up as long as you want to age.  They adhere to the surface of the meat and form a bond, so that doesn't change.  According to the website, the best cuts to age are the subprimal cuts; ribeye, strip steak, and top sirloin.  There are differing opinions on length (probably driven by taste) between 14, 21 and 28 days.  I've aged prime rib for 8-9 days in the past, so this is my first 21-day adventure! 

Here's a shot of the steaks prepped with onion salt and Jim Baldridge's Secret Seasoning, and warming to room temp!

 

[benjammn]

OH MAN! Those look incredible. Can't wait to hear how they taste....but I have my suspicions.

 

[DivotMaker]

;D ;D