Smokin-It User Forum!
Alternative Cooking Methods to Go With the Smokin-It Smoker => Dry-Aging Meat => Topic started by: DivotMaker on January 05, 2014, 04:27:53 PM
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OK, gang, started a new project today: 21-day dry-aged ribeyes! Some will end up in the smoker, but most will probably find their way to the Weber gasser!
Here's the process:
I've dry-aged prime rib before, with good success. The process for "open air" dry-aging is a little touchy; bacteria can be introduced to the surface of the meat, so you have to be very careful.
I recently learned about UMAi's dry-aging bags! These are plastic bags that are essentially like Gore-Tex for meat! They allow moisture to escape, and oxygen molecules to enter, but don't allow bacteria in and keep the meat protected. You can check out the videos on their site, and there are reviews on other forums and YouTube. I believe these are a simple way to dry-age in the fridge without much risk.
I picked up a 14.27 lb whole ribeye at Sam's today. It's a whole one in the cryo bag. Yes, the whole ribeye was $100, but it will produce about $250 worth of dry-aged steaks! If you've never had a dry-aged steak, you don't know what you're missing! The beef flavor is "concentrated," much like reducing a sauce to concentrate the flavors. When you slowly dry the meat, the fat and connective tissues break down, leaving very beefy-flavored meat that is incredibly tender.
I bought a sample pack of UMAi bags, and packed the new ribeye in one. The picture shows the ribeye, day one. I'll leave it on a wire rack in the fridge until 1/26, at which time I'll trim it, slice it, and grill it! The leftover steaks will be individually vacuum sealed and put in the freezer for later.
More updates to follow!
Their website is:
www.drybagsteak.com
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I am speechless. Completely out of my league... :'(
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Naaa...not as hard as you think, Steve! I'll give a complete review in 3 weeks, and you'll see this to be an incredible treat that anyone can do!
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I really liked the looks of those bags when you posted them prior. Can't wait to see what results you get from them. I want to do this so bad.
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Tony,
I am impressed. I have never even thought doing this myself was possible and here you go and show me 2 ways to do it in one week. Cool stuff. Can't wait to hear how it turns out.
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Tony,
I was completely clueless on the process of dry aging beef. I only knew that a dry aged steak is very pricey at the steak houses. I looked at the website and the UMAi process looks extremely cool. Let us know how your rib eyes turn out and when we can come by for the BBQ :)
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I hope they turn out as good as I think they will! First BBQ will be Jan 26 if you're in the neighborhood! ;)
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Day 3 of the quest for the "perfect steak!" The UMAi dry bag is bonded to the surface of the meat very well, and I can tell a definite difference in the meat! When I took it out for this picture, it was much stiffer than on day 1. Also, this pic is the fat cap side (the first pic was the meat side). Notice how the fat cap is much more red? It was pearly-white on day one. That means the moisture is moving to the surface, and saturating the fat. Can't wait until 1/26!! More to come!
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DivotMaker... I can hardly wait for you!!!!!!
Thanks for the pictures... this is something I may need do as a special treat if I learn how to do this from watching you!!!
Thanks again.
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Here's how she looks on day 5! Notice the rind is starting to form (brownish coloration on the fat), and the exposed meat areas a really red. That means the blood is coming to the surface, and rind will form in that area also. It will be covered with a brown, waxy rind at the end of this, which will get trimmed away to expose the incredible meat below! More to follow!
I hate (but love) these long-term cooks! Gonna be hard to wait another 16 days for the goodness to come!!
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OH Christ! I love this due to the fact that I want to do this soooo much.
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I know, Ben! The hardest part is the waiting!! It's a killer to look in the fridge every day and see that beautiful hunk of meat, know I can't touch it for 2 more weeks!! :o
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such a tease
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;D
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I just lost myself on their website. Amazing stuff you can do with their products. Folds right in with this passion / hobby. I'm in!
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I am diggin that hardcore
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Gotta just do it, Man! Get you sample pack from UMAi, buy a whole ribeye or strip steak, and get on it! Make it so! ;D
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I guess I have to now, now that you said I have too
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;D ;D Don't be scared!
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Day 10 update! The ribeye is looking really good! It's beginning to form a rind (as it should), and I can definitely tell a difference in the weight. The meat is much stiffer (due to moisture loss), so the bag is working "as advertised!" Another 11 days!
Here's 3 pics: day 1, day 3 and day 10. Notice the difference?
By the way...no odor to it whatsoever!
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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!
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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!
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Oh Hell you are making me jealous and hungry. CAN"T wait to see the results!
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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!
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oh man......I need a napkin for this drool
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;D ;D
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Steak alert! Tomorrow's the day! Been a LONG 21-days, but it's almost here! ;D
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Can't wait to see your results!
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Fantastic!
What time should we be over? ;D
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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!
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Gonna try that this summer.
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Hardest part is the wait!! ???
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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.
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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!
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OH MAN! Those look incredible. Can't wait to hear how they taste....but I have my suspicions.
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;D ;D
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The steaks are done and consumed!! All I have to say is OH...MY...GOD!! These are the best steaks I've ever eaten, or cooked! Even my wife (who doesn't really love steak) said they were the best steaks I'd ever made, and I've been cooking steaks for her for almost 30 years!! Imagine a tender filet mignon; that doesn't have anything on this! And the funny part is, I believe this was "select" grade! Not even choice or prime!
I can't even describe the tenderness and beefy flavor profile! Incredibly juicy, fork-tender, and full-flavored!
If you're even thinking about trying dry-aging, GO FOR IT! Definitely worth the 3-week wait!
Oh, and did I mention... WOW!!! ;D ;D
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Wow!!! I think the company that makes the bags for dry aging is gonna owe you a commission! I believe you may have just upped their sales by a measurable percentage. Those look amazing! I will be doing this soon.
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Hehe...Make the check payable to:...lol! Yeah, it's stupid simple, and they work as advertised! Literally, the hardest part is the wait, and the trimming! I broke a sweat trimming that bad boy! Well-worth-it, though! Amazed at the results!
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WOW those results are amazing and were probably heavenly to eat. Great work Tony. I will be ordering up those bags
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Hey Tony,
Finally, my kegerator is alive again so I can start this dry aging process. Quick question do you trim it at all before putting in the bag? Seems like it wouldn't be necessary or needed since you trim afterwards anyway. Plus I'd think you would want to pull in that flavor as much as possible to the meat.
Assume it is as easy as 1, 2, 3:
1 - Buy Whole Ribeye
2 - Rinse, pat dry, and bag it in the special bag
3 - Wait & Trim
Thx,
Wik
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Great, Wik! It's even easier than you stated! I learned this from watching the videos over at UMAi:
1. No trimming
2. Open the cryo bag the meat is in,
3. Pour a little of the excess juice out,
4. Slide the meat directly into the UMAi bag - no rinsing!
5. Seal the bag and refrigerate!
You don't want to rinse because the meat juice in the bag is clean, and the UMAi bags rely on moisture to work properly. The moisture, on the surface of the meat, is what makes the bag bond to the surface. If it's too dry, you won't get a proper bond.
Watch all the videos at UMAi - good stuff!
Good luck!
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Thanks for the tip! For some reason I was thinking it had to be dry. But it has been quite a while since I "scanned" some of those videos. Saved me from making a huge mistake! Definitely need to spend some time over in their videos again.
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It's SO worth the time doing this! Absolutely the best steaks I've ever had! I bought some nice Porterhouse steaks from Sam's last weekend. They were beautiful; well-marbled, nice and thick with a big filet on each. Cooked them up, as usual, and even the family said they couldn't hold a candle the the aged ribeyes! The taste was bland, in comparison, and not even close to the tenderness. Don't get me wrong, they were really good steaks, but the dry-aging will definitely spoil you! Proceed with caution, my friend! ;)
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See there you go Tony, I don't know if I can handle NOT having dry aged after this. It would be like being in heaven then brought back to Earth and to live this as usual. Or like never having Bacon then having some and then told you can never have any again.....such horrors.
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So, you going to try it too, Ben? It will ruin you on "regular" steaks!
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Yes I am but first I am buying a small fridge for just meats so I can keep the main fridge open to other things.
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Cool! You should be able to do 2 bags at once, with a dedicated "meat" fridge! I just took my last three out of the freezer from this batch. Cooking them will be a day of mixed emotions. So happy, because they're so good, but sad because they're the last! :( I have to get another ribeye in the fridge SOON!! ;D
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Grilled the last 3 ribeyes this weekend. Being vacuum sealed in the freezer, they thawed like fresh steaks. If you don't have a vacuum sealer, get one!
The family was sad that these were the last of them, so I need to get another ribeye in the fridge as soon as possible! That way, I can have more of them the first week of April!
This will close the books on this thread. I've gone through the whole process, and just ate the last results, and the entire experience was phenomenal! I highly recommend the UMAi Dry Age bags, and recommend you try this (if you love great steaks). I want to try this process on a big sirloin tip roast, and will definitely use it on this year's Christmas prime rib!! ;D
Thanks for following on this one; hope you enjoyed the ride!
p.s. - you can still ask all the questions you want! I'll help in any way, but I won't be posting any "new" info here about this ribeye....IT"S GONE! ;)
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I received my sampler package from UMAI today. Weston Pro2300 vac sealer arrives tomorrow. Will be following your lead soon!
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You'll never look back on "ordinary" steaks again, Walt! It will definitely ruin you! ;)