A Quick Study of Aged Beef

Age – it’s a topic of many takes. Some dread it, some embrace it, and yet some use it to make their steaks taste better. That’s where this particular story begins.

“Aged beef,” in the sense I am using it, is an all-encompassing term. In truth, aged beef comes in a variety of forms. There is, of course, the more well-known dry aged beef, along with wet aged and various other techniques like butter and fat aging – I’ve even seen folks go so far as to use yogurt to age their beef. For simplicity’s sake, I will mainly address the dry and wet aging processes as these are by far the most common methods of aging.

Before we dive in, however, I want to address aging meat as a concept. Aging meat is a centuries-old technique, implemented as both a means of preservation and a flavor developer. Though the process of aging, say, salami is significantly different to aging beef, the idea is still the same – the older it gets, the more flavor it develops. Aging beef is somewhat of a more recent concept in the culinary world; although some sources place its comeuppance around the 1950s, its place in today’s culinary culture cannot be overstated.

The intent of aging beef is to develop flavor and tenderness in the meat – these factors are wholly dependent on the method of aging used. Dry aging beef is a process of controlled rot – the temperature, humidity, and time the meat undergoes determines how it develops. Generally, whole primal or sub-primal cuts are placed in a temperature- and humidity-controlled room or case where air can access all sides of the meat. Over time, the meat loses a significant amount of moisture and usually develops some bacterial growth; thus, the “controlled rot” sets in. The average dry aged cut will age for at least 30 days but can go up to 120 days, sometimes even more. Here at the ‘Block, our dry aged beef goes anywhere from 30 to 100 days, depending on the cut.

Wet aging is a considerably different process. In this case, the chunks of meat are vacuum-sealed and refrigerated, preventing moisture loss entirely. The goal of wet aging is less for flavor and more for tenderness; the naturally occurring enzymes in the meat begin to breakdown and tenderize the cut. Wet aging also takes much less time to produce results – the average wet aged cut is only aged for 7 to 10 days but can go all the way to 60+ days.

Aged beef is, honestly, a vast and nuanced topic. This rundown should be a good introduction – I highly recommend you do your own research or ask a butcher here at the ‘Block to learn more. That being said, all this really comes down to is flavor and tenderness. A lot of folks report the flavor of dry aged beef to be nutty and rich, almost like an aged cheese. Some say it reminds them of the funky earthiness of mushrooms. Personally, my experience with dry aged beef makes me think more of buttered popcorn. Mileage varies.