Dry aging
It’s natural for meat to tighten up after an animal is slaughtered. That’s why it’s tougher when eaten immediately. To loosen it up I put it through a process called dry aging.
Dry aging accomplishes two things:
It makes the meat more tender
It makes it more flavorful
How is dry aging done?
I have a special refrigerator where I dry age meat at zero degrees for a minimum two days and anywhere from three to five days to longer for some special orders.
Wet aging
Another process of aging is wet aging but I only do this upon request. It means taking the meat and vacuum packing it. Then it would sit in its juices in the fridge for three to five days. Every cut sits for it’s own amount of time but it’s all meant to keep the moisture in.
Dry aging as a specialty
Most supermarket grade meat is wet aged because it ages faster and very little weight is lost, as opposed to dry aging. For this reason dry aging is a specialty service, which I try to provide to my customers because I feel it not only enhances the meat but the experience of whomever is eating it.
Nevertheless, it’s still a personal preference. One type of aging doesn’t necessarily trump the other.
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