Aging Beef in cryovac bags


 
M

Mick N

TVWBB Member
I'm wondering if anyone could give me some detail on aging beef cuts in cryovac bags.
I have a fridge that I can get down as low as freezing.
I see large rump cuts in cryovac from Butchers that advertise "Aged for 13 weeks" and so forth.
I have a chuck roast that I would like to age as it was pretty fresh when bought.
Thanks
 
check out this link. It was posted up here a couple of months ago in a thread about aging beef. Despite the title of the pdf, it has some great info on how wet and dry aging effects the taste and tenderness of beef.

I've read where pros like to have their comp briskets wet aged for 5 weeks. That requires knowing when the meat was packed, and that date is only provided on the case. To resolve this most buy a case.

I'm not entirely sold on wet aging. If you happen to try any controlled experiments involving wet aging, be sure to post your results. I'd like to know if you find an improvement.
 
I have wet aged briskets up to 3-4 weeks at a time. Some have done this longer.

I usually do 2 to 3 weeks.

I've only had one casualty brisket doing this.

It is important to find the pack date before doing so.

Results in my experience are overall positive, but not earth shattering....lol
 
It is important to find the pack date before doing so.

Results in my experience are overall positive, but not earth shattering....lol
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I'm nursing a relationship with a small butch who's also a bit of a bbq'r. I'm thinking he might be able to keep track of the pack date on a case of brisket for me, but I haven't asked yet.

That's my feeling too regarding wet aging. When you look at the data from that pdf the results aren't great. When comparing wet aged beef to unaged, there wasn't much difference in flavor. The wet aged differ in two categories, coming out higher in "bloody" and "sour" flavors.

It looks like wet aging does help with tenderness. But kcbs comps weight taste a lot higher than tenderness, so I'm not sure why someone would sacrifice taste for tenderness.
 
You won't find much flavor difference. Wet aging is done for tenderness reasons: enzymatic activity in the meat increases tenderness. Water loss during dry aging is what affects flavor as the loss results in concentrated flavors in the meat. As there is no water loss during wet aging there is no concentration.
 
You won't find much flavor difference. Wet aging is done for tenderness reasons: enzymatic activity in the meat increases tenderness. Water loss during dry aging is what affects flavor as the loss results in concentrated flavors in the meat. As there is no water loss during wet aging there is no concentration.
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The pdf supports everything you say. In flavor, the only really significant difference was that the dry aged beef had a higher "brown/roasted" score.

In addition to the flavor concentration, I understand dry aging boosts umami by molecular decomposition (proteins into amino acids, nucleic acid into nucleotides, and fatty acids into aromatic hydrocarbons).

Enzymatic actions has go to be close to nil at fridge temps. Is temp a factor during wet aging?

edit: storage temp info is discussed in pdf
 
Enzymatic activity is slower at low temps but is present at temps in the upper 20s. Activity increases as temps rise.
 
Thanks for that information, Very comprehensive.
Im stuck with wet aging due to the fridge in question is also the beer fridge. Would be too difficult to keep hygiene with various hands going in for a cold one.
The cut I have (7 pd Chuck) was taken from the beast and not packed until I let it air dry in the fridge for 24 hrs (I controlled the fridge during this time) I think I will let it age for 21 days and then follow a pulled chuck smoke that I read hearabouts on this forum.
Thanks again.
 
FWIW:

I've wet-aged whole warehouse-club beef tenderloins for up to 16 weeks. And yes, they get ridiculously tender. Not mushy, but very, very tender.

The flavor is a TINY bit more minerally...but that's it. Tenderloin isn't the most flavor-packed part of the cow anyway, so that's why a lot of recipes pair it up with assertive seasonings (crust of cracked peppercorns, anyone?) and sharp sauces (i.e. horseradish laced cream).

My guess is that different cuts/grades have different ideal aging regimens and it may pay off to investigate these.
 
I normally wet age tri tips and have noticed a big increase in tenderness. I normally age for 10-14 days because I read somewhere that after that point you begin to have diminishing returns on tenderness. I haven't noticed a bloody or metallic flavor. I don't think that wet aging adds a lot of flavor. I have never had a dry aged steak so I have no basis to compare the two.
Lance
 
One can wet-age for weeks and not a few wholesalers and restaurants do. The diminishing returns applies more to dry-aging and then, really, more to home cooks whose conditions (humidity, airflow, temp) might very well not be ideal.

Ask your retailer for packages from cases in their walk-in (or if they still have the box(es) that the tri-tips in the meat case came in). On the box will be a pack date and that's what you want to know. ('Sell-by' dates are immaterial.) You will then know the date the meat was packed and can gauge how long you want to age from there based on how long it has aged already. Try a few weeks and up to several weeks, and see what you think of the difference.
 
Kevin,
I guess in the back of my mind I was concerned about going long in aging. I would like to try dry aging. I have a fridge that I could use to do it but I am concerned about humidity. Do you have any ideas about how to measure relative humidity and dry age at home?
Lance
 
Yes. See here. (Note that since I wrote that post I have adopted the perfed container approach, and often age 8-12 days, depending on the roast and my requirements.)
 
Yes. See here. (Note that since I wrote that post I have adopted the perfed container approach, and often age 8-12 days, depending on the roast and my requirements.)
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that's an awesome thread.
icon_eek.gif
glad you linked it!
 
Kevin,
I looked at the linked post which is great but I don't have a wet bulb to determine humidity. My fridge is out in the garage and will not be opened except when I am changing the towel. I am now in the Oregon rainy season so there may be more ambient humidity than there was in TN.
Lance
 
Kevin,
Thanks for the help. You are on fire today. I will check the local stores to see if they have a wet bulb. The irony is that I could have probably picked up an "extra" wet bulb a couple of months ago in my old unit.
Lance
 
You're welcome.

Ask for a hygrometer or a thermometer-hygrometer. The reading are then apparent so you don't need to refer to a chart as you do with a wet bulb.
 
Kevin, I read how the meat will readily absorb flavors while dry aging. The concern is mostly towards off flavors. What I'm wondering is if its possible to control this process? I'm thinking a salt free aromatic spice rub, or a blanket of fresh herbs that could permeate the meat while it slowly ages.

I'm envisioning a dry aged steak that's like a bresaola hybrid.
 
Hmm. Possibly. Spoilage of fresh herbs would be a problem so I'd use dried herbs/spices/aromatics. So as to not unduly affect evaporation I'd go light on the application and see how that goes.
 
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