Trying Dry Aging using Japanese Koji Rice


 
Jon Tofte

Jon Tofte

TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
I heard about this concept from my brother-in-law. He shared this link with me:

Koji-Rubbed Steak: How to Fake Dry Aging in 48 Hours | Bon Appétit (bonappetit.com)

I bought some Koji rice from Amazon that was already ground and in small foil packages. Probably more expensive, but I wanted to give some as gifts and this seemed more practical. I kept a couple packages and tried one tonight. One foil package was just enough to do these 4 top sirloins I bought at Sam's:

Dry Aged Steaks on the Q.jpeg
Dry Aged Steaks finished.jpeg

So how did they do? Well, I do think they were more tender than I would have gotten with just straight grilling out of the package. Not really very hard to do. I meant to take a couple pictures of the process but failed to do so. I will do it again, but I don't think it is so incredible that I will feel the need to use this all the time. Probably the biggest benefit would be for average steaks where this method can up the quality to what you would expect from higher quality steak.
 
No, that is just from turning them once diagonally on the Q. It’s thick and tight cast iron slats wind up covering most of the meat when using this method. Different from, dare I say, GrillGrates. More in line with what Larry and Meathead both espouse as your goal in doing steak. I think the look combines my love for crosshatch sear marks with the desirability of more crust.
 
OK, I asked because that is what the recipe called for but I did notice those nice well defined sear marks.
 
Bruce in looking at the article it appeared to read sear in pan finish in oven. Well using the grill as Jon did I think presents everything in one step
 
They look really good, glad to see a member give this a try.
I posted about the method in 2018. Bought the rice from an eBay seller, he then said he was out of stock or made some other excuse.
Here's the post, it contains a couple links to articles about the process.
tvwbb.com

Dry Aged Steak in 48 hours

We need a brave member to do this and report back. https://www.popsci.com/cook-steak-koji-fungus
tvwbb.com tvwbb.com
 
Bob Correll said:
They look really good, glad to see a member give this a try.
I posted about the method in 2018. Bought the rice from an eBay seller, he then said he was out of stock or made some other excuse.
Here's the post, it contains a couple links to articles about the process.
tvwbb.com

Dry Aged Steak in 48 hours

We need a brave member to do this and report back. https://www.popsci.com/cook-steak-koji-fungus
tvwbb.com tvwbb.com
Click to expand...

Thanks for that link, Bob.

The pre-ground stuff I bought does add to the cost, but it is convenient and simpler. It took one of these packages to do those 4 small steaks:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08N5ZSGHH/?tag=tvwb-20

One thing I liked in one of those posts was the idea of salting well after the aging process and giving it a whole half hour for the salt to draw out the proteins. I let mine sit out, but not a half hour and I seasoned with Longhorn. My more typical favorite is Dizzy Pig "Cow Lick" which I combine with Himalayan pink salt. I think next time I try this process I will use the salt only for the half hour rest and then add my Cow Lick or maybe other pepper-based seasoning right before cooking.
 
Looks good! Would highly reccomend trying this method though

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It definitely isn't the same as long period dry aging but it is absolutely delicious. I've actually used this as a sauce base also. Having said that you do have to ferment the rice first so I suppose there is a bit of an extra step there but not a hard one!

Clark
 
Clark Deutscher said:
Looks good! Would highly reccomend trying this method though

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ChefSteps

ChefSteps is here to make cooking more fun. Get recipes, tips, and videos that show the whys behind the hows for sous vide, grilling, baking, and more.
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It definitely isn't the same as long period dry aging but it is absolutely delicious. I've actually used this as a sauce base also. Having said that you do have to ferment the rice first so I suppose there is a bit of an extra step there but not a hard one!

Clark
Click to expand...
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UPDATE WITH PICTURES

I was happy enough with my first try with Koji rice that I thought I would try again. I splurged for a pair of Prime Rib-Eyes from Sam's. My wife and her aunt who lives with us can only handle about 1/2 of a steak like this, so it was enough for the three of us and a few finely cut up pieces for my father in law who also lives with us but who has ruined teeth and can't wear his dentures.

So here is each step:

Get something decent to work with, but one good thing about this method is that it can help turn average steaks into really good ones! I don't buy Prime very often, but this was a special splurge. The Koji rice I used is from Amazon and is already powder. You can start with regular Koji rice and grind it up in a food processor. Probably save you some money, but for the few times I can time things right to be able to do this, I am fine with the powder price price. A lot more convenient!

Raw Prime Rib Eyes & Koji Rice.jpeg

Cover the your steak(s) with the Koji rice powder:

Rib Eyes covered with Koji rice.jpeg

Set inside a refrigerator uncovered on a wire rack:

Rib Eyes put on rack in fridge.jpeg

Let them sit for about 2 days/48 hours. The articles recommend against going too long as you can have the reverse effect of the steak getting tough. This is what mine looked like after the two days:

Rib Eyes after 2 days on rack in fridge.jpeg

Thoroughly wash off the steaks to get all the Koji rice off:

Wash Rib Eyes off.jpeg

Pat steaks dry with paper towels and season to taste. I used LongHorn Seasoning but put it on lighter than I would for myself since the rest of the household prefers it milder:

Seasoning for Rib Eyes.jpegRib Eyes dried off and seasoned.jpeg

Grill you favorite way. (I would rather cook on cast iron over charcoal such as on my CharQ, but again I was trying to please my wife who doesn't like charcoal or much seasoning. If you don't like GrillGrates, just look past that for now. It would have done as well or better on cast iron or thick rod stainless:

Rib Eyes on the Grill.jpeg

And, at last, SERVE!

Rib Eyes Served!.jpeg

They were quite tender, but my wife says she thinks the biggest difference is the flavor. I can't really define it, but the steak tasted more like "steakhouse" than mine normally does.
 
Jon Tofte said:
UPDATE WITH PICTURES

I was happy enough with my first try with Koji rice that I thought I would try again. I splurged for a pair of Prime Rib-Eyes from Sam's. My wife and her aunt who lives with us can only handle about 1/2 of a steak like this, so it was enough for the three of us and a few finely cut up pieces for my father in law who also lives with us but who has ruined teeth and can't wear his dentures.

So here is each step:

Get something decent to work with, but one good thing about this method is that it can help turn average steaks into really good ones! I don't buy Prime very often, but this was a special splurge. The Koji rice I used is from Amazon and is already powder. You can start with regular Koji rice and grind it up in a food processor. Probably save you some money, but for the few times I can time things right to be able to do this, I am fine with the powder price price. A lot more convenient!

View attachment 23223

Cover the your steak(s) with the Koji rice powder:

View attachment 23225

Set inside a refrigerator uncovered on a wire rack:

View attachment 23226

Let them sit for about 2 days/48 hours. The articles recommend against going too long as you can have the reverse effect of the steak getting tough. This is what mine looked like after the two days:

View attachment 23227

Thoroughly wash off the steaks to get all the Koji rice off:

View attachment 23228

Pat steaks dry with paper towels and season to taste. I used LongHorn Seasoning but put it on lighter than I would for myself since the rest of the household prefers it milder:

View attachment 23229View attachment 23230

Grill you favorite way. (I would rather cook on cast iron over charcoal such as on my CharQ, but again I was trying to please my wife who doesn't like charcoal or much seasoning. If you don't like GrillGrates, just look past that for now. It would have done as well or better on cast iron or thick rod stainless:

View attachment 23231

And, at last, SERVE!

View attachment 23232

They were quite tender, but my wife says she thinks the biggest difference is the flavor. I can't really define it, but the steak tasted more like "steakhouse" than mine normally does.
Click to expand...
Jon, do you have a link to the Product that you bought on Amazon?
 
Have you tried simply doing the same thing but without the ground up rice? I have done this quite a bit (simply leaving the meat on a rack over a tray in the fridge). I have gotten quite good results.
 
LMichaels said:
Have you tried simply doing the same thing but without the ground up rice? I have done this quite a bit (simply leaving the meat on a rack over a tray in the fridge). I have gotten quite good results.
Click to expand...
No, I haven't. I was intrigued by the claims that this type of rice will mimic the results of 30 day dry aging in just 48 hours. It does seem to work pretty nicely, but I will have to compare results from doing the same 48 hours without the Koji rice.
 
Jon Tofte said:
UPDATE WITH PICTURES

I was happy enough with my first try with Koji rice that I thought I would try again. I splurged for a pair of Prime Rib-Eyes from Sam's. My wife and her aunt who lives with us can only handle about 1/2 of a steak like this, so it was enough for the three of us and a few finely cut up pieces for my father in law who also lives with us but who has ruined teeth and can't wear his dentures.

So here is each step:

Get something decent to work with, but one good thing about this method is that it can help turn average steaks into really good ones! I don't buy Prime very often, but this was a special splurge. The Koji rice I used is from Amazon and is already powder. You can start with regular Koji rice and grind it up in a food processor. Probably save you some money, but for the few times I can time things right to be able to do this, I am fine with the powder price price. A lot more convenient!

View attachment 23223

Cover the your steak(s) with the Koji rice powder:

View attachment 23225

Set inside a refrigerator uncovered on a wire rack:

View attachment 23226

Let them sit for about 2 days/48 hours. The articles recommend against going too long as you can have the reverse effect of the steak getting tough. This is what mine looked like after the two days:

View attachment 23227

Thoroughly wash off the steaks to get all the Koji rice off:

View attachment 23228

Pat steaks dry with paper towels and season to taste. I used LongHorn Seasoning but put it on lighter than I would for myself since the rest of the household prefers it milder:

View attachment 23229View attachment 23230

Grill you favorite way. (I would rather cook on cast iron over charcoal such as on my CharQ, but again I was trying to please my wife who doesn't like charcoal or much seasoning. If you don't like GrillGrates, just look past that for now. It would have done as well or better on cast iron or thick rod stainless:

View attachment 23231

And, at last, SERVE!

View attachment 23232

They were quite tender, but my wife says she thinks the biggest difference is the flavor. I can't really define it, but the steak tasted more like "steakhouse" than mine normally does.
Click to expand...
Great post Jon! I have loved the results I have been getting lately with a salt brine for at least 24 hours to max 72 hours in the frig setting up the same you you do here with the wire rack. Do you think this rice is ever better then what I am doing with the salt?
 
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