I think aging beef at home for too long hurts more than helps

I was at a butcher meetup in Nashville last month and heard a guy say he dry ages his prime rib for 60 days at home. In my experience, anything past 30 days in a home fridge just gives you more trim loss and a funky smell. The flavor change is so small it is not worth the meat you throw away. I get that some folks like the bragging rights, but has anyone else found the sweet spot is way shorter than the internet says?

3 comments

3 Comments

mileslane13d ago

Woah, 60 days in a regular home fridge? That just sounds like a science experiment waiting to go wrong to me. I've always heard you need some serious climate control for anything past 30 days or you're just asking for a bad time.

wood.uma13d ago

Has anyone actually tried doing a taste test side by side? I did 21 day versus 45 day once with the same cut from the same cow. My buddy @mileslane was there. We both agreed the 45 day had a slightly deeper flavor but the texture was starting to get weird. Like almost crumbly in spots. Plus I lost almost 30 percent of the weight to trim. That's a lot of money down the drain for a tiny flavor bump. For me, 21 days hits the balance right without all the fuss.

quinn16113d ago

Take it from someone who trashed a whole rib roast once. @mileslane is right, 30 days is the max in a regular fridge. Beyond that you're just feeding mold and losing meat. Stick to 21-28 days and you get the flavor without the headache.