leom74•2mo ago

TIL how much weight a full beef side actually loses during dry aging

I was reading an old trade journal from the Kansas City Butcher's Guild and it said a standard 700 pound side can lose over 100 pounds of water weight after 28 days in the cooler. I always knew there was shrinkage, but seeing that number really surprised me. Anyone else have good data on yield percentages for different aging times?

4 comments

4 Comments

wood.uma2mo ago

Oh man, is it a big deal? Only if you think flavor is a big deal. That missing hundred pounds is basically all the bland water that was taking up space. What's left is the good stuff, all the beefy taste packed way tighter. It's like the meat got concentrated. So yeah, you pay for that missing weight, but you're paying for steak, not fancy water.

williamhenderson2mo ago

My buddy runs a small steakhouse and got his first whole side to age in house. He called me after two weeks, kind of panicked, because it looked so much smaller. He was sure he got ripped off or something was wrong. I had to explain that no, that's just the water leaving. He calmed down after he cooked a test steak and said it was the best he'd ever tasted. The loss in weight is just the price of that flavor.

barbarawebb2mo ago

That "over 100 pounds" of water weight seems like a lot, but is it really that big of a deal for the final product?

kai_chen227d ago

Honestly, if my steak didn't lose that much water, I'd be worried it was holding a grudge! It's like the meat is getting rid of all its emotional baggage before it hits the grill. That missing weight is just the beef's way of focusing on what really matters, which is being incredibly delicious. So yeah, it's a big deal, but only in the best way possible.