Unpopular opinion: dry aging at home is overrated for most people

I was a huge skeptic when my buddy Mike at the shop kept pushing me to try dry aging my own primals at home. I figured it was just another gadget trend like those sous vide circulators everyone bought and never used. Then I actually did a 45 day dry age on a whole ribeye primal in my dedicated fridge setup. The crust loss was brutal, like 30% trim waste, and the flavor difference was not worth $8 a pound for what I paid. I think most home guys are better off just buying a well aged prime from a real butcher and focusing on their cutting technique instead. The mold risk alone if your humidity wavers makes me nervous. Has anyone else here tried it and just gone back to wet aged stuff?

3 comments

3 Comments

wright.leo3d ago

Your 30% trim waste stat really hit home for me, I used to defend home dry aging but after my own loss I see your point completely.

nelson.wren3d ago

Oh man, I gotta disagree here. My home dry aging setup has been worth every bit of that 30% trim. I just finished a 45 day ribeye that lost maybe 28% in trim but the flavor was unreal, way better than anything I've bought at a butcher shop. The dark meat and that concentrated beef taste you just cant get from a wet aged steak. Plus I dry age whole primals so 30% loss on a 20 pound cut still gives me like 14 pounds of amazing steak for way less than what I'd pay retail. My last prime rib from costco cost me $8 a pound after trim and aging, try finding that quality anywhere for that price lol

the_oliver3d ago

Yeah the waste is brutal, made me rethink all my setups too.