Vent: that old timer at the supply house gave me bad advice on aging beef

An old butcher named Pete told me to hang a prime rib for 45 days in my regular cooler, no special setup. Well, it came out with a nasty sour smell and I lost $380 worth of meat. How do you tell someone their advice is outdated without burning a bridge?

3 comments

3 Comments

baker.christopher9d ago

Wait, did you ask him what temp he normally runs his cooler at? I had a buddy who went through almost the exact same thing with an old timer from a meat shop in his town. He lost a whole striploin that cost him $250 and smelled like a barn floor. Turns out that guy kept his cooler way colder than a regular walk-in, like 32 degrees instead of the usual 38-40 that most kitchen fridges sit at. My friend just told him "hey man, I think my fridge runs hot, your method might need a colder setup than what I've got" and the old guy actually nodded and admitted most home coolers ain't built for that long of a hang.

beth_park9d ago

Yeah, that temp thing is a huge deal. I keep my home fridge at 34 to 35 degrees for meat myself, and I've noticed even a couple degrees warmer can make a big difference. That old timer probably had his cooler dialed in real tight for long hangs, like your buddy found out. It's one of those things that sounds simple but can ruin a whole piece of meat if you don't match the setup. Always good to ask about their actual setup before trying their method yourself.

simon_carr8d ago

Took a venison loin out of my fridge after a 10 day dry age and it was fine, then tried the same with a pork shoulder and it came out tacky and gross. Never thought to check the actual temp zones in my fridge, just assumed it was all the same. Ended up buying a little thermometer to put right on the meat shelf and found out the back corner was 5 degrees colder than the front. Now I rotate my meat every few days and it's way more consistent. The old timer probably had his whole setup mapped out exact, not just one number on a dial.