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Dry-Aged,
Wet-Aged Beef
Yesterday,
two different people asked me this on the radio:
I don't exactly understand the difference between dry-aged and wet-aged beef. Can you explain? Tom sez: Dry-aged beef has become a very rare item around New Orleans, but to my palate it's the hallmark of the ultimate steak. Dry-aging involves storing whole beef roasts (most commonly, New York strip roasts and rib-eyes) in a refrigerator, exposed to the air. After two to four weeks, the outside of the beef gets very dark and hard. Sometimes a mold even grows on it. When the butcher deems it ready, he slices off the exterior eighth of an inch or so, cut it into steaks, and it's ready for the broiler. The advantages of dry-aging are that the flavors of the beef are concentrated, and the aging process itself adds a flavor that connoisseurs find delectable. On the other hand. some people find that same flavor reminds them of over-the-hill meat, and hate the idea. The disadvantages of dry-aging is that the beef loses a significant amount of weight, and so becomes more expensive to serve. Locally, only the Besh Steak House in Harrah's is currently dry-aging its beef. Delmonico was doing so before the storm, and will again when it opens next week. Smith and Wollensky was the only other dry-ager, but it's gone from here entirely. Ruth's Chris and Morton's used to dry-age, but no longer do. Wet-aging is, in my opinion, not aging at all. The beef roasts are kept in the vacuum plastic wrapper, under refrigeration, for as much as six weeks. They become tenderer, but there's no noticeable change in the flavor. Which will seem an advantage to those who prefer fresh-tasting beef. But to me it's nothing special. Revised 3/10/08 Copyright © 2008 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. |
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