can we do this ourselves at home? I got my hands on 80 pounds of Prime-grade bone-in, fatcap-intact beef ribs to get my answers Over the course of two months or so, I aged them in close to a dozen different ways in order to determine what works, what doesn’t, and what matters Here’s what I found The Purpose of Aging Q: How does aging work? Good question! First, a brief rundown on why you might want to age meat Conventional wisdom cites three specific goals when dry-aging meat, all of which contribute toward improving its flavor or texture Moisture loss is said to be a major factor A dry-aged piece of beef can drop up to 30 percent of its initial mass through water loss, which concentrates its flavor At least that’s the theory But is it true? [Cue dramatic foreshadowing music.] Tenderization occurs when enzymes naturally present in the meat act to break down some of the tougher muscle fibers and connective tissues A well-aged steak should be noticeably more tender than a fresh steak But is it? Flavor change is caused by numerous processes, including enzymatic and bacterial action, along with the oxidation of fat and other fat-like molecules Properly dryaged meat will develop deeply beefy, nutty, and almost cheese-like aromas Q: But is aged meat really better than fresh meat? It depends I had a panel of tasters test meats aged to various degrees and rank them in overall preference, tenderness, and funkiness Almost everybody who tasted meat that had been aged for a couple of weeks—the time by which some degree of tenderization has occurred but seriously funky flavor has yet to develop—preferred it to completely fresh meat But folks were more mixed about meat aged longer than that Many preferred the more complex, cheese-like flavors that develop with meat aged for between 30 and 45 days Some even liked the really funky flavors that developed in 45- to 60-day meat Where you lie on that spectrum is a matter of personal taste I personally prefer meat aged for 60 days, but beyond that, it gets a little too strong for me Q: OK, I’m sold But why would I want to do it at home when I can order it online or from my butcher? Two reasons: First, bragging rights How awesome is that dinner party where you can say to your friends, “Like this beef? I aged it for 8 weeks myself,” gonna be? Second, it saves you money Lots of money Aging meat takes time and space, and time and space cost money That cost gets passed on to the consumer Well-aged meat costs anywhere from 50 to 100 percent more than an equivalent piece of fresh meat At home, so long as you are willing to give up a corner of your fridge or you have a spare minifridge, the extra costs are minimal You may have heard that in addition to the time and space required, much of the cost of aged meat comes down to the amount of meat that is wasted—that is, the meat that dries out and needs to be trimmed off This is not as big a ... minifridge, the extra costs are minimal You may have heard that in addition to the time and space required, much of the cost of aged meat comes down to the amount of meat that is wasted—that is, the. .. meat aged longer than that Many preferred the more complex, cheese-like flavors that develop with meat aged for between 30 and 45 days Some even liked the really funky flavors that developed in... takes time and space, and time and space cost money That cost gets passed on to the consumer Well-aged meat costs anywhere from 50 to 100 percent more than an equivalent piece of fresh meat At home, so long as you are willing to give