For those who are interested regarding aging meat, I thought I would pass on these tips which came from a newsletter called Recipe du Jour which has, unfortunately, faded from the cyber scene. See how much darker the aged meat is and so much more tender.
1. Rich already mentioned the flank steak, so I can move along to the good part: how to age meat in a
2. Turn twice a day, rinsing the rack and drip pan when necessary. After about a week, I noticed the flank steak appeared dry around the edges. So I rinsed off (massaged) the steak with cold water and patted dry. Worked great. Friday night's flank steak had aged for about 1-1/2 weeks. Next time I will go a full two weeks. Maybe longer.
3. Friday morning I removed the flank steak(s) from the refrigerator and rinsed them off. I wrapped one in plastic-wrap and put it in the freezer for a rainy day, and seasoned the remaining one with sea salt (or coarse Kosher salt), fresh ground rosemary, and coarse black pepper. Nothing more. I pressed the seasoning well into the surface of the meat.
4. I seared the flank steak for 90 seconds on each side on a VERY hot (on high) open grill. Then cooked the steak on each side (medium heat) for an additional 4 minutes. (2-1/2 minutes to 3 minutes would have probably been better*, although a small portion of the steak remained medium rare.)
5. And there you have it. My observations: I did not discover any unpleasant odors from the aging meat. In fact, the meat-locker smell was rather pleasant. Any negative odors came from the drip pan not having been rinsed often enough. There was NOT an excessive amount of juice. The steak gradually grew to a deep burgundy color as aging continued. The final feast could be cut with a fork. Just ask Rich.
6. And, oh--- yesterday I thawed the frozen flank steak and prepared it exactly the same as above, except I *reduced each subsequent side's cooking time to 2-3/4 minutes. Outstanding. Try aging your next roast beef purchase before your next cookout. You'll be glad you did.
Have a great day
Hi Jo - glad Matt bowled well ... the fridge going on the blink is a nuisance - I can see that. We are now used to larger sized fridges here - hope that gets sorted out easily.
ReplyDeleteWell reared and well hung meat ... is so good and so much tastier than supermarket meats ... thanks for the information .. cheers Hilary
So was he Hilary. I was not so happy LOL. Yes, I am concerned about the stuff in the fridge at the moment.
DeleteAged meat is so much better isn't it?
Refrigerators need to be kept between 34 and 38 degrees F. 40 - 140 degrees is considered the 'danger zone' for food. We had a refrigerator in the employee lounge where I worked. When you opened the door, you could not feel any cold air. I would turn the thermostat down, but a week later someone would have turned it up. When I questioned maintenance about it, the woman said it ran too often when set low. Needless to say, I never put food in there. What did she think a refrigerator was for? I do not eat beef, but when I do a roast for the holidays I always age it. Big difference.
ReplyDeletePeople can be so stupid can't they Denise. I set ours full on but it isn't getting cold enough.
DeleteHow do you age your beef?
I've only aged standing rib. In the fridge with a paper towel over the top. Usually for a week. Then I trim off the darkened areas before cooking. I've never rinsed it first.
DeleteWell if it's worked for you Denise, sounds good.
DeleteOh my. You will surely call me a Philistine again...I never heard of aging meat. If I wasn't cooking and eating within four day, I was feeding the meat to the dogs. I thought it would be spoiled!
ReplyDeleteNow you know Liz. My Philistine friend LOL. Meat needs to be aged to be edible at all. Certainly Canada, and I assume the States too, don't age their meat nearly as long as is done in Europe. Sadly. A fillet for instance, should melt in your mouth without being cooked to death.
DeleteThat seems like quite the process. I don't know if I'm man enough to attempt that. I always seem to pick out the meat that goes bad the fastest.
ReplyDeleteWe have a small refrigerator too, and it's always packed to the brim. We actually had to get a mini-freezer to keep in the basement for spare meat. If you cook with fresh ingredients 6 nights a week, it's really easy to fill up a refrigerator of any size.
Course you are Bryan, you should try it. I promise you it makes a difference you will appreciate. Check what Denise said above too. We have a freezer, not very big, but couldn't live without it. Getting a new fridge Thursday, but I dread how small it is going to be.
DeleteI've never tried aging beef. I'm not a fan of roast or steak but my husband certainly is. I like our big refrigerator and dread having to replace it. Very expensive.
ReplyDeleteAged beef is so much better. I bet hubby would prefer it Susan. Our fridge isn't that big anyway, so if the new on is smaller, we won't be too happy.
DeleteWell if your fridge is going down hill at least it gave you a warning. Every time we have a big occasion I'm always terrified the fridge will break down the night before. There's no reason it would but I just dread the thought of all that food going off. I hope they do the right thing by you.
ReplyDeleteD'you know I never think of that Pinky. I assume the fridge will keep plugging away. Of course here, food wouldn't go off that quickly anyway, luckily. We are getting a new fridge on Friday.
DeleteSorry about your fridge. Our washer and dryer had to be replaced and they got us a stackable which I just hate. But like you, had no choice. I hope your new one comes promptly and is an adequate size.
ReplyDeleteYes, I wouldn't like a stackable either but at least you have your own machines JoJo. But as you say, no choice in the matter.
DeleteBummer about the fridge. I remember seeing the smaller fridges in England. Minis compared to some of the beasts we have here.
ReplyDeleteYup and I'm still getting bitten. Not sure when you were there Alex, but last time we went, the fridges were bigger, not as big as over here, but much bigger than they used to be.
DeleteI am going backwards which means, I answered your newest post first and mentioned that I hope you get a bigger fridge but it seems it may be even smaller....that sucks. Maybe, when you have company over, you should invest in a coolatron. They are great when camping or if you need something extra. We bought ours at Crappy Tire.
ReplyDeleteLOL Birgit. I guess I will see what arrives tomorrow. I have seen those coolatrons and wondered. But then I haven't really anywhere to keep one I don't think.
DeleteGlad to read that no negative odors came from the meat. Always a plus.
ReplyDeleteYou don't really eat meat though do you Ivy? It is a fact that in Europe meat is hung for a lot longer before it is sold to the public making it much more tender.
DeleteThe lamb I got was from Australia. Very tender and so yummy. But no, now I don't eat much meat at all.
DeleteOrganic locally grown chicken, I can still eat (thankfully). And same with organic eggs. I can do sardines, too. And last I checked, canned salmon. But no cow, lamb or pig. That's long time off the menu.
Maybe you would do OK with locally bred lamb if you can find it Ivy. Much more expensive mind you.
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