28 Days. It's Here! It's Here!

[Salmonsmoker]

After 28 days it's finally time to see what's been happening inside the UMAi bag in the garage fridge. A whole rib eye. I didn't take a starting picture or take the weight. I didn't do any trimming, as advised in the directions.

With the bag peeled off. Looks like good contact was maintained with the bag.

I cut the rib eye into 1 1/4" steaks before doing the trimming.

After trimming off the hard crust and fat cap.

Vacuum packed and ready for the freezer.

I kept 2 steaks out for tomorrow's dinner. They'll be grilled on the barrel smoker with some oak pellets and DSSR. I'm expecting to be in a meat coma shortly after that, so sometime this weekend I'll post my impressions of this dry aging process.

 

[51Phantom]

Ssssswwwwwweeeeeeeeeettttttttt! Looks awesome!

 

[muebe]

Heck yeah! You are going to love their flavor

 

[scooter]

I would suggest you go get a fresh ribeye to cook alongside. Season it the same way and compare the final products to determine exactly what the differences are and if its worth the time spent aging. My curious mind would want to know.

 

[Harvison]

I would suggest you go get a fresh ribeye to cook alongside. Season it the same way and compare the final products to determine exactly what the differences are and if its worth the time spent aging. My curious mind would want to know.

Me too. Sounds good though.

 

[Salmonsmoker]

Test time!
I took Scooter's suggestion and pulled an un-dry-aged rib eye eye steak out of the freezer for the control sample. The thicker steak on the right is the dry aged one. Seasoned both with Double Secret Steak Rub.

On the UDS with some oak pellets to keep the spuds company. I started the thick steak first and let the IT come up to 80F before putting the thinner steak on.

Here's the meal plated, with the dryaged steak on the left. It was my wife's turn to choose the degree of doneness(is that a word?). I prefer med. rare, but this works.

Impressions:
Although both pieces of steak where excellent, the dry aged steak was more tender and flavorful than the control steak. There weren't any leftovers, by the way. Was it worth the effort? Absolutely! Ruth's Chris puts out a fine steak, but not any better than what we ate last night.

Two thumbs up!

 

[weasel]

Nice! thanks for sharing! I can't say I've ever actually smoked a steak before.... I've always down a hight temp sear, then indirect "bake" up to temperature. Those look mighty tasty though. What were the details on how you cooked them? Might have to try aging some beef sometime..

 

[muebe]

Thanks for doing the side-by-side comparison Salmon. I also find the dry aged steaks have a very deep, beef flavor. Better than prime rib-eyes I have made and that is saying something! It is well worth the time and effort.

 

[RickB]

Those look just like they should. Nice job!

 

[RickB]

Was at costco friday and they had prime whole ribeys? Wanted one so bad.

 

[muebe]

How much? $150? or higher?

 

[Salmonsmoker]

Nice! thanks for sharing! I can't say I've ever actually smoked a steak before.... I've always down a hight temp sear, then indirect "bake" up to temperature. Those look mighty tasty though. What were the details on how you cooked them? Might have to try aging some beef sometime..

These weren't actually smoked, but BBQ'ed over briquettes in the drum smoker with a small handful of oak pellets. I grilled them @ 280F until they reached IT of 120F, pulled the steaks and raised the basket to the high position. Then opened the bottom vents to get coals nice and hot, and then put the steaks on just long enough to get a good sear. OU LALA!

 

[RickB]

How much? $150? or higher?

$177. Think it was 10.49 lb. still not bad for prime

 

[scooter]

Good test! Both steaks looked great! You came to the same conclusion I did when I did a drybag experiment.
I don't have a second fridge in the garage like you do which is the optimal situation for dry aging meat. You really do need a fridge that doesn't get opened multiple times a day all day long. Temps and humidity repeatedly spiking and recovering throughout the day as family members open/close the door.
Also, there is the domestic tension created between me and Mrs scooter attributed to me taking up an entire half shelf of her fridge to age a hunk of meat for a month! Especially when I'm already taking up valuable space for a dozen or so open bottles of BBQ sauce, injections and marinades plus multiple meat base containers!
I desperately need my own BBQ fridge/dry aging vessel in the garage!! Now all I need is to make room for it!