Switched from water bath to dry aging in my home fridge 3 years ago

I used to wet age every primal I bought, just vacuum seal and wait three weeks. Then I converted a mini fridge with a fan and humidity controller, and the difference in flavor concentration on a sirloin was night and day. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed their crust coming out better?

3 comments

3 Comments

nelson.vera1mo ago

I guess I'm the contrarian here because I went the other way. After three years of dry aging I actually went back to wet aging for most cuts. The crust thing is overblown, I can get a better sear on a wet aged strip than any dry aged piece I've tried. All that moisture loss in dry aging just leaves you with a smaller steak and a higher price per pound. Wet aging gives you that same tenderness without sacrificing a quarter of the weight.

evan_cooper731mo ago

You know what, I get that completely. After a few years of dry aging I started noticing the same thing with weight loss on some tougher cuts like round or chuck. The crust thing is funny because I actually get a better sear on wet aged meat too. I still dry age the expensive stuff for special occasions, but for everyday steaks I'm back to wet aging and don't miss losing that quarter of the weight.

foster.jordan1mo ago

Man, you guys are really overthinking this whole dry aging thing, huh? I mean, we're talking about cooking a piece of meat, not splitting the atom. I get that there's a difference, but at the end of the day, if it tastes good and you don't screw it up in the pan, who cares about the details? It's just a steak, not a science experiment.