The difference 6 months of dry aging makes on a ribeye

I used to just cut primal and sell it right away, never really thought about aging. Then we got a dedicated dry age cooler at the shop about 8 months back. Tried a ribeye from a half aged loin at 30 days and one at a full 60 days last week. The 60 day one had so much more beefy flavor and the fat rendered way better in the pan. Anyone else notice a big jump after that 45 day mark on whole muscle cuts?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_paul12d ago

Actually 60 days is past the sweet spot for most whole muscle cuts like ribeye. I've done side by sides with my cooler and the biggest jump is between 28 and 35 days. After 45 you start getting too much moisture loss and that dry, almost funky ammonia note that can take over. The fat rendering better at 60 days is more about the meat losing water weight than the aging itself. You might be mistaking that stronger taste for better quality when really it's just more concentrated flavor from evaporation. For ribeye specifically, 35 to 40 days gives you the best balance of tenderness and beef flavor without sacrificing too much yield.

ward.kim12d ago

I mean I see where you're coming from but I've had totally different results with my longer aged stuff. The 60 day ribeye I tried had this deep nutty almost blue cheese thing going on that just isn't there at 35 days, and the fat cap crisped up way nicer instead of feeling greasy. Maybe it's just me but I actually like that funky note you mentioned, it's not ammonia to me it's just more complex.

jamie_adams12d ago

...and here i am still trying to figure out if my dry age cooler is actually set right or if i just forgot to close the door one night lmao. but seriously i had almost the same experience as you at 45 days, that's when it really clicked for me too. the 30 day ones were good but still felt a little tight in texture, like i could tell it was a good steak but not special. 60 days though i got that same beefy punch you mentioned and the fat just melted off in the pan instead of sitting there all sticky.