What is dry aging?
Originally, dry aging was used as a way to preserve meat before refrigeration was invented. Today—amidst the urgency to bring cattle to market sooner, modern freezing techniques, and demand for fast, convenient food—dry aging is almost a lost art; it takes time and it’s an expensive, labor-intensive process. The Lobels are among the few practitioners anywhere of old fashioned, dry-aging methods, in their own patented dry-aging lockers, for up to six weeks—longer than most beef purveyors. In the dry-aging process, beef primals or subprimals are held in coolers under tight temperature, air-circulation, and humidity controls. During this time, the natural action of enzymes breaks down connective tissue to render the beef fork-tender. When aged for up to six weeks, the beef’s appearance will change as well. Within the dry-aging room, the beef will develop a crust that seals the meat and protects it from deterioration. The beef can lose from 25 to 30 percent of its overall weight to dehydra
More a luxury than a standard practice, dry aging is a process where beef is stored in strict climate controlled lockers that, over time, allow enzymes to break down connective tissue and render the beef fork-tender After weeks of aging, the beef develops a crust that seals in the natural flavor of the meat and provides for a more tender and richly beefy taste.
In times past, dry aging was used as a way to preserve meat before refrigeration was invented. These days, with the urgent demand for quickly fattened, convenient beef, dry-aging has become a thing of the past. On the part of the butcher, it takes time, space and a special know-how. On our part it means slowing down the process to an even greater degree and losing as much as 20% of our beef. Dry-aging takes time and its an expensive, labor-intensive process. In the dry-aging process, the beef is held in coolers under tight temperature, air-circulation, and humidity controls. The natural action of the enzymes break down connective tissue to rendering beef that is fork-tender with a genuine beefy flavor. When aged for up to 21 days, the beefs appearance changes as well. Within the dry-aging room, the beef will develop a crust that seals the meat and protects it from deterioration. The beef can lose from 25 to 30 percent of its overall weight to dehydration during the aging process. This
