[Anglo]

Hi boys!

I was watching Mark Mc Ewan and his buddies having an ultimate steak night.  I do these types of nights with wine, water and some varieties of food with different types of smoking techniques.  This said, I've never done a "steak" night.

So, I went to my favourite butcher and while sometimes I push things too far this time I sincerely question if I am wanting the right thing here.

Here's the big question.

Do you guys think that buying a 12oz piece of rib eye that has been aged for  month and making them continue the aging process for another month is smart, worth it, and going to be ideal?

They were looking at me like I was just going to waste more meat by the mushroom build up being thicker and hence losing more meat.  I think the meat will intensify.  I think Mark Mc Ewan ages his meat for 2 months...?

Thanks!

[some young guy]

I've found that 21-28 days of dry aging is great. All you want to do is let the connecting tissues break down and this is usually plenty enough time for that to happen. Ribeyes are not notoriously tough anyway.

If you want to find your own "sweet spot", Id try adding another week at a time, not another month.

[Anglo]

Thanks.

So, out of curiosity, why do you think Mark Mc Ewan- a famous food network guest chef - go the extra mile for that 2 month old rib eye?

[woodsyi]

I purchased a bunch of Virginia "Kobe" Wagyu steaks from Wegmans at a great price before they caught onto it. They were packaged wet in sealed plastic.  Would they be recommended to be thawed and dried in the refrigerator for days before grilling? 

[TF1216]

This topic interested me so i did a google search.  Here are two links I enjoyed reading.

This link is about aging beef:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/nutrition/DJ5968.html

This link suggests one way to age beef yourself:
http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=How%20to%20age%20beef

[some young guy]

Thanks.

So, out of curiosity, why do you think Mark Mc Ewan- a famous food network guest chef - go the extra mile for that 2 month old rib eye?

I don't know why Mark Mc Ewan- a famous food network guest chef does anything. We've never met.

This topic interested me so i did a google search.  Here are two links I enjoyed reading.

This link is about aging beef:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/nutrition/DJ5968.html

This link suggests one way to age beef yourself:
http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=How%20to%20age%20beef

Good links 

[Imperial]

I like Entrecote steak type! Just had one this afternoon!

You need a half pound Entrecote (mine was aged 14days + 12h of "curing" with the below desrcibed prepp.)
Sage leafs  - fresh thank you!
5 strips of bacon.
One teaspoon of duck fat and a pinch of Saffron and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar(you MUST use sugar with saffron!!)
Tabasco pepper sauce, std type.
Soy oil, and Kalamata Olive oil.
Some like to use garlic also, sometimes.

...

Preparation.:
- The steak is like 1.2 - 1.3 inch thick maybe a bit more.
I first take pepper and saffron and duckfat and sugar and cover the steak in this.
Then after say 10 minutes i take and drench it in olive/soy oil and Tabasco sauce mix, wrap it in sage leafs and bacon strips.
Cover it in foil and leave it overnight in a cool place. We are talking 12 hours preferably. (Sage and bacon come off before the frying pan..)

The next day one lets it acclimatize to the room (2-3 hours)

I fry it quite strongly on both sides in (ca 65 - 75 seconds pr side). It's got oil in it now, so that'll work in a dry pan!! I use SCANPAN/Titanium I like it the best for this.
I let it rest for 5 minutes, then I put it into an oven for 7 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Let it rest for say 10 minutes before serving...

Salad + tomatoes + garlic bread with butter and pesto and slight amount of olive oil onto the salad.

Best of the best in my book!!!

Had this today!!!

Now, here in Norway we can also get our gredy mits on Entrecote from ELK... I've never tried it, but it is supposed to be insane!!
Will try it someday!

Imp!

[Wayner]

I'm sure most of you guys know this, but for others that may not, beef comes in several grades: Prime, Choice and Select. There is also a Standard and Commercial grades but usually are considered to be lesser quality because they lack the proper marbling, which equates to taste.

I have been up in northern Minnesota, visiting my brother, and we went to a local butcher who likes to cater to the rich millionaire retirees up there on the lakes and we bought some "Prime" grade rib-eye. These things were about an 1 1/4" thick and very marbled. You could pick the steak up with your hand in the middle and it would droop like a wet towel.

We mashed up some garlic to make a spread, with some olive oil and put "some" on the steaks, but not too much to take away from the taste. God, were they ever good, but expensive.

While I am all for properly aged meat, you've got to start out with the right stuff first. I'd be happy with Choice, but unless your close to a butcher that has good sources, these higher grades of meat are not just at your local grocery store and many outstate butchers my not have access to prime either.

When we go up there this Memorial weekend, I'm gonna get me some more.

Wayner 

[Imperial]

Well, Yesterday I got my greedy mits around a 2 lbs heavy Charolais Entrecote steak. I'm planning a dinner for 4-5 people.
So I'm not so well known with how one ages meat really.
Any suggestions on how to best age this chunk of beef?

Imp.

[Dan Driscoll]

Well, Yesterday I got my greedy mits around a 2 lbs heavy Charolais Entrecote steak. I'm planning a dinner for 4-5 people.
So I'm not so well known with how one ages meat really.
Any suggestions on how to best age this chunk of beef?

Imp.

Sorry, but my best advice is "Don't".

You should never attempt to dry age steaks or other relatively small cuts. Only big roasts and larger cuts should be dry aged. When you dry age beef the outside becomes dry and hard as the moisture is drawn out of the meat. This hard outer layer has to be trimmed off before the meat is cooked. If you attempt to dry age a steak you won't have any meat left after trimming.

The smallest cut of beef I would attempt to dry-age would be a minimum 6-7 pound standing rib roast (aka prime rib), WITH THE BONES ON. From a roast that size I would expect a yield of 4-5 pounds, including the bones. The bones are critical because they significantly reduce the surface area that water can evaporate from and that would need to be trimmed off. The 6-7 pound roast without bones would likely yield only 3-4 pounds of edible meat, because of the much greater surface area.

[Dan Driscoll]

Thanks.

So, out of curiosity, why do you think Mark Mc Ewan- a famous food network guest chef - go the extra mile for that 2 month old rib eye?

I'm late to this, but I most sincerely doubt that McEwan ages steaks. I have no doubt that he is aging large roasts or even sub-primals and cutting the steaks from them as needed.

So no, aging a steak for any period of time is not worth it, IMO. I have no doubt that there would be no edible meat from even a 24 ounce steak after a month of aging. If you want to age, buy a big roast or sub-primal and age that.

[turkey]

I normally buy steaks from a local grocery store that has a good butcher dept. I rely on the advice of the butcher, and he hasn't steered me wrong yet. (On the other hand, there are grocery stores where I'm not even sure they have any butchers. They just get stuff in packages and stock it the way they stock boxes of Rice Crispies.)

If I want to really have a special meal or two, I'll order from Allen Bros.

http://www.allenbrothers.com/

I agree that you shouldn't try to age individual cuts of meat. Once it's cut into steaks it's best to consume it right away. It doesn't really get better with age from that point.

[Syrah]

Entrecote = "between the ribs".  I think I looked this up once and entrecote was New York = Striploin, i.e. the non-filet larger part of a T-Bone.  Is this right? 

I've been in to Hanger and its related cuts lately.  Massive flavor.  It shocks me to think they used to use this stuff for ground beef.

[Imperial]

Speechless... (eating Charolais Entrecote) ...
Still Speechless ...
Oh the maker!!! Oh the maker twice!!!
This is the best Steak I have ever had!

Aged about 40 days I think, totally. 2lbsw, cut into 1/2 lbs slices and dressed in ground pepper.
Left for an extra 12h before the fryingpan got to ... touch them with heat and love!!!

Wow!!! Awesome! Aw - E -Some and then some!!! 
Fried them quickly, left to rest for 20 minutes. Just perfect, pink and juicy. Medium- I'd say!
And I know my ratings! I used to work in a French Brasserie... during my School days, but nonetheless! 
Charolais Entrecote seems to be priced at about 70-80% of Tenderloin, If anyone want's to know.

Imp.