How is beef "aged" ? I always hear that term but don't know what it means. Can you tell me seriously?

Question

I am assuming we are not talking about meat from old cows here.

Wow! Thanks for all the good answers already! I don't know why I got this bee in my bonnet today, but I can finally stop wondering about it. I'll be back in 23 hours!

Answer 1

Meat carcasses are aged by keeping them at cool temps for for a long time. Aging improves the tenderness and taste of meat. There are two methods for aging meat: wet aging and dry aging.

Dry aging is much more expensive and takes longer than wet aging. Dry aged meat is hung in a very clean, temperature and humidity controlled cooler for a period of two to four weeks. Enzymes within the meat break down the muscle and connective tissue making it tender. Moisture is lost from the outer parts of the carcass causing an inedible crust to form which must be trimmed off and discarded. The carefully controlled environment, the time involved, and the loss of outer portions of the carcass make dry aging a costly process.

Wet aging occurs when meat and its own juices are vacuum packed in plastic and boxed for distribution. Because the plastic packaging does not allow loss of moisture, the meat may absorb more moisture which results in an increase in juiciness and tenderness. Both methods of aging work well and can create a better product. The difference is that dry aging gives a more distinctive flavor while wet aging is much less costly and allows for a quicker entry to the market and therefore a much longer shelf-life. Due to the carefully controlled conditions required to safely age meat, aging meat at home is not recommended.

Answer 2

Beef is aged after the basic processing ( skinning and quartering ). It is hung for a period of time to allow bacteria and enzymes to start breaking down the fibers in the meat. This is a natural tenderizing process. It is especially important when preparing naturally fed animals ( grass fed beef or wild game ). I don't think it has as much to do with the flavor as it does the texture of the meat.

Answer 3

lol at the "old cows" remark!! I'm not sure you want to know the aging process - I was grossed out a little, but not enough to quit eating steak. They literally let the meat sit & age. That's it - in other words, it's kind of "going bad" but not totally - they do cut off the bad parts before cooking your steak, or they're supposed to. So if they start off with a cut of meat that weighs 15 pounds & then have to cut off 1/2 of that due to the meat being ruined in the aging process, what's left costs quite a bit more due to having to pay for a much larger hunk of meat to begin with! Confused yet?
I saw it on a FoodNetwork show, so I know it's how they do it in big resterants. Good question - thanks!!!

Answer 4

The aging of beef is normally thought of as the time, in days, from slaughter until the carcass is broken down into retail cuts. The average industry time for aging beef before cutting the carcass into retail cuts is about seven days.

Answer 5

It's beef that is killed and then hung for a while before it is sold - basically it's allowed to begin decomposing very very slightly, which is why aged beef has a stronger, slightly gamey taste.

Answer 6

It means they sit in a dehumidifier for a certain amount of time, depending on who's selling it... I think normally 21 days??

I think regular steak tastes better, personally.

Answer 7

after its killed its hung in a frigde for up tp 20 days its makes the meat more tender and more tasty

Answer 8

what do you mean?