Old timer at the shop told me to age my beef at 38 degrees instead of 34 and he was dead right

I always kept my walk-in at 34F because that's what I learned in school. Last month a retired butcher who's been doing this 40 years stopped by and told me to bump it up to 38F for better aging. I tried it on a couple of primals and after 21 days the flavor was way deeper and less metallic. Has anyone else had better luck with a warmer temp for dry aging?

3 comments

3 Comments

hannahsingh8d ago

...and that's exactly what I ran into with my first few tries. I had a buddy who used to run a little shop out in the country, swore by 40 degrees for his dry aging. He said 34 is for storing, not for flavoring. I always thought he was crazy until I tried it myself. The metallic taste thing is real, and I never realized it was from being too cold until I bumped it up. Makes you wonder why all the textbooks say to keep it so low.

tara7938d ago

Did you notice any difference in moisture loss or just the taste?

alexk608d ago

Did you notice any difference in moisture loss" - honestly, I think moisture loss is one of those things people overthink. Unless you're drying it out completely, it's hard to tell a real difference between one method and another. Taste is where it's at for me.