# DIY Dry Age Fail?



## aboynamedsuita (Oct 30, 2016)

Couple months ago I got a cryo-pak NY strip and decided to do a little experiment I cut a few steaks from the ends, but then left the centre (4.5kg) for this project. I know that ideally a larger primal cut should be used, but wanted to try something more manageable first.

I dried with paper towels to remove extra moisture, then basted with fish sauce (was sure I read that somewhere), then placed on a rack in my spare mini fridge I use for extra jars of sauerkraut. Life kinda got in the way and I didn't pay too much attention to it, then when I had a look saw it was covered in mostly white-gray (presumably) molds, with a bit of the blue-gray darker spots. In hindsight I realized the fridge didn't have a fan to circulate air and I probably didn't open it often enough as a countermeasure.

Anyways, i weighed it and it lost about 20% of weight, cut of each end and have been trimming the skin until I see what looks like clean meat or fat. Here's a progress shot which also shows the inside of the end cuts as well as the skin:






Notwithstanding the disgusting looks, the meat/fat that is free of the trimmings smells nutty and delicious, and looks okay too (eg not slimy or rotten smelling)

Question is whether this is safe or a writeoff, thoughts?


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## aboynamedsuita (Oct 30, 2016)

Should note that the top-left portion still needs some more trimming, I only took off a little bit from the surface there.


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## YG420 (Oct 30, 2016)

How long was it in there? I've never heard or put anything on it when I've dry aged either. I usually keep it wrapped in paper towels and switch everyday with new ones. Idk dude, I wouldnt risk eating it lol.


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## aboynamedsuita (Oct 30, 2016)

I started in early in September iirc, been a brutal couple of months with work and ProDev stuff.

I actually did some google-fu and found a bunch of pics that make it seem like this can be normal:




http://www.northernvirginiamag.com/50-best-restaurants-2014/rays-the-steaks/


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## kielasaurus (Oct 30, 2016)

Its unlikely to make you sick, but it's highly likely that the quality and flavor has been compromised IMO. Generally mold growth occurs with stagnation and lack of monitoring. Almost all lactic fermented vegetables will look like that if they're left to sit for a long enough period of time. Mold can only grow on the surface where there's ample oxygen. Typically you'd remove the moldy layer and carry on watching it closer. In some situations though, if mold is left without intervention, it can definitely work its magic pretty deep into your product and really change the flavor for the worse (or better, as is the case with some charcuterie or koji etc)


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## aboynamedsuita (Oct 30, 2016)

Good to know Kiel, I think once I trim the remainder off that'll be it. I'll try some tomorrow and see how it goes, I'm anticipated a slight gamey taste given how it smells, but tbh i kinda like that.

For future attempts I'll maybe see about getting some koji spores to inoculate the surface and hopefully dominate anything else.

BTW, I do a lot of lacto fermented sauerkraut at home and have managed to avoid the molds by using a starter culture and keeping the cabbage submerged inside specifically designed crocks with water locking lids I guess having the right equipment for the task can help


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## kielasaurus (Oct 30, 2016)

Definitely, but also remember that fermented foods pretty much predate equipment so there's always a way! I've been working in places with pretty heavy fermentation/aging programs for a few years now and I would not hesitate to eat that beef (after a nice trim). I've definitely eaten much sketchier things. Good to know that we'll always experiment on ourselves before it makes it to the dining room!


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## aboynamedsuita (Oct 30, 2016)

True, if it stank of ammonia or rotting flesh I'd chuck it, but this seems fine that which does not kill you. I'll post an update in the next couple of days with some pics and my thoughts (if I survive lol)


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## JohnnyChance (Oct 30, 2016)

I am no dry aging expert, but you definitely need more air circulation and attention next time. Yeah, the googled pic you posted looks gnarly, but in a different way. The fuzzy white and black molds are not as desirable as the powdery tanish/greenish ones.


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## Kingkor (Oct 30, 2016)

To avoid stuff like this and prevent some of the loss of material you can cover your primal cut in melted fat, and add a couple of himalayan salt blocks to your fridge to keep it drier. And you need to monitor closely your fridge temp. The most suitable temp for dry aging is btween 0-2 degrees Celsius.


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## WildBoar (Oct 30, 2016)

Can you please wait a few days before trying the steak? I want to buy stock in Charmin, and the stock market does not open until tomorrow morning.


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## Smurfmacaw (Oct 30, 2016)

tjangula said:


> True, if it stank of ammonia or rotting flesh I'd chuck it, but this seems fine that which does not kill you. I'll post an update in the next couple of days with some pics and my thoughts (if I survive lol)



Reminds me of a quote from cheese makers...."the discovery of all great styles of cheese were preceded by the phrase, "so I ate it anyway"."


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## aboynamedsuita (Oct 30, 2016)

I'm still alive, I'll post more later


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## aboynamedsuita (Nov 7, 2016)

Thanks for the info all, I'll have to keep the melted fat tip in mind, the temp and everything was okay, just air movement as I don't open my extra fridge nearly enough. At any rate I've been eating it and it's definitely nicer than right out of bag IMO both meat at fat have a good flavour to them. 

After losing about 20% to moisture, I was down to about 60% of original after it was all trimmed.





Here are a couple with some turkey breast strips and cedar salmon steak on my Weber Q2200 still trying to figure this BBQ out, I'm not the biggest fan of the single burner (ie no indirect heat, and not enough BTUs IMO) but with the larger propane tank adapter and collapsible stand it's a good fit for the balcony at my condo yet still very portable.





For future efforts I'd ideally use a larger primal cut that still had more trimming required (to reduce net loss) as opposed to the cryopak which can pretty much be cut into steaks as is.


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## Furminati (Nov 23, 2016)

WildBoar said:


> Can you please wait a few days before trying the steak? I want to buy stock in Charmin, and the stock market does not open until tomorrow morning.



Hahaha


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## spoiledbroth (Nov 23, 2016)

Can't mould have kind of networks for gathering nutrients which persist as much as an inch into the meat, asymptomatic... I was just reading this somewhere, might have been LP what food will make you sick or something similar. Careful tj! Just remember that smell is not the end all be all indicator of safety


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## kielasaurus (Nov 26, 2016)

spoiledbroth said:


> Can't mould have kind of networks for gathering nutrients which persist as much as an inch into the meat, asymptomatic... I was just reading this somewhere, might have been LP what food will make you sick or something similar. Careful tj! Just remember that smell is not the end all be all indicator of safety



It can, definitely, but it takes time to grow and that's why monitoring closely is key. In addition to that, I'm fairly certain that molds also can't sporulate into a substrate like this, as they need the room to grow and the O2. Can't stress enough the importance of proactively monitoring your aged things and ferments! I've seen huge batches of lactofermented vegetables get tossed several months in because it's thought to be a set it and forget it type of process. I've seen a poorly aged half lamb that made me wish I had a respirator on hand too.


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## aboynamedsuita (Nov 26, 2016)

I've been eating this a couple of times a week since posting and no problems so far hopefully WildBoar didn't invest his life savings in Charmin lol. I did find that one layer of fat had been permeated (the dots on the top-left of the slab in the pic I posted earlier) but once it was peeled/cut off what was underneath seemed fine.


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## WildBoar (Nov 26, 2016)

Sadly, my fortune is now wiped out...


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## JohnnyChance (Nov 27, 2016)

WildBoar said:


> Sadly, my fortune is now wiped out...



Oh, brother.


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