Charcuterie 101: Dry Aging Beef

OK, so maybe this is not exactly the definition of charcuterie, but is is all about the preparation of meats. Since charcuterie is about preserving meats, you may question a process that is really the controlled ‘spoiling’ of meat ! But trust me, if you have the patience to ‘spoil’ your meat in this fashion, you will be amply rewarded.

It occurred to me, that to enjoy a dry-aged steak at a restaurant normally required spending about $40 on the steak alone ! Even buying dry-aged beef at Whole Foods was a $25 a pound proposition. So I asked the question, “How do you do it”? The answer, which should have been obvious, was simply to let the meat ‘rot’. OK, maybe not rot, at least not all the way, but to allow it to spoil in a controlled fashion. Here is the painfully simple method. I have done this 4 time now, with zero ill effects. So as risky as it may seem, this is pretty much the exact same way fancy restaurants make the dry-aged steak you pay so much for !

Ingredients (and tools)

• One giant chunk of meat (I use a whole ribeye)
• 2 tablespoons of salt
• Large dish rack
• 1 box Baking Soda
• 1 container of Damp Rid moisture control product
• 1 extra refrigerator

Take the whole ribeye, and using a very, very clean towel, dry the outside of the meat. Take the two tablespoons of salt, and light coat the outside of the meat, all around. Do not use any more salt than this – we are not trying to ‘cure’ the meat !

Set the whole ribeye on a large dish rack, or any other kind of rack, making sure the the meat is elevated and air can circulate all around the meat.

Take the whole rack and place it in a spare refrigerator. This CANNOT be a refrigerator you use all the time ! It must be one that is a ‘spare’ and is opened infrequently. This limits exposure to ‘bad stuff’. In the refrigerator place the box of baking soda, opened, and the open container of Damp Rid. The Damp Rid will keep the moisture level down, inside the refrigerator, and facilitate the drying process.

Shut the door, and leave the meat in the refrigerator for at least 21 days, or wait for 28 days for even stronger flavor.

After the 21 days are up, remove the meat from the refrigerator, and place it on a very clean surface. The surface of the meat will be quite dry and hard – basically rotten. This is what you will be getting rid of. Slice the end of the meat to begin with, usually about 1/4 of an inch. This meat is all rotten. The slice the remaining meat into steaks, each about 1/2 to one inch think, based on your preference. Wash the knife you use to do this after cutting each slice, to prevent contamination.

For each slice, use your knife (again, cleaning the knife in between trimmings) to trim away the hard, discolored meat around the edge of each steak. It will be very easy to tell the difference between the ‘good’ meat and the ‘bad’ meat ! In the above photo, you see the result of the harvest. Your exact yield will vary based on the size of the piece of meat you start with and how long you let it age. I usually end up with about 12 8 ounce ribeyes. Most of them are then vacuum sealed for later use, but of course, some are eaten right away ! My average cost for dry-aged ribeye prepared this way is about $8 a pound, a third of the cost of buying it at a grocery and about 1/5th the cost of getting it at a restaurant.

The intense beef flavor you get from doing steak this way is unbelievable. I use just a little salt and pepper before grilling. Not one thing else is needed.

Bacon Fat Candle

Ah, bacon ! When I was growing up, my mother kept a container on the range, into which she poured rendered bacon fat, to be used as shorting and seasoning for many dishes. This was not only common in the south, but pretty much everywhere in the 50’s and 60’s. Not without reason, however, it has fallen out of favor due to health concerns. But food and cooking are like most things – all’s well in moderation. So it was with awe and amazement that I discovered the Bacon Fat Candle. I was watching a food show on TV which featured a fancy steak restaurant, and there, on the table, was the candle. I was shocked, as were the restaurant patrons, when the proprietor poured the ‘wax’ out of the candle, and onto the steak ! When he announced that it was bacon fat, I relaxed, and said to myself, “Yes, yes I can”!

Well, it turns out that you can buy bacon fat candles on the internet, but most of these are just ‘bacon scented’, and may not be edible. No worry – they are easy to make.

First, you will need a few candle supplies: A wick, a wick base, and an empty votive candle glass. All are readily available at art and craft stores, such as Michael’s or Hobby Lobby. Make sure you get wicks that are not wax coated, or that have metal cores.

 

Attach a candle wick to the wick base, and place it in your votive candle glass, making sure it is centered. I did this by using excess wick, wrapped around a toothpick, and suspending it into the glass.

After that, all you need is a pound of bacon. Simply chop up the bacon, put it in a pot (easier for pouring) and begin to cook it over medium low heat. The object is to render the fat, without fully cooking the bacon, and potentially burning it.  When you have enough bacon fat, pour it into the candle, and then refrigerate it, so the fat congeals. Of course, you should continue cooking the bacon, so you end up with a nice supply of fresh bacon bits.

When done, all you have to do is light the candle, wait for the fat to melt and enjoy the melted fat poured over a steak, as shown below. The candle will last for at least a month, covered and refrigerated.

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