Found a trick for aging steaks in a home fridge without mold issues

Was at my shop in Portland last month and a guy from a local steakhouse told me to wrap the beef in cheesecloth and change it every 2 days. Tried it with a ribeye primal and after 21 days it had this awesome crust but no slime or bad spots. Anyone else mess around with dry aging at home or just me?

2 comments

2 Comments

lindamartin26d ago

All that cheesecloth changing sounds like a lot of work for something that might not even be safe. Dry aging at home is a risky game unless you have a dedicated setup with controlled humidity and airflow, which most kitchen fridges don't have. Theres a reason restaurants pay for those special aging cabinets or dry age bags with membranes. That ribeye primal might have looked fine on the outside but could have had surface bacteria or off flavors starting inside where you cant see it. I'd rather just buy a pre aged steak from a butcher than mess around with a 21 day experiment that could make me sick.

shaneb1626d ago

I read an article from America's Test Kitchen that said the main issue with home dry aging is the airflow, not just the humidity. They tested cheesecloth and it worked for them up to 35 days before any mold started. The key is that the cheesecloth wicks away moisture from the surface, so the meat dries evenly instead of getting slimy spots. I swapped my cheesecloth every 3 days on a striploin and didn't have any problems. It's not as risky as people think as long as your fridge is clean and below 38 degrees.