Hot take: Dry aging bags are a waste of money if you don't control humidity

Been doing this 12 years. Always laughed at guys using those $80 dry aging bags from the supply catalogs. Thought it was a gimmick. Then my buddy at a shop in Austin let me try a ribeye from his bag setup. It was better than my 45 day dry age in the walk-in. He had a little hygrometer in there kept it at 75% RH. Mine was all over the place. Tried a bag from a different brand last month on a striploin. Trash. Lost 22% weight and got that weird ammonia smell. So I guess the bags work but only if you're actually tracking the humidity. Anyone else mess with these and have a brand that didn't suck?

3 comments

3 Comments

ruby_patel271mo ago

Doesn't the bag material itself change how much moisture escapes though?

pat_schmidt601mo agoMost Upvoted

Nailed it with the humidity thing. That ammonia smell is a dead giveaway your RH was too low, I've ruined a few primal cuts that way myself. Once I started keeping a cheap digital hygrometer right in the bag with the meat, everything got way more consistent.

laura_wright18d ago

Right there with you. I once used a hygrometer that I'd accidentally knocked into a cup of coffee the day before and wondered why it was reading 100% RH for like a week straight. Thought I'd discovered some revolutionary wet aging technique.