Usually, this type of meat refers to meat that’s been aged for 7 to 10 days before it’s put on the market. However, grocery store chains and butchers also offer beef that’s been aged a little longer. These types of meat, which are branded “Angus Beef AAA” or “Red Grill Angus,” are aged for 14 to 21 days.
During the maturation period, enzymes that are naturally present in the muscles start attacking the muscle fibres and tenderizing them. Does the meat get more tender if we let it age even more? Yes, a little, which motivates some butchers to offer beef that’s been aged for 40, 60, even up to 120 days. However, certain studies have shown that gains in tenderness are minimal beyond an aging period of about 30 days.
A Question of Taste
The main reason to age beef for a long time is for its effect on taste, a little like cheese or wine. Two processes are used: dry aging, which requires keeping the pieces of meat in open air by controlling temperature and humidity, and sous-vide aging, which requires beef to rest in the cold in airtight bags. The two methods produce a similar tenderizing effect, but in terms of taste, it’s another story!
As opposed to sous-vide aged beef, dry-aged beef gradually loses water through evaporation, which concentrates and amplifies the flavour of the meat. Taste tests on pieces of beef that were aged using both methods have shown that the dry-aged beef develops a rich meaty flavour and grilled meat aromas, whereas the sous-vide aged beef has more of a bloody, slightly acidic taste.
Even if both of these types of meat are more tender, the complex flavour of aged steak isn’t to everyone’s taste. You should try it at least once, to form your own opinion. But tasting has a price: aged beef costs at least twice as much per kilo!
Feel like giving it a try? Our Steak (The Best) uses bone-in aged beef rib steak.
