Dry aged beef has become increasingly popular in recent years due to its intense beefy flavor and tender texture. But finding high quality dry aged beef can be difficult if you don’t know where to look. In this article, we’ll explore what exactly dry aged beef is, where to find it near you, and what to look for when buying it.
What is Dry Aged Beef?
Dry aged beef refers to beef that has been hung or placed on a rack and allowed to dry for several weeks This drying process allows natural enzymatic and microbial processes to tenderize the meat and concentrate the flavor Typically, beef is dry aged anywhere from 14 days up to 45 days or longer. The longer the aging time, the more tender and flavorful the beef becomes.
Dry aged beef is prized for its richness of flavor. The aging process creates complex savory, nutty, and almost cheese-like flavors in the meat It also naturally tenderizes the beef by breaking down the connective tissues This results in an exceptionally tender and juicy steak or roast.
Due to the time and specialized storage conditions needed, dry aged beef is more expensive than typical fresh beef. But for beef aficionados, the rich intensity of flavor and melt-in-your-mouth tenderness is well worth the premium price.
Where to Buy Dry Aged Beef
Finding high quality dry aged beef used to require a trip to an upscale steakhouse or specialty butcher shop. But thankfully, dry aged beef has become more widely available to the average consumer. Here are some of the best places to find dry aged beef near you:
Local Butcher Shops
Your best bet for finding high quality dry aged beef is visiting local specialty butcher shops in your area. Many butchers are now offering dry aged beef that they age in-house. Look for butchers that source from reputable farms and transparently state the length of time the beef is aged. This ensures you’re getting the real deal.
Butcher shops like A Cut Above in Santa Monica, McCall’s Meat & Fish Company in Los Feliz, and Marconda’s Meats at the Original Farmers Market offer dry aged beef aged 14 days or longer from high end cattle breeds. Many also sell popular dry aged cuts like ribeye, New York strip, and filet mignon.
Online Butcher Shops
Online butcher shops are another convenient way to buy dry aged beef. Many ship nationwide directly to your door. Porter Road based out of Nashville has an impressive selection of 45 day dry aged beef like NY strip, ribeye, and filet mignon from heritage breed cattle.
Other online butchers like Snake River Farms, Crowd Cow, and Holy Grail Steak Co. sell American Wagyu style dry aged beef known for its exquisite marbling and flavor. The extended dry aging helps break down the fat creating a buttery texture.
Grocery Store Butcher Counters
Don’t rule out your local grocery store butcher counter. Many now carry at least a couple dry aged options. While the quality may not match a specialty shop, it’s an accessible option. Call ahead to check inventory and aging time. Whole Foods and regional high end grocers like Bristol Farms, Eataly, and Lazy Acres are good bets for finding dry aged beef.
Costco
For dry aged beef in bulk, check your local Costco. They typically carry whole dry aged prime rib roasts around the holidays and sometimes have dry aged prime steaks. The beef is aged a minimum of 35 days but 45-75 days is common. Just take note of the use or freeze by date when purchasing longer aged beef.
Mail Order Steaks
If you really want to impress with the best quality dry aged steaks, consider ordering from a premium mail order steak company like Lobel’s, Stock Yards, or Pat LaFrieda. They offer USDA Prime dry aged steak boxes with different cuts like filet, ribeye, and New York strip. The beef is sourced from the top cattle breeds and dry aged for at least 28-35 days.
What to Look for When Buying Dry Aged Beef
Once you find a seller, make sure you’re truly getting properly dry aged beef by looking for the following:
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Aged at least 28 days or longer – Beef aged less than 4 weeks may not have the truly concentrated flavor and tender texture characteristic of longer aged beef.
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USDA Prime or high end breed like American Wagyu – The starting beef quality affects the end result. Dry aging really showcases high marbling breeds known for flavor like Angus, Wagyu, and Hereford.
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Butcher shop’s aging conditions – Dry aging requires very specific temperature, humidity, and air flow control for optimal results. Ask your butcher to ensure standards are met.
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Color and hardness – Well aged beef will be very dark red to almost brown and have a hardened dry exterior crust. This outer crust is trimmed off so it shouldn’t affect the flavor or texture.
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Fat cap – Most dry aged beef should have some exterior fat cap in place during the aging process. The fat cap protects the meat from drying out. Intramuscular fat marbling is also important for flavor and moisture.
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Price per pound – Due to the time and conditions required, expect to pay around $25-$30+ per pound for steak cuts. Lesser known dry aged cuts like chuck roast, oxtail, or ground beef can offer ways to sample dry aged flavor at a lower cost.
Following dry aging guidelines and buying from reputable sellers ensures you’ll end up with the real deal – wonderfully rich, tender and flavorful dry aged beef. Taking the time to source high quality dry aged beef is well worth it for a special occasion or to treat yourself. Simply cooking a steak over high heat to medium rare doneness is enough to enjoy this premium meat. Or use dry aged roasts and less expensive cuts to make memorable beef dishes.
The depths of flavor locked in with proper dry aging truly creates a beef eating experience unlike any other. There’s a reason it’s called the “king” of steaks. Once you taste a perfect dry aged steak or roast, you may never go back to regular un-aged beef again. With more options available to buy quality dry aged beef locally or online, steak lovers everywhere can now sink their teeth into this luxuriously flavorful meat.
Now Proudly Serving Chairman’s Reserve 100% USDA Angus Choice Beef
“Chefs and cooks across the Gulf Coast rely on us for the best quality at the best price. Chairman’s Reserve® products live up to our exceptional standards. I know you’ll be impressed.” – Donny Rouse, CEO, 3rd Generation
Chairman’s Reserve USDA Angus Choice Beef is sourced from independent farmers and ranchers. Selected by strict standards to ensure you’re getting the very best. Beautifully marbled. Juicy. Delicious. It’s like bringing the steakhouse home.
A COMMITMENT TO QUALITY SINCE 1960
Each Rouses Market features a full-service butcher shop with master butchers who still cut meats to order, and are available to answer your questions about cuts, grades and cooking. Beef and pork are cut by hand, and dozens of fresh sausage and Cajun specialties are crafted in store using Rouse Family Recipes that go back generations. We also offer handmade entrées, like whole stuffed chickens and beef pinwheels, and grill-ready burgers and kabobs. Along with high quality, fresh and frozen Sanderson Farms poultry, and our own no-antibiotic, no-hormone, vegetarian fed Rouses Market brand is tender, great-tasting chicken.
ASK A ROUSES BUTCHER
What Is Dry Aging?
Most of our stores have humidity- and temperature-controlled dry-aged beef lockers, where we age Chairman’s Reserve USDA Angus Choice beef for at least 25 days. The dry-aging process draws moisture out of the meat, giving it a richer, beefier flavor. (This is also the reason why dry-aged steaks cook faster than fresh.) Because enzymes break down most of the collagen during the aging process, a dry aged steak isn’t as chewy as fresh. It’s so tender, in fact, that you may not even need a knife.
Why Is Marbling So Important to Red Meat?
Marbling, or fat, doesn’t just add flavor; as it melts during cooking, it also makes your steak richer, juicier and more tender. A well-marbled steak is going to be your best eating experience. You can be sure that all Chairman’s Reserve beef will have beautiful, ample marbling.
Why Do You Hand-Cut Your Steaks?
Our butchers hand-cut and hand-trim our steaks to guarantee the quality. With hand-cut, you get just the right thickness and just right the amount of exterior fat, which adds extra juiciness and flavor.
So, What Is the Best Thickness for Steak?
It depends on the cut, but thick is almost always better than thin. With a filet, you want at least 1½ inches, if not a full 2 inches. For a ribeye or strip, I’ll cut it somewhere between 1 inch and 1½ inches so it stands up to the heat, and you can be very precise when it comes to doneness. A thinner steak — less than 1 inch — is easy to overcook. There are some cuts, like flank and skirt, that are naturally thinner. The trick is keep the cooking time to a minimum so the heat doesn’t have the time to penetrate much further than the surface.
Dry Aged Beef – How to Dry Age Beef at Home – PoorMansGourmet
FAQ
Is dry-aged beef worth the money?
Dry aged beef may come with a bigger price tag, but the payoff is a flavour that is unmistakable and a texture that is vastly superior to wet aged beef. The benefits far outweigh the costs.
Does Whole Foods sell dry-aged beef?
Our Meat department offers a wide selection of animal welfare certified local, organic and grass-fed choices. Find dry-aged steaks, house-made sausages, air-chilled chicken and so much more.
Is supermarket beef dry-aged?
Ever wonder why steaks served at fine restaurants are so different than the ones you buy from the supermarket? The main reason is that fine restaurants dry age their beef. Almost all beef sold in supermarkets is wet aged.
Does Costco have dry aged steak?
Greenway Foods Dry Aged Grass Fed Beef Ribeye Steaks 397 g (14 oz) x 6 steaks | Costco.