I finally tried dry aging vs wet aging a rib roast side by side

Last month I grabbed two Choice rib roasts from the same batch at the wholesaler. Put one in my dry aging bag for 28 days at 38 degrees and kept the other vacuum sealed in the walk in for the same time. I was really surprised how much MORE beef flavor the dry aged one had, like a nutty almost funky note that the wet aged one just didn't have at all. The wet aged one was fine, don't get me wrong, it was tender and had that typical beef taste you expect. But the texture on the dry aged one was noticeably firmer and the fat rendered way better when I cooked it. Trim loss was about 20 percent on the dry aged one which stung a bit since I paid $9 a pound. Has anyone else here done a direct comparison like that with your own customers? What did they say about the difference?

2 comments

2 Comments

iris_stone2816d ago

@sagen36 makes a good point about the wet aged one not really aging. I think it was just sitting there moist while the dry aged was doing all the work. The real test would be a 45 day wet age versus a 28 day dry age to see if the flavor catches up at all.

sagen3616d ago

You're right about the trim loss being painful. But I do want to gently push back on something. The wet aged roast probably wasn't actually aging at all during those 28 days. Once beef is vacuum sealed, the aging process basically stops. The enzymes that break down the meat need some oxygen exposure to work. So what you really had was 28 day dry aged versus 28 day just sitting in a bag not aging. That's probably why the flavor difference was so big. Wet aging does happen but it's mostly about moisture retention and a little tenderness from the meat's own enzymes working in a different way. A proper wet aged roast usually needs longer, like 45 days or more, to get any real flavor change. The dry aged one was actually doing its thing the whole time.