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Hot take: I thought hanging beef for 14 days was enough, but a side I left for 28 days changed my mind.
Had two identical rib sections from the same steer. Hung one for my usual two weeks. The other got forgotten in the back of the cooler for a full month. The difference when I broke them down was huge. The 28-day meat was darker, firmer, and lost almost 15% more weight. But the flavor? Like night and day. More complex, richer, almost nutty. The extra two weeks of controlled drying made all the difference. Anyone else experimented with pushing their dry-aging longer than the standard time?
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grantt111mo ago
Honestly, that extra time makes all the difference.
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paule531mo ago
What kind of time are we talking about?
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lilycraig13d ago
The thing nobody talks about with longer aging is how it changes the cooking process. That 28 day rib section will cook faster because the surface moisture is gone, so you have to watch your temps way more carefully. Also the fat cap gets this weird crispy texture when seared that the 14 day beef just doesn't have. It's almost like the extra time lets the enzymes break down the connective tissue differently, giving you that melt in your mouth feel without needing to braise it. Once you go past 21 days there's no going back, everything else just tastes flat.
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