Dry-Aged Beef: an overview of the process

	Dry-Aging Prcocess	Wet-Aging Process

History	Traditional peoples have always known that hanging meat, fish, and game for certain periods improves taste & texture. Butchers figured out that this applies to beef as well. Prior to the 1960's, dry-aged beef was the only way to think about steaks	Prior to the 1950's, wet-aged steak was not a popular process The introduction of vacuum packing technology lowered the costs of maturing and tenderizing beef. Cost reductions increased the popularity of this process in the 1960's
Method / Approach	Beef sides are hung in temperature controlled refrigeration units The meat air dries for a time period of 14 to 28 days	Sub-primal, or individual cuts are vacuum-sealed in plastic or cryo-vacced. The meat wet cures in as little as 7 days
Action	Moisture escapes from the meat and it begins to dehydrate, Dehydration causes the meat to shrink by as much as 15% Enzymes in the meat begin to break down tough muscle fibres	Cuts essentially marinate in their own juices There is little to no moisture loss or shrinkage Enzymes break down muscle fibres as the meat matures
Effect	Dehydration concentrates flavour, resulting in a rich, intense, complex flavour The resulting dry-aged beef is significantly more tender and moist than non-aged cuts	Flavor improves due to maturing process but the result is not as concentrated as with the dry-aging Resulting product is tender but less so than with dry-aging
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