- RE:The perfect Steak
- March 28, 2011 08:41 PM
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first, most restaurants prepare their steaks by either grilling them,
charbroiling it over flame, broil it, or roast it at a really high
temperature.
there are actually two types of aging - dry aging,
and wet aging. the reason aged beef tastes better is that the flavor of
the meat becomes concentrated, particularly with dry aging when the
moisture is pulled out.
dry aging is essentially hanging a steak
at freezing (or near freezing) temperatures, and allowing the steak to
dry out, removing the moisture and concetrating the flavor. dry aging
typically takes a couple weeks to a month, so if you think about it,
your meat is hanging there for a month to “age” before you get to eat
it.since the meat is losing a lot of water, it also shrinks in size. and
since the meat is hanging there so long, a special type of fungus, that
actually helps to increase the flavor, starts to grow on the steak. of
course they cut it off before they prepare it, and it actually isn’t a
type of mold or spoilage fungus, so it’s nothing to worry about, but it
is kinda disturbing to think about.
wet aging is a lot faster and
is typically done in vacuum sealed bags. you don’t lose the moisture or
the weight, but the meat does sit for a few days in the bag before they
prepare it.