The Big Ole NJ Steak Thread

Hard to tell with that photo, maybe a little darker.

I say noticeably darker but Iā€™m 1600 miles away plus thereā€™s always the different angle of the sun factor, but Iā€™m sticking with my gut reaction of darker.

Iā€™m honestly very color blind. It looked darker to me but that doesnā€™t matter. The taste is what will matter, and/or the tenderness. I think this will be good or a failure and I will mess it up in the drying process. Again, I realize this isnā€™t aging but it is a cheaper and cheating way to get a better steak.

@jcostiones and vk, do you guys ever do any traditional dry aging? I never have.

Iā€™m too big of a chicken to try dry ageing but Iā€™m wishing the best for yours and Iā€™m looking forward to the report.

My mega HEB grocer has a great meat market and sells dry aged in house prime for 30 bucks but Iā€™ll have to double check the price.

Iā€™m a chicken too lol. I decided to try this fake aging method to maybe get my confidence up. Iā€™ll report back in a few days. I realize it isnā€™t aging but maybe this is the step I need to gain confidence. If this doesnā€™t work I hope it wonā€™t scare me off. I want to buy some fridge off craiglist and see if I can really do some dry aging. I wonder if the work is worth the reward.

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FYI I got this crab covered bad boy at One 18 Bistro in Deal which is my official go-to good steak place now, itā€™s official. (Up charges over the $24 menu price for the steak)

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I know you know the manager or owner there. Do you know the bartender Mike? Skinny kid, looks like Iggy Pop?

Looking good! Did they cook that crab with any butter or give you any?

I ā€œthinkā€ I met him last Sunday which is actually when this picture was taken. I know the big guy,
ā€œBeefā€ I know the guy with the pony tail in the band, last Sunday was a new ā€œkidā€ younger, thin, with some scruffy facial hair. (personally I wouldnā€™t compare him to Iggyā€¦lol)

No, it was just placed on top, there is actually some crumbled blue cheese on there also.

Yep. I have a dedicated beer fridge in the basement that I use for stuff like this. You want to use a fridge you donā€™t open on a regular basis, so the temperature and humidity stay constant.

You also want to do a whole strip loin or a prime rib, at least 6-7 lbs. You will lose 25 % to water loss and trimming of mold on the finished steak. Thatā€™s why you do bigger pieces, less loss to trimming.

I usually go 21 days.

I rotate cover the cut with cheesecloth on a rack and rotate on a regular basis, but donā€™t use a fan.

Thereā€™s a whole series of photos on CH that I posted showing progress.

I have done this for a Christmas prime rib before (which you can get on special at Thanksgiving) with spectacular results.

PS. Helga complains about the smell in the fridge afterwards, so if you donā€™t like an off bleu cheese smell in the fridge you may want to reconsider.

I use the same fridge for gravlax too, so there is a serious conflagration of funk in that box.

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I think Iā€™ve mentioned this before, but I have a (former chef) pal who works with/for Steakager, which he swears is a fantastic piece of kitchen hardwareā€“and he generally doesnā€™t rave about gadgets. Evidently theyā€™re launching a new streamlined (and cheaper, iirc) version soon; Iā€™ll certainly post about it (or get him on here) when it does, as some of you may be interested in it.

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He was there from opening day, so probably not the same guy. Friend of mine from old man hockey team in red bank. Still need to go down there and see him.

Is this the one?http://www.foodrepublic.com/2017/02/13/steakager-dry-aged-beef-to-your-kitchen/

Iā€™m looking to keep this gangster as hell. I want to spend like 20 bucks on a used beer fridge lol

@joonjoon any ideas on budget aged beef?

If you had enough room in the fridge you could suspend it from a hook, which would be better than the rack and cheesecloth.

Main thing is to get air circulating around it as wet spots give rise to nasty bacteria.

Usually after 3-4 days it dries out so the problem is solved after that

Yeah I just donā€™t have the room. I could maybe stash a beer fridge under my deck. Iā€™m just asking myself, ā€œis it worth the effort?ā€ Like home brewing, itā€™s a labor of love. Iā€™m not sure if buying locally dry aged beef would be more cost effective.

It could just be easier to grow some oregano

Whatā€™s the power source for the fan and the microbe light?

Does the microbe light affect beneficial molds?

Yes! He really raves about it. @NotViking I donā€™t know squat about this stuff, but I know you get all of the info on their site, and as I said, Iā€™m going to try to get him on HO to discuss. Heā€™s insane with the info on this; Iā€™ve only tasted some of his ā€˜experimentsā€™ and they were WONDERFUL. :slight_smile:

https://www.amazon.com/Xultrashine-Sterilizer-Germicidal-disinfection-sterilization/dp/B075W86X63

And a used Amana for $ 100 on Craigslist.

https://jerseyshore.craigslist.org/app/d/white-amana-fridge/6609665345.html

Complete set up for $ 119.49, and I will bet you can bargain them down on the fridge. All you need is a 12v power source.

Includes plenty of room for beer and a handy freezer for crabs and moose meat too.

As Red Green used to say

If the fridge has a 12v socket for the light bulb you should be able to wire things up directly. Youā€™d just have to bypass the switch in the door which turns off the light bulb.