Have you noticed everything that is allowed time to settle and mature is just plain better? Aged cheese, aged wine, aged beef,.. even you. It is hard sometimes to think of ourselves as better as we get older but the reality is, we are. We are experienced, we have seen the world and we are beginning to finally understand ourselves.
Think of aged beef exactly like that. Aging beef breaks down the young exterior over time revealing a succulent, tender steak with a more concentrated flavor. A steak like that is worth the time and effort put into preserving it. A steak like that is the epitome of all steaks. But a steak like THAT takes time and energy and some people may not be up for the task of waiting it out.
Friday night we had a juicy, succulent filet mignon. The flavor was delectable and left us a bit bewildered as to why we can never achieve such a taste at home which led to research and the sudden desire to age beef. Today is the official day 1 of the aging process. We purchased a large slab of beef (large for us anyway!) yesterday to dry age. First, we rinsed the beef in cold water and dried. We proceeded to wrap the beef in a few paper towels to soak up any juices from the steak as it sits elevated in a bowl on the bottom rack of the refrigerator. We will change the wrapping everyday to keep the beef as dry as possible and prevent mold and bacteria growth.
While aging beef may not be on everyone's top 10 list, it will definitely be an experience from the everyday ho hum of cooking. Who knows how long we will actually survive knowing there's a great steak in the fridge and not being able to eat it but it will be worth it in the end because everyone knows the process of aging is beautiful and well worth the wait.
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