Knowledge

Dry Aging maturing bags

Dry age beef yourself. It’s easy with a DRY AGER meat maturing fridge. But, if space and time isn’t available for the large Dry Aging Fridge, then it is also possible to mature meat in the Dry Aging bag. There are a few tricks to note, during the process. Basic equipment required; maturing bags or foils and a good vacuum sealer, which produces a clean seal even with liquid.

Dry Aging in the bag

Using the dry aging bags results in a very distinct flavour rather than a metallic taste often found after wet maturation. The maturing bags are made of a special membrane foil. It is permeable to air on one side. That means, condensation can evaporate out and dry the meat. However, the membrane layer will not allow water and germs to penetrate into the meat. For the process to work, the bags have to be vacuum sealed. The Lava dry aging bags, like the DRY AGER meat maturing fridge, are manufactured by Landig. You will find the whole know-how of vacuum packing and dry aging on their website.

Which meat is suitable?

For dry aging in the bag you should use only beef. The Dry Aging bag offers much less space than a maturing fridge. It is ideal for single steaks or smaller cuts of meat. As always, the quality of the meat should be the main purchasing consideration. Meat from supermarket is not suitable. It has already gone through the wet maturation. During wet aging, the meat is stored in a vacuum bag. This leads to a high proportion of water and lactic acid, which produces certain flavours. A change in taste will not alter in the maturing bag.

Successful process of dry aging in the bag

Avoid small pieces of meat as the volume of the crust still shrinks. Also avoid heavy-bone pieces. They can damage the bag. Do not press the meat into the bag – leave enough space for it to be vacuum sealed. In addition to the Dry Aging bags, there are VAC aids that can be individually adjusted.
Vacuum the pieces of meat in the Dry Aging bag. Afterwards, store the bags on a shelf in the refrigerator at 2-5 degrees. By placing it on the shelf, it allows any liquid to drip off. If this doesn’t happen, the meat will sit in it’s own juices and would be wet matured instead of dry aged.
Store the bag in the fridge for 3-4 weeks and turn it occasionally. Whilst dry aging the meat, a layer, almost like a crust, will form. When it turns dark, the maturing process is working. After the meat has matured, it is taken out of the Dry Aging bag. Cut off the crust generously. Prepare the meat within at least 2 days.

Conclusion

First the good news, dry aging bags really do work. They are a great alternative for dry age beginners. The taste improves considerably and it develops the buttery, spiciness and fibrous delicacy, which is typical for dry aged meat. But to achieve the 100% Dry Aged flavour this is only possible in a meat maturing cold room or in a DRY AGER refrigerator, where the meat can be hung on the bone.