Dry-Aged Beef 101
I often mention that Riverbend Cattle Co. beef is dry-aged for 21 days. If you've never had the chance to try dry-aged beef, or don't know what that term exactly means, here is some more information about what makes this process exceptional in the world of beef:
When Riverbend Cattle Co. beef is processed, the entire carcass is hung in a temperature and humidity-controlled room for 21 days. In this room, the constant supply of fresh oxygen from the air and enzymes from within the meat will start to work on tenderizing the beef and adding flavor. When beef is exposed to oxygen in a humidity-controlled environment, natural enzymes start to break down the molecular bonds of the meat, making it much more tender. The evaporation that takes place also yields a more concentrated flavor. The protein molecules within the muscular strands break down into smaller fragments, a natural chemical process which allows those very protein molecules to have a higher flavor profile. If you've ever bitten into a steak that was chewy and hard to bite through, you may have wondered where that problem began. With many cuts that are comprised of tougher muscular tissue, even the "low and slow" method of cooking would be insufficient to produce an ultra-tender meal. With dry-aging, even a naturally tougher cut like chuck roast or round steak will be rendered down over time so that those pesky muscular fibers become soft and flavorful, long before cooking and seasoning occurs.
The "wet-aged" labels you might see at the supermarket simply mean that it was vacuum sealed for a designated period of time. The meat is not exposed to oxygen, and thus it does not experience the dry-aging process that leads to added flavor and tenderness. This method is merely used to produce a marketing effect, and in reality "wet-aging" does not accomplish anything for the flavor or tenderness of the meat. It is also significantly cheaper than dry-aging, with a higher yield, so that more money is left for the producer. With all of this information about the proper treatment of our beef, you should now be able to imagine the flavor and tenderness of combining the dry-aging process with a naturally tender cut of beef like tenderloin or rib-eye. In our opinion, it simply can't be beat.
Dry-aging beef isn't commonly done on a larger scale, because it requires a lot of space, and it significantly reduces the number of pounds each carcass yields. Sometimes people only dry- age certain primal cuts so that those get the benefits of the aging process, and the rest doesn’t lose any yield to moisture loss. At Riverbend Cattle Company, the entire carcass of the steer is dry-aged, and then broken down into cuts afterward, so that every individual cut benefits from the aging process, even the ground beef. My smaller operation allows me finish ALL of my product in this way. While the yield for each steer is lower, the quality of the meat pound for pound is unmatched, and you can always taste the difference!
