Quality aged beef does it exist

does anyone know what has happened to the nicely marbled " aged beef" that used to be available. no matter what grade I order I get this extra lean super trimmed product. brite red without any marbling to speak of, no fat cap,no taste.

By pati on Monday, August 14, 2000 - 05:04 pm: Edit

there's a place on the web called Prime Access. They sell aged beef. I think they also supply NYC restaurants. I think their website is :

http://www.beststeak.com

or

http://www.beststeaks.com

By Jonnyboy on Monday, August 14, 2000 - 06:34 pm: Edit

Well up here in toronto we are still getting beuatiful steaks, well marbled, but we can't always get the proper age on them.We use 3 different grades(we are a steakhouse) Canadian AAA
Canadian Prime, and u.s. Prime.Personally i think
the Canadian Prime is the best. All of these are very pricey so we charge accordingly.I dont know enough about what you are ordering to comment much further.

By RDB on Monday, August 14, 2000 - 07:38 pm: Edit

Thanks for the info.I need to clarify what I meant,what used to be available as USDA prime,choice,select ect.does not seem to be the same as it was 20yrs ago.,the beef seems to be much leaner,not as flavorful. The range fed beef thet was graded as select is now much in demand by the health wise consumer,the grain feed beef,aged slowly and naturaly has all but disapered from the common market place.everything is rushed to market now,and unless you have a huge budget the "good stuff" is priced out of reach .

By Griff on Monday, May 14, 2001 - 05:55 pm: Edit

There is cooking equipment available out there that cooks meats allowing choice quality at select prices. Slow cooking allows the meat to continue tenderizing, in effect aging the beef while the product holds overnight. Alto-Shaam cook & hold ovens!

By Grwall (Grwall) on Tuesday, May 15, 2001 - 11:01 am: Edit

Jonnyboy

If you have the room, age them yourself. To prepare for higher prices in June & July,I used to buy as much green beef as I could store and age it in my own fridge. The process is the same as the packers use and cryovaced beef can hold a very long time under temperature controlled conditions.

Set up a strict rotation system with dates marked on boxes. Buy the beef 2 - 3 weeks in advance of predicted use.

Might help

garry

By peachcreek on Thursday, May 17, 2001 - 05:15 pm: Edit

A friend of mine who has been a butcher for many years, told me why you can no longer buy what he called "hanger beef". That is the sides of beef that hang on hooks and move around the meatroom on rails. The longer the meat ages at the slaughterhouse, the more money the packing plant loses through evaporation. The packing plants make more money selling the water weight. You notice the juice thrown off during the aging process and collects in the bag. In dry aging, the water is allowed to evaporate. Modern meatrooms are lighted with ultraviolet lights to minimize the surface bacteria. My butcher friend told me that aging is achieved through enzymatic, not bacterialogical process. Correct aging changes the color, flavor, and texture like nothing else. Unfortunately I have never had box beef of the same quality. There are a few places I know that ship dry-aged beef, if you want to pay the price.... Try "The Native Game Co." in Denver.

By Butcher_Boucher (Butcher_Boucher) on Monday, March 17, 2003 - 10:25 pm: Edit

There are two types of beef aging available, wet age which means it is aged in the cryovac, and dry aging which is just that, a primal or subprimal in a temprature and humidity controlled setting. Dry aging is far more supior than wet aging which came about in the last 15 years or so.Whether dry or wet if you do not plan on aging something for over a month don't even bother, 28 to 30 days is ideal, better if more. There is book by Smith and Wollensky sold at most barnes nobles which go into a little more detail if interested.I live in Texas where there is an abundance of good quality beef,even mediocre if thats what you want.

By Corey (Corey) on Tuesday, March 18, 2003 - 08:34 pm: Edit

or, you can go find some old rodeo cows...