Old timer at the shop told me to age beef on the bone, not off

A retired butcher named Frank said I was losing flavor by cutting ribeyes off the primal before aging, so I tried his way with a 30-day dry age on a whole rib section last month. The difference in tenderness and taste was night and day, even my cheapest customers noticed. Has anyone else had better results aging on the bone versus off, or was Frank just blowing smoke?

3 comments

3 Comments

ryan_barnes18d ago

Read a piece in some food science blog a while back that explained the bone acts like a heat sink during aging. It keeps the meat right next to it at a more stable temperature. Seems like Frank knew what he was talking about, the bone's doing more work than people give it credit for.

knight.felix18d ago

Frank's not blowing smoke at all, man. Had basically the same thing happen when I switched to bone-in aging for my strip loins a couple years back. The difference was so obvious I felt stupid for not doing it sooner. That bone really does act like a shield, keeps the meat from drying out too fast on that side and stops the cold air from hitting it directly. Plus the fat cap stays on better and contributes more to the whole flavor profile. Your cheap customers noticing it says everything, those guys usually can't tell a good steak from a shoe sole.

nathan90119d ago

Frank's right, same thing happens with brisket if you trim too much fat before the cook. It's like life, taking shortcuts almost always costs you something in the end.