PSA: That whole "dry age it yourself" thing is a gamble I lost on 40 pounds of ribeye

I read this post online from some guy claiming he dry aged a prime rib at home in his spare fridge with just a fan and a salt block. He made it sound so easy I figured I'd try it myself. Bought 40 pounds of ribeye from a local supplier in Austin for about $320. Set up my old mini fridge with a USB fan and a tray underneath. Followed his steps to the letter for 30 days. When I opened that fridge the smell hit me like a brick wall. The meat was covered in this weird greenish-black mold that wasn't the good kind you want. Lost the whole batch. My wife still gives me crap about the smell lingering for another two weeks. Has anyone actually pulled off home dry aging without a dedicated setup or is this just a fantasy?

3 comments

3 Comments

kimmurphy14h ago

Feel your pain man, that's a brutal lesson to learn on such a nice cut of beef.

gibson.avery14h ago

@matthewdixon hit the nail on the head about humidity. I tried a similar setup once with just a damp towel in the fridge, not even a fan. After two weeks the whole thing smelled like a swamp and I tossed it. Green mold everywhere, just like you said. A dedicated fridge with good airflow is the only way to pull it off, I think.

matthewdixon17h ago

And nobody's talking about the real issue here which is that consumer fridges can't keep the humidity low enough for proper dry aging. Those USB fans people recommend are a joke, they barely move air compared to commercial units that cost thousands. You basically built a perfect environment for mold to thrive, not for beef to age gracefully.