Update: Tried dry-aging pork loins in my home fridge instead of the shop cooler

I used to think dry-aging was strictly for beef and you needed a dedicated setup. Then I had a leftover pork loin from a catering job last month and figured I'd experiment. Wrapped it in cheesecloth, set it on a wire rack in my home fridge, and forgot about it for 5 days. The rind formed a nice crust, and when I trimmed it off the meat underneath was way more tender and had this subtle mushroomy taste. I was dead wrong about pork being too lean for this process. It held up fine and the flavor was richer than anything I've gotten from a wet-aged loin. Now I'm wondering if anyone else has tried this with other cuts like shoulders or even racks of ribs?

2 comments

2 Comments

william_garcia1mo ago

Honestly that's wild, you basically turned your home fridge into a science experiment and it worked out better than my last wet-aged loin from the store.

the_mary1mo ago

Did you let it dry out in the fridge uncovered for a day or two first? I had good luck with that on a roast last month. I just set it on a wire rack over a baking sheet, and after about 36 hours the outside was nice and tacky. Then I seasoned it with just salt and pepper and seared it in a hot cast iron pan. The crust came out perfect, and the inside was a lot more tender than any wet-aged meat I've bought from the grocery store. It's not fancy, but it really works.