By Mary Hightower
Diners may think “delicious” comes from the kitchen spice rack, but when it comes to beef, flavor starts at the molecular level.
Dry-aged beef has found favor with foodies who find it to have more depth of flavor than fresh beef.
“In terms of flavor, the dry-aged beef flavor is often described as nutty, beefy, buttery and savory,” said Derico Setyabrata, assistant professor of meat science and muscle biology with the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas and the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
“Sometimes it is difficult to fully describe the flavor, and some describe it as a dry-aged ‘funk’ flavor,” he said.
Setyabrata said that “dry-aging is a natural value-adding process. While its popularity is increasing, it is an older, traditional process compared to the more common wet-aged meat, which is placed in vacuum packaging.
“The main benefit of dry aging is improved palatability, including tenderness, juiciness particularly in flavor,” he said. Despite inconsistencies that can come from dry aging, it’s still done “as it greatly improves flavor.”
How dry aging works
Meat is dry aged by being exposed to open air in a refrigerated space. During the aging period, water evaporates and enzymes within the meat break down tissues, making the meat more tender. The surface exposed to air develops a dried crust, which is trimmed away before cooking and serving.
“At the cellular level, from available studies, we believe the general protease degradation mechanism is the same between dry-aged and wet-aged meat,” Setyabrata said.
Source : uada.edu