15 October 2008

Calibrating the Beef Curve

I'm calling it: 50 days is too much. I've followed the dry-aging curve right up to 45 days with great success. Just had 50. Not good. We've fallen off the backside of the curve. 28-45 days: great. That's plenty, we'll stop there from now on.

4 comments:

  1. could relative humidity have a significant influencing effect? Rule of thumb perhaps developed during a more humid period?

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  2. It would, but dry-aging is done under climate-controlled conditions (proper butcher's cooler in which you're handing the stuff controls temp and humidity). Not like I chucked a side of beef into my wardrobe and sliced a steak off of it 7 weeks later.

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  3. oops, that's "hanging", not "handing"

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  4. every climate controlled environment has some degree of calibration. Gyure used to repeatedly calibrate his ovens, that were 10 to 20 degrees off. I've done lots of low humidity clean room cals, and industrial oven surveys using TC arrays. I'm thinking 45 days is within the hysteresis bandwidth.

    The whiskey aged free range beef you served me in Islington remains the benchmark as the tastiest cow I've ever had, world wide, including Texas steak in San Antonio, Korean beef in Pusan, Australian steak in Sydney, and various other locations within North America where they pride themselves on supposedly "awesome beef". Some have come close, but none have surpassed entrecĂ´te chez Pyke in juiciness, tenderness, mouth watering flavour, and all-around deliciousness!

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