Wine fridge - curing fridge.

  • So do you have a cut of meat in mind yet Nath? I presume first run is aging meat?



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  • I think I've fine tuned it as best as possible. Getting about 3c and 60-65% humidity. Think this is the best I can do with this fridge. Doesn't seem to want to play the game and stabilise any lower!
    Hopefully that will be OK!

    Soon find out


    Nath

  • I picked up this

    Best before date was mid Jan, so my guess is it's been wet ageing in the bag for some time already.
    I'll go with a 21day dry cure at most I recon.
    Then I'll just eat most of it at that time and not store any for too much time as it will be getting close to its "best before" date.

    Then again.

    I had a scare when I got home after picking up the meat. The fridge was sitting on 10c - alarm on the temp controller going off its Lolly. I struggled to get the temp down, and after awhile figured I was fighting the old thermostat, the old cycle defrost and the other crap to try and keep the temp down.

    Switched it off, ripped out the old thermostat assembly completely and just wired it to constant full tilt. The external thermostat will do that job.
    Since then it's sitting pretty on 2c and 75% humidity.

    And so the meat was hung.


    Nath

  • Noob aging meat question. Is it best fresh as possible, aged in a vacuum bag, hung in a coolroom for a week then into aging fridge, hung in a coolroom vac sealed before going in aging fridge?



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  • Hey Waz, didn't really understand that mate? Few beers down? :)

    Generally a carcass will be hung in a cool room before being Broken down. Whole cuts like this that you buy vac sealed, have quiet a long shelf life when vac sealed.
    When they are sealed they are effectively wet ageing.
    I'm a noob also don't worry. I guess fresh as possible would be best, as you can dry age, then portion and vac seal and keep in the fridge. If it's close to "best before" date at the end of the dry age period, I guess you gotta eat it, or freeze it.
    Not really sure the effect of freezing in dry aged meat, but I assume it would be negative.


    Nath

  • I was gonna say 35 days, but nothing wrong with a nice 21 Day. Glad to see you got the fridge worked out! You tag it like the big time shops, nice touch! Will sure be interested to see how it looks after 21 day in a controlled RH!

    My only suggestion is, cut a steak off now, cook it and take notes on flavor and tenderness so you have a comparison! for the Dry Aged!

    "‘One who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off.’”

  • Hey Bentley. Bloody good idea regarding cutting a Steak off now! Didn't even think to do that!

    I'm comfortable now I've got the fridge sorted it should be a relaxed process!
    I'll see how long I'll cure for depending on wether I'm home around the new year to take it out or not!


    Nath

  • Hi Nath,

    Re-read my post and yeah I didn't word it well.

    I'm watching this post with real interest as I want to do something very similar so was kinda thinking out loud when I asked those questions. So, the real reason for my questions are I am wondering how sheep would go. We've all heard of aged beef, but why just beef. I can get my hands on fresh sheep very easily (as long as I'm happy to drive up and do the work myself), but essentially I will have say 5 sheep hanging in the cool room over Christmas.

    That's where my questions came from, we usually kill then hang for a week in the coolroom before cutting up. And we also have a proper butcher type kryovac, not one of the food savers, so is fresher better when it comes to aging, or could it do with a bit of wet aging first?



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  • From my experience wet Aging is not going to hurt, I would bet my bottom dollar that it is not done in the industry, but that is just because the Dry Aging of Fine Meats probably do not benefit from it. But does it hurt to do it 1st...I say no.

    Dry Age Lamb or Mutton, absolutely no idea. I say this with all sincerity...do you ever se it in the market or restaurants? You might ask some local butchers for there take on it...maybe like chicken or pork, they are not aged. Although, you could consider a Parma or Virginia Ham to be Aged, but to me, that is more of a curing process.

    "‘One who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off.’”

  • Dry Age Lamb or Mutton, absolutely no idea. I say this with all sincerity...do you ever se it in the market or restaurants?

    No, have never seen it. Could also be that it's too small, by the time you trim there will be very little left. If I ever get a fridge going I will give it a go anyway to see what it's like.



    Traeger - Weber Family Q - Ziggy Twin Burner - Charcoal Grill - Akorn Kamado - Hark Tri Fire - Jumbuck Pizza Oven - Go Anywhere - Asmoke Pellet Grill - Hibachi Grill - Anova Sous Vide x 2

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