Why Dry Aged Meat is Better!

In a mass produced commercial environment where all attention is given to the profit margin, dry aging is being done only for a few discriminating customers.

Harter House Supermarkets in Springfield, Mo. has introduced Dry Aged Beef Products to the retail grocery market.

Quality dry aging makes the beef you buy not only more tender, but concentrates flavor and produces meat that is superb in taste and texture.

Up until 20 years ago, Dry Aged beef was the norm, then with the advent of vacuum packaging along with increased efficiencies in beef processing and transportation, we lost the dry aging process
Though rare in today's corporate, profit driven markets, the art of producing dry aged beef is still in demand for gourmet customers who know its unsurpassed quality.

There is the difference between Wet aged beef and Dry aged beef.
90% of aged beef is done by Wet Aging or aging-in-the-bag and has become the industry norm.
The beef is vacuum packed in plastic and sits at controlled temperatures for 7-28 days. Inside the plastic, the meat ages and becomes more tender yet there is no flavor development since there is not a concentration of flavor occurring with loss of moisture.

The method of Wet Aging has become more popular because it is cheaper and more profitable. Dry Aging is more costly due to the approximately 45% loss in shrinkage and extra trim required, time, storage, refrigerator space, and labor.
Dry aging occurs while the beef is in a refrigerated cooler, at a specific temperature and humidity, for 21 to 28 days after harvest and prior to cutting.
When beef is Dry Aged (Pork is NEVER aged!) two things happen. First, moisture evaporates from the muscle creating a greater concentration of beefy flavor and taste. Secondly, the beef’s natural enzymes break down the fibrous, connective tissue in the muscle, tenderizing it.
Some high quality restaurants and retailers age their meat for 28 days or more. Increased aging adds to the shrinkage and trim loss due to the drying and surface mold. Also, most of the tenderizing activity occurs in the first 10 to 14 days.

Humidity control is essential in managing dry aging and is perhaps the biggest reason why dry-aged beef costs substantially more, since the resultant evaporation causes significant shrinkage. Typical shrinkage is 35 to 45%. And dry-aged beef usually cost about 25-35% more than wet aged beef due to shrink and cutting loss.
But if you have ever had dry-aged beef, you know the cost is worth it!


Ask your friendly neighborhood butchers at either Harter House stores in Springfield to tell you more and visit Harter House at 1625 S. Eastgate to view the process in our Dry Aged Cooler.