Dry Aged Beef puts every meat connoisseur into a state of pure ecstasy. With its unprecedented, nutty and buttery flavor, its tenderness, which truly can barely be compared with anything in this world, and its fine rim of fat, the dry, well-hung beef is the base of one of the best steaks in the world. In the US, this exclusive delicacy has been hyped since decades – now, Germany is discovering this procedure of preparing beef, falling in love with it.
Dry Aged Beef namely describes nothing but an old method to let beef mature. Butchers used to hang the meat by the bone and let it dry there for a month until it became black while a fine layer of mold has developed. If you cut off the inedible layer, a culinary treasure literally came to light. The only little drop of bitterness: The beef will lose volume and weight due to the loss of the meat juice during the drying process. A piece of sirloin can even forfeit up to one third of its weight.
Thanks to the invention of the vacuum packing in the past century however this unwanted side effect could be avoided: Due to the vacuum aging today, the beef won’t lose a single gram of its weight. The downside nonetheless is the fact that the quality which results from the old method of letting beef mature couldn’t be reached any longer. The vacuum turned out to be a fertile ground for bacteria producing lactic acid, which gives the meat a metallic taste.
Well, since quality is what truly counts, gourmets have re-discovered the old procedure which enjoys increasing popularity nowadays. The long storing and the loss of the weight indeed are two factors reflected in the high price of the beef. At 80% humidity and intensive ventilation, the ripening chamber should have a constant temperature of 3°C. The result of this lavish method in the end is an aromatic explosion of flavor. Therefore, this beef is worth every cent. If you too want to enjoy this phenomenal culinary experience, then you should pay the following establishments in Berlin a visit: Brooklyn Beef Club, Grill Royal and the Filetstück in the Uhlandstraße and in Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg whose kitchen is run by the chef Sascha Ludwig.
Copyright and Source: Filetstück, www.walters-pharmacy.de, www.stern.de
