Smokin' - Per my post upthread, I pretty much follow the Alton Brown method. As mentioned, I have a 2nd fridge that I can dedicate to the process. If I did not, I wouldn't be messing with it under any circumstances.quote:Originally posted by SmokinOkie:
[qb]
Best of luck. Anyone who does it, let us know what you did and what you thought of the results.
Smokin' [/qb]
To monitor the temp and humidity, I use this weather machine with a remote sensor from Oregon Scientific.
I let it go for 3-5 days then pull and roast it. Anything longer is best left to the pros with special equipment.
Bottom line...
Is this true dry aged beef? Nope, not at all. You need to age for 3-4 weeks.
Is it an improvement over not dry aging? Yep, at least to me it is. Even for the short period of time involved, I find a significant change in the taste that I can only describe as being "more intense".
Do I find it dangerous? No, not for the method and time involved. Realistically speaking, how many of us buy a piece of fresh meat today and end up cooking it a few days later and all we have done is simply refrigerate it until then.
When I want the real deal, I'll pickup a dry aged PR from Allen Brothers, a local purveyor of specialty meats to some of the better restaurants throughout the country (including Del Frisco's as mentioned upthread by Dennis-UT). Even though I get a significant discount through a contact there, it's still considered quite a luxury and doesn't happen very often.