Hi folks, I had to contribute a first post after purchasing my Smokette 009 a year ago, and learning a lot from these forums ever since. Got the hang of creating great pulled pork, beef brisket, smoked turkey, and smoking them stuffed jalapenos now, thanks.
Been through numerous successful wet-aging encounters of various cryovac choice beef cuts from Costco, and always found it to be well worth the wait. So I started looking around at dry-aging beef and found a lot of information that lead me to believe I had better know what I am doing before giving it a try. Found the DryBag info here and figured that looked worth a try, and ordered the smaller size bags which came in a 5-pack. I already had the recommended Sinbo vacuum sealer, (to freeze my pulled pork leftovers) so that made the decision even easier. Thanks to this 4th of July week the local grocery store chains had Ribeye roasts on sale for less than five bucks a pound, the science project now came together. I bought a 9lb choice grade Ribeye roast cut from the small end from one chain store, and a similar 10lb select grade cut from another chain store that I have always thought tasted as good as choice, or even some prime. (AKA "Ranchers Reserve" for those in this area). Both were fresh out of the cryovac, with packing dates 4 to 5 days earlier.
Since I had been an old hat at wet-aging beef already, and I knew the trusty fridge would maintain a temp around 35F, there were no worries there and on I went. I contacted the DryBag folks and asked their opinion regarding leaving the bones on or cutting them off, the response was somewhat obtuse and curious, however the recommendation was to remove them prior to dry-aging in their bags, so that's what I did and set the rack aside for future use. The bone-in cuts would not have fitted in the smaller bags I ordered anyway, but after trimming the rack off it fitted nicely in the smaller bags.
The pictures I posted below do not do justice, the darker black areas in the photo are actually a deep purple color, that of a plum. The cut on the right is the 10lb select grade after 1 day in the fridge, the one on the left is the choice grade cut after 4 days. Not to say they age any differently, just to show the difference a few days makes in the process. Top and bottom pics included.
