Re: Is aging meat a good idea?

August 8, 2005

does H2O2 bubbling signify bacteria or only the reaction of certain proteins?

Is aging meat a good idea?

I have a general comment, and then a question about aging meat. Years ago at a

farmer's market, I met a man who sold ground grass-fed hamburger that had not

been aged because he felt that aging breeds bacteria. He kept calling aged meat

" rotten. " He sold the meat as hamburger because otherwise, he said, the meat

would be too tough. I bought it and it indeed was tasty and felt great.

I thought he was right, too; because too often, when I bought aged meat (both

grass-fed and grain-fed), I would notice that there would be " off " flavors. And

the meat would never feel good to me either.

Several years ago, when I began using 3% food grade hydrogen peroxide for all

types of cleaning, I did an experiment: I sprayed some H2O2 on some meat and lo

and behold! The meat bubbled vigorously, a sign of bacteria. A few batches of

meat were so contaminated I couldn't eat it. And I didn't need the peroxide to

tell me that the meat was rotten.

My current supplier of grass-fed beef is pretty good about getting me meat

that has hung for only a few days. It needs to hang for that long so the butcher

can cut the meat. But I don't like the meat hanging for much longer.

The rationale for hanging meat for a week or 10 days, that aging improves the

flavor and tenderizes the flesh, doesn't seem to outweigh the disadvantages of

premature rotting and off-tastes.

Are there any other reasons for aging meat? And why do butchers seem so

reluctant to hang it for a minimal amount of time?

Thanks.

Nenah

August 8, 2005

Nenah-

I think it's safe to say that aging is good -- when the right conditions

are met. It breaks down some of the tougher and more fibrous tissues,

making the meat more digestible. There's also a very large weight of

tradition on its side, and even more than that, many carnivorous animals

age their kills by burying them for awhile and then digging them up and

eating them later. Nor are bacteria necessarily bad, as we rely on the

good ones to populate our gut, help us digest our food, modulate our immune

responses, help send the correct growth signals to build and repair our

intestinal linings, etc.

The trick, of course, is getting the right bacteria to do the right

things. As grain-fed beef comes from dysbiotic cows and is typically

filthy and contaminated, the aging issue is just one more reason to stick

with grass-fed meats from good, clean processors. And the modern practice

of wet aging is suspicious because there's no tradition behind it, it's

done strictly as a money-saving technique, wet-aged meat doesn't taste good

compared to dry-aged, and the process is different enough that the results

are probably meaningfully biochemically different.

>I have a general comment, and then a question about aging meat. Years ago

>at a farmer's market, I met a man who sold ground grass-fed hamburger that

>had not been aged because he felt that aging breeds bacteria. He kept

>calling aged meat " rotten. " He sold the meat as hamburger because

>otherwise, he said, the meat would be too tough. I bought it and it indeed

>was tasty and felt great.

>

>I thought he was right, too; because too often, when I bought aged meat

>(both grass-fed and grain-fed), I would notice that there would be " off "

>flavors. And the meat would never feel good to me either.

>

>Several years ago, when I began using 3% food grade hydrogen peroxide for

>all types of cleaning, I did an experiment: I sprayed some H2O2 on some

>meat and lo and behold! The meat bubbled vigorously, a sign of bacteria. A

>few batches of meat were so contaminated I couldn't eat it. And I didn't

>need the peroxide to tell me that the meat was rotten.

>

>My current supplier of grass-fed beef is pretty good about getting me meat

>that has hung for only a few days. It needs to hang for that long so the

>butcher can cut the meat. But I don't like the meat hanging for much longer.

>

>The rationale for hanging meat for a week or 10 days, that aging improves

>the flavor and tenderizes the flesh, doesn't seem to outweigh the

>disadvantages of premature rotting and off-tastes.

>

>Are there any other reasons for aging meat? And why do butchers seem so

>reluctant to hang it for a minimal amount of time?

-

August 8, 2005

--- In , " Nenah Sylver " <nenah@b...>

wrote:

> I have a general comment, and then a question about aging meat.

Years ago at a farmer's market, I met a man who sold ground grass-fed

hamburger that had not been aged because he felt that aging breeds

bacteria. He kept calling aged meat " rotten. " He sold the meat as

hamburger because otherwise, he said, the meat would be too tough. I

bought it and it indeed was tasty and felt great.

>

> I thought he was right, too; because too often, when I bought aged

meat (both grass-fed and grain-fed), I would notice that there would

be " off " flavors. And the meat would never feel good to me either...

Nenah,

I don't know from aging meat, but I do know that the ground bison I

get--which is apparently dry-aged--is the most farking delicious thing

I've ever eaten--raw or cooked. It's so good I don't even bother

eating regular, fibrous meat anymore, meaning steaks. It's so good it