Is aging meat a good idea?

[Guest guest]

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