What’s a “Good” Refrigerator for Dry Aging?
- a regularly used modern, frost-free kitchen refrigerator located in a room-temperature environment,
- an open wire rack,
- and a gooey moist untouched, untrimmed subprimal cut of meat (boneless ribeye, stripling, sirloin).
There are three simple rules for an UMAi Dry-appropriate refrigerator choice:
- Integrated frost-free freezer to manage the massive moisture loss of the meat.
- Regular use. Opening and closing kicks off the compressor, maintains the optimal temperature, and (most importantly) cycles the air and moisture management.
- Consistent temperature between 34-38 Fahrenheit or 1-4 degrees Celsius. Safe to hold milk for 7-10 days.
Rest neat on an open wire rack, elevated ffor best airflow (see image below) allows the 360-degree circulation necessary for dry aging steak or dry curing charcuterie and salumi properly. We sell a high quality stackable rack on our website - but you likely have a baking or cooling rack that can work as well. You can even use the rack from your oven, propped up with beer bottles under each corner.
What you DON'T want to use is an old beer fridge in the garage, a dorm fridge, a wine fridge, the drawer of a fancy fridge, or that old drink cooler or converted freezer. Those might be fine for "commando" aging (open air) without the safety of UMAi Dry. They lack the functionality to remove humidity from within the fridge. Fans just move that wet air around. Also, don't use a fridge that lives in your garage in the heat of summer and the cool of winter. This video helps explain why.
Confident that you have the proper equipment, it's time to start dry
