Dry Aging meat for the first time can be a little intimidating, especially if you don't have a lot of experience with how it should turn out. One question we hear often from people new to Dry Aging meat is: Is this meat safe?
Obviously, we cannot see or smell your results, so we offer these guidelines for checking the success of your Dry Aging:
The Eye Test: Is the color fairly evenly mahogany brown (not grey or bluish tint)?
The Feel Test: Is the texture of the ‘bark’ (dried outside portion of the meat) more or less firm all the way around?
The True Test
The TRUE TEST of whether your process has been successful or not is the Sniff Test.
As meat scientists tell us time after time, “the nose knows.” If you sniff the surface of your Dry Aged steak through the UMAi Dry® membrane and detect a "pleasant, forest-y, funky" aroma, you are most likely good to remove the UMAi Dry, trim the ‘bark,’ cut into steaks, and cook to your desired temperature.
However, if you smell what strikes you as ‘rotten flesh,’ trust your instincts and do not plan to eat it. We suggest verifying your instincts by unwrapping the meat, studying the color and texture of both the bark and inner meat, and confirming that things have not gone as expected.
Don't let the possibility of something going wrong keep you from trying! Knowing when to avoid bad meat is important, but we are confident you can create the best Dry Aged steak around.
To learn more, check out some of our videos on our YouTube channel, or check out out user group on Facebook. Both of these resources can help you become a Dry Aging champion!