UMAi Dry Original Dry Aging Bags
The Original Dry Aging Bags for the Perfect Steak
UMAi Dry aging bags make it easy to craft 5-star steak at home.
If you're a true steak lover, you know that there's nothing better than a perfectly marbled, expertly prepared and skillfully cooked steak. However, ANYONE can get good at grilling steak. YOU on the other hand understand that the best steak ever takes a lot more preparation than simply buying some flanks from the store and throwing them on the grill, even if you reverse-sear them first.
No, you know better. That's why you're here. Because you heard that dry aging steak with special dry aging bags results in a better THE BEST tasking steak (spoiler alert, it's true). And now you're curious and want to try your hand at meat crafting.
Well, welcome. We're glad you're here.
The good news is you only need four things to craft the perfect steak. The better news is that most of it you already have or can buy right here, right now.
- Untrimmed beef (we're talking 12-18 lbs of hot off the butcher block unprocessed beef - NOT individual steaks)
- This dry aging bags + copper wire rack bundle ($4 off)
- Your kitchen fridge (NOT a garage or beer fridge)
- Time (and patience)
UMAi Dry's Ribeye/Striploin Dry Aging Bags hold 12-18 lbs. of your choice of meat. We recommend a ribeye or striploin to start. Each packet contains 3 bags so you can do up to 3 meat projects (although 18 lbs of meat is going to take up some space in your fridge, and you'll need to eat while the meat is aging). The copper wire rack included in this starter kit allows for proper air flow around the meat while it ages in your fridge. One you seal the dry aging bag you're on your way to delicious 5-star steak.
The process of dry aging steaks is very simple, but understanding the science and logistics of the process will improve your experience. Let's talk about the four things you need to dry age meat in more detail:
12-18 lbs. of untrimmed beef. Untrimmed, untouched beef produces optimal Dry Aging results. If you're doing your math here on cost, hear us out. Consider that when you buy individual steaks, all the work of trimming, stealing and packaging is done for you. When you ask the butcher for a whole, untrimmed still-in-processor-packaging meat, you avoid all the "handling" cost and also all the handing itself. The result? Cheaper, better meat.
We recommend selecting a well-marbled sub-primal cut of beef (full ribeye, striploin, or sirloin). Your meat should be in the original processor packaging (the thicker plastic often stamped with USDA, not meat that has been wrapped in thin plastic wrap on a styrofoam tray) whenever possible. Why? Because the untrimmed, processor-packaged beef is covered in a gooey, moist "meat glue" which is essential for the UMAi Dry membrane to bond with the surface of the UMAi Dry bag.
The Original Dry Aging Bags for Ribeye / Striploin. UMAi Dry age bags for meat are essentially a breathable membrane that creates the perfect dry-aging environment for your steak. The bags are designed to age whole sub-primal cuts of beef in your fridge for 28, 35, 45 days or more. During the aging period, the meat is protected from mold, bacteria, and odors. The Dry aging process has two parts:
- Moisture evaporates from the meat, thereby concentrating and intensifying the beef flavor
- Natural enzymes in the meat break down the connective tissue thereby tenderizing the meat and imparting a distinct dry aged flavor
Your home kitchen fridge. Once sealed in the UMAi Dry bag, your meat should be placed in a modern, full size refrigerator, one that effectively controls the humidity to draw the moisture out of the inner environment of the refrigerator. What does that mean? It means that the beer fridge in the garage, or the wine fridge in the basement are not optimal environments for your meat project. This is because the compressor on the fridge doesn't run on those fridges like it does on your kitchen fridge. Basically, you should be using your best fridge for your this project. Also, you will need to place the meat on a metal rack to facilitate air flow into the UMAi Dry age bag. Check out this Copper-plated Grid Rack, a best seller and customer favorite!
12-45 days (and patience). Fun Fact: the moisture evaporation stage lasts for about 7-10 days. The tenderization and flavor development stage lasts as long as the meat is being dry aged. We recommend dry aging steak for 21-45 days in your UMAi Dry bag. However, some customers dry age their beef for up to 100 days in UMAi Dry bags! The longer the steak ages, the more the flavor develops. Some people really like this, others prefer a shorter drying duration for their steak.
How to use dry aging bags
Remove your meat from the processor packaging, but do not wash the meat or otherwise clean the meat. Transfer the meat into the UMAi Dry bag using the clean transfer process (outlined in the induced instruction packet). Once in the UMAi Dry bag, seal the bag using one of three methods: vacuum sealing, immersion method or netting method. All sealing methods are outlined in the instructions for dry aging beef and this tutorial on how to dry age steak at home.
Do I need a vacuum sealer to dry age beef?
UMAi Dry does not require a vacuum seal to make dry aged steak at home. You can use one of these non-vacuum sealer methods such as the immersion method or the netting method. If you choose to vacuum seal your meat, there is an important differentiation between vacuum sealing and sealing UMAi Dry with a vacuum sealer -- the purpose of sealing UMAi Dry with a vacuum sealer is not to keep bacteria out; it's simply to bring the bag in contact with the meat surface. With traditional vacuum sealing, users need to be concerned with contamination and bacteria which is why "air pockets" can be dangerous. With UMAi Dry, air pockets pose no problem. When sealing your steak in the UMAi Dry bag, you only need to adhere 70-80% of the meat surface to the bag.
About UMAi Dry
Founded in 2007, UMAi Dry is the original dry aging steak bag company. Don't be fooled by other cheaper brands. UMAi Dry is the best because of our superior support. Dry aging meat can be expensive so having real meat geeks you can contact for help when you have questions is important. Access product support directly through umaidry.com/help whenever you need it (even pre-sales questions are answered by a real human!)
UMAi Dry also offers customers access to an exclusive Facebook group so you can crowd-source anything from tips and tricks, to recipes and recommendations. Help crafting the best steak ever is never more than a click away.
DrybagSteak has been in the dry age meat business for over 15 years, and our dry aging bags for beef are the best on the market. Whether you want to explore the finer flavors of traditional meat preparation or are looking to impress guests at your next holiday gathering, it's easy to get great results dry aging your own beef at home.