Ageing meat: why aged meat is more tender
Also searched as: dry ageing, hanging meat, aged meat, ageing meat, wet ageing
In short: After slaughter, the meat's own slowly break down the fibres. The meat becomes more tender and, when dry-aged, more savoury too.
Like a new pair of leather shoes that softens over time: stiff at first, comfortable after weeks.
Simplified model
What happens
Right after slaughter, muscle meat is stiff. Over the following days and weeks, enzymes in the meat itself loosen the fibres. When dry-ageing on the bone, water also evaporates, the flavour concentrates and nutty, cheesy aromas develop. The outer, dried-out layer is trimmed off.
Why it matters
Explains why aged beef is more expensive and more tender, and why fresh meat from the farm sometimes turns out tough.
Rules of thumb
- For quick-cooked beef, choose aged meat.
- Dry-age at home only with a dedicated fridge and large pieces, not steaks.
- Meat aged in a vacuum bag becomes more tender, but not more savoury.
In practice
Meat
A rib-eye aged for three to four weeks is noticeably more tender than a fresh one.
- Harold McGee: On Food and Cooking (2004)