Buying Steaks Online - Page 2

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimbo68 

Did I say better quality somewhere?  If I did, it was a misspeak. 

 I think you said a "better product" I took that to mean quality unless of course "better" just meant less expensive and surely ordering with freight adds expense.

For any wet aging of beef in cryo it's the enzymes in the blood that are helping to tenderize the meat. Irrespective of whether the meat is sealed in cryo or not the meat is breaking down from the minute the animal expires. All meat is decaying flesh unless of course it's frozen.  The only real "problem" I see with dry aging beef at home, assuming you have a converted fridge to control humidity, is that most home cooks can't buy hanging beef. Sub-primals that have been in cryo have already had the majority of the fat removed. Far too much IMO for quality dry aging or you end up trimming what little fat is left off the exterior. You can get good results dry aging at home with the proper set up.

The only truly insane thing I think I've ever seen about dry aging at home was that non-sense about wrapping beef with gauze or towels to age.

That's a recipe for disaster.

Dave

Quote:

Originally Posted by chefedb 

Problem with leaving and aging in cryovac or visking is that meat sits in own blood. Temperature must be stable and about 34-37 . 40 is two high. Meat and poultry  goes bad faster when sitting in own blood even without oxygen.

I have been doing wet aging for years without a problem, nor am I aware that others have had a problem.  I keep mine in a garage refrigerator that does not get opened and closed as much as the kitchen reefer, but a 10# + cut of meat is not going to rise much in temperature even in a kitchen reefer.  I think most home refrigerators are kept under 40 degrees.

Meat in cryo sits in its own juices, but I am not aware that this a problem.  When I open the package, I dry it with paper towels, I don't like to wash mead prior to freezing.  The USDA makes no specific recommendations, and meat is stored in these packages everwhere along the food chain.  As far as I know, that is the main purpose of the process.

Poultry is a different matter. 

I also should have mentioned length of time in cryovac. Left in there to long then openrd, IT STINKS.  Also most, not all  cryovac meat is pre cut and pre trimmed. I prefer buying as it falls (or as Is)

I purchased three unpeeled beef tenderloins from Costco one Christmas appoximately two weeks before I needed them. I was always told that they could keep for several weeks in the cryo-packaging. about two days before I needed them, I took them out to peel and clean them up and there were dark greenish/grey spots all over them, not much smell to speak of, just discoloring. Needless to say, they went in the garbage and I had to go get three more and at about $70 each, I was quite annoyed.

I now never keep anything in it's cryo-pack longer than a day or two. I would much rather repack either whole or in portions in vacuum bags, then freeze.

I believe the blood the meat is sitting in had a lot to do with it going bad.

Red.

I like fast food such as pizza,burger,hotdog etc.
 

HI WHERE HERE ARE YOU A FOOD EDITOR,?   OR  FOR WHAT NEWSPAPAER

You can get the best steaks imaginable if you order from http://www.lobels.com/store/item.aspx?item=5   The quality of your beef will be on par with that of just about any top end steakhouse in the country.   You definitely pay for it though as it extremely expensive.     You do receive fresh, never frozen, top quality steaks though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by redvan 

I purchased three unpeeled beef tenderloins from Costco one Christmas appoximately two weeks before I needed them. I was always told that they could keep for several weeks in the cryo-packaging. about two days before I needed them, I took them out to peel and clean them up and there were dark greenish/grey spots all over them, not much smell to speak of, just discoloring. Needless to say, they went in the garbage and I had to go get three more and at about $70 each, I was quite annoyed.

 

I now never keep anything in it's cryo-pack longer than a day or two. I would much rather repack either whole or in portions in vacuum bags, then freeze.

 

I believe the blood the meat is sitting in had a lot to do with it going bad.

 

Red.

Sadly that meat you tossed was most likely not spoiled at all. If meat is rancid it will reek bad enough to make you yak when you open the cryo.

If you'll pardon the pun there's not a lot of gray area there. All meat coming out of cryo stinks and can have spots of discoloration from gray to green. That's perfectly normal especially on tenderloins. Next time trim those spots off.

Standard SOP for almost every steak house buying meat in cryo is to hold for a minimum of two weeks. You can hold cryo meat for four weeks at home as long as your fridge is operating at 37 or lower. After four weeks of wet aging beef will take on a very distinct flavor and yes it will stink when you open the cryo. Remember that meat has been deprived of oxygen.

The next time you run into an issue like this please come to CT and ask for help. We could have saved you a lot of $$ and frustration. ;)

I think Ed was spot on about fridge temps for meat in cryo and every one has to use their own best judgment. Cryo on beef is like a nice thick blanket. If you buy meat on a hot day and it gets warm before you get home and put it in the fridge remember that it can take a few days to bring the internal temperature of the meat back down because the cryo is insulating the product. Clearly this is far more of an issue for a sub-primal like a bone in rib-eye than a tenderloin.

Dave

Quote:

Originally Posted by DuckFat 

 

Sadly that meat you tossed was most likely not spoiled at all. If meat is rancid it will reek bad enough to make you yak when you open the cryo.

If you'll pardon the pun there's not a lot of gray area there. All meat coming out of cryo stinks and can have spots of discoloration from gray to green. That's perfectly normal especially on tenderloins. Next time trim those spots off.

Standard SOP for almost every steak house buying meat in cryo is to hold for a minimum of two weeks. You can hold cryo meat for four weeks at home as long as your fridge is operating at 37 or lower. After four weeks of wet aging beef will take on a very distinct flavor and yes it will stink when you open the cryo. Remember that meat has been deprived of oxygen.

The next time you run into an issue like this please come to CT and ask for help. We could have saved you a lot of $$ and frustration. ;)

I think Ed was spot on about fridge temps for meat in cryo and every one has to use their own best judgment. Cryo on beef is like a nice thick blanket. If you buy meat on a hot day and it gets warm before you get home and put it in the fridge remember that it can take a few days to bring the internal temperature of the meat back down because the cryo is insulating the product. Clearly this is far more of an issue for a sub-primal like a bone in rib-eye than a tenderloin.

 

 

Dave

I would have to agree.  I was working in a packing house when Cryovac was introduced.  No one would believe that you could keep meat for months unless it was frozen.  We took a few strips off the line and held them in Cryovac.  Opened one a week after a few weeks,.  Ran out of meat before it spoiled. 

So the lesson to be learned here is that cryo-packing is ok and can be kept for several weeks after purchase.

I will remember that and not be so afraid to keep things in their original cryo-pack next time.

Thanks duckfat and jimbo68

Red.

Search for a local grass fed grower. The one I buy from runs meat into Minneapolis once a week for free delivery. That is a 125 mile trip one way. I am sure other growers do the same.