# How and why is beef aged? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [August 24, 2005, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-and-why-is-beef-aged/318351 "2005-08-24T00:12:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-and-why-is-beef-aged/318351/1 "2005-08-24T00:12:44Z")
I’d always thought the optimum goal of the meatpacking industry was to kill the animal, render and butcher the meat, and get it to the consumer ASAP in the interest of freshness and safety. But I’ve notice that beef is often advertised as having been “aged” for a number of weeks. How and why is this done? It’s not as if they’re smoking it. And how do they keep the meet safe while it’s being aged? (It’s about food, that’s why I put it in CS.) ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-and-why-is-beef-aged/318351/2 "2005-08-24T00:30:36Z")
Aging allows enzymes to break down connective tissues in the beef thereby making it more tender and flavorful. There are two types of aging: dry aging and wet aging. Dry aging is done by hanging meat up in a refrigerated cooler kept between 36 F and 32 F for a while. Dry aging is very expensive and not done too often these days. Wet aging involves vacumn sealing beef abd letting it age in the package. Aging times range between 3 and 21 days with 10 - 14 days being the most typical. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-and-why-is-beef-aged/318351/3 "2005-08-24T00:42:05Z")
[Hijack] The hardest thing about smoking beef is keeping it lit [/Hikack] ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-and-why-is-beef-aged/318351/4 "2005-08-24T03:46:24Z")
Do you guys not even look at the [front page](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mangusbeef.html)? ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-and-why-is-beef-aged/318351/5 "2005-08-24T03:50:35Z")
> [@Biffy the Elephant Shrew](#): > > Do you guys not even look at the [front page](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mangusbeef.html)? Actually I don’t, I consider [boards.straightdope.com](http://boards.straightdope.com) to be a superior to [www.straightdope.com](http://www.straightdope.com) as a font of wisdom. In truth, I rarely visit the SD main page. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-and-why-is-beef-aged/318351/6 "2005-08-24T03:58:00Z")
> [@Spectre of Pithecanthropus](#): > > I’d always thought the optimum goal of the meatpacking industry was to kill the animal, render and butcher the meat, and get it to the consumer ASAP in the interest of freshness and safety. But I’ve notice that beef is often advertised as having been “aged” for a number of weeks. How and why is this done? It’s not as if they’re smoking it. And how do they keep the meet safe while it’s being aged? > > (It’s about food, that’s why I put it in CS.) Alton Brown explored this topic. Recipe [here](http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_17372,00.html); explanation [here](http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/Season5/EA1E02.htm) ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-and-why-is-beef-aged/318351/7 "2005-08-24T03:59:21Z")
> [@Biffy the Elephant Shrew](#): > > Do you guys not even look at the [front page](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mangusbeef.html)? [My front page](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/) on my address bar list. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-and-why-is-beef-aged/318351/8 "2005-08-24T04:00:07Z")
> [@Oslo Ostragoth](#): > > Alton Brown explored this topic. Recipe [here](http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_17372,00.html); explanation [here](http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/Season5/EA1E02.htm) Explanation [here](http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/Season5/Roast/RoastTranscript.htm) ---
**Author:** ![raz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@raz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raz)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-and-why-is-beef-aged/318351/9 "2005-08-24T14:02:28Z")
'm on my college meats judging team and we go to the slaughterhouses about once a week or so. I remember we went to one meat locker and they had the same set of four beef carcasses there that we saw three months earlier. There was a date tag on them so I know they were the same ones. They looked like giant hunks of beef jerky and when I asked my teacher what they were going to do with them (because they certainly didn’t look edible) he said that they’d just use them anyway in hamburger or something. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Goob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@Mr.Goob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Goob)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-and-why-is-beef-aged/318351/10 "2005-08-24T15:41:54Z")
Go to Gallaghers steak house in NYC. The have an aging room with a window facing the street. IIRC the beef is kept 21 days before serving. Exquisite. One of the best dinners I’ve ever had. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-and-why-is-beef-aged/318351/11 "2005-08-24T22:08:44Z")
Since this is, in fact, answered by a Staff Report, I’m moving the thread to a better forum.