Meat hanging is the culinary process of dry-aging meat to develop its flavor and tenderness. It is applied both to

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantit ...

and to game.

Hanging game

Traditionally, game meat was hung until "high" or "gamey", that is, approaching a state of decomposition.''

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a co ...

'', 3rd edition, ''s.v.'
high ''adj.'' A.II.12dgamey 1a
/ref>

Dry-aging beef

For

dry-aged beef Beef aging (American English) or ageing is a process of preparing beef for consumption by aging it, in order to break down the connective tissue within the meat. Dry-aged beef Dry-aged beef is beef that has been hung or placed on a rack to ...

, the meat is hung in a room kept between 33–37 degrees Fahrenheit (1–3 degrees Celsius), with

relative humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity dep ...

of around 85%. If the room is too hot, the meat will spoil, and if it is too cold, the meat freezes and dry aging stops. Good ventilation prevents

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain (biology), domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometr ...

from developing on the meat. The meat is checked on regularly. Meat hanging allows processes to continue in the meat that would normally cease in dead animals. For example, the muscles in the meat continue to use the

hemoglobin Hemoglobin (haemoglobin BrE) (from the Greek word αἷμα, ''haîma'' 'blood' + Latin ''globus'' 'ball, sphere' + ''-in'') (), abbreviated Hb or Hgb, is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein present in red blood cells (erythrocyt ...

that is stored in the soft tissue of the animal. This normal biological process creates

lactic acid Lactic acid is an organic acid. It has a molecular formula . It is white in the solid state and it is miscible with water. When in the dissolved state, it forms a colorless solution. Production includes both artificial synthesis as well as nat ...

. Contrary to popular belief, animals cannot be completely drained of bodily fluid during slaughter, since soft tissue necessarily retains some amount of fluid. This can be well observed by cooking a steak and observing "blood" on the plate. Since the blood is no longer being circulated through the body, the lactic acid starts to break down the muscle and connective tissues around it. The process takes at a minimum eleven days. The longer the meat is hung, the better the flavor will be, but also the higher the chance that the meat will spoil. Most companies limit hanging to 20–30 days. Up to 10–15% of the water content may evaporate. As the meat ages, its color goes from red to purple, and the texture becomes firmer.

Popularity

In the 1960s, the cheaper wet-aging process largely displaced dry aging as dry-aged meat is 15–25% more expensive than wet-aged beef: dry hanging rooms are expensive; meat weight is reduced through evaporation; and some proportion of meat spoils. Dry aging became more popular in the 1980s, and dry aged beef continues to be sold in high-end restaurants around the world.

References

{{Beef Culinary arts

Hanging game

Dry-aging beef

Popularity

See also

References