Started dry-aging my own beef at home, huge difference in 21 days

I got a used mini fridge off Facebook Marketplace for $40 and turned it into a dry-aging setup. After 3 weeks, the texture got way firmer and the flavor concentrated like crazy, especially on a ribeye I cut from a local steer. The crust that formed trimmed off clean with a boning knife, and the inside was deep red and smelled funky in a good way. I used a salt block underneath to catch drips and a cheap fan for airflow. Has anyone else tried this on a budget, or do you stick with the pro bags?

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hill.andrew27d ago

Bought a $50 wine fridge on Craigslist and taped a computer fan inside for air movement. Threw in a whole rib roast from Costco for 30 days. The moisture loss was actually less than I expected, ended up losing about 12% to trim and evaporation. The flavor changed from normal beef to this almost nutty, blue cheesy funk that just hit different. Cut steaks against the grain and they were way more tender than anything I've bought from the store. The fat cap got this dry crust on top but the inside stayed soft and rendered out perfect in the pan.