Went to a small butcher shop in Portland and noticed their whole setup

I stopped by this place called Laurelhurst Market last weekend while visiting Portland. They had this simple rail system for hanging their beef that let them age it right in the open cooler. No fancy bags or vacuum sealers, just good air flow and temperature control. The owner told me they lose maybe 5 percent to drying but the flavor is way better than anything wrapped in plastic. Has anyone else tried open aging like this or do you stick with the cryovac method?

2 comments

2 Comments

verar2120d ago

I get that dry aging can add some flavor, but losing 5 percent on every piece of beef adds up fast. A small shop like that might not feel it, but for most of us regular folks paying by the pound, that's money walking out the door. Plus without that plastic wrap, you're trusting their air filters and cleaning routine a whole lot. One slip up and you're dealing with mold or worse, not just a dry spot. Seems like a lot of risk for a taste difference most people can't even tell.

campbell.tara20d ago

Actually you know what, I used to be all for dry aging. I thought it was this fancy thing that made meat taste way better. But what you said about the 5 percent loss and paying by the pound really hit me. I never thought about it like that before. And the mold thing, yeah, that's a real risk. I guess I was just caught up in the hype of it all.