Wet aging

[7mmfan]

So this years elk wet aged for 12 days before I froze. Weather was warm in elk camp and I didnt feel good about letting it hang the duration of our stay. We had power so I cut and vac sealed everything, the coolered on ice.

I've also been rubbing and re-sealing my steaks and roasts for a minimum of 10 days before cooking lately with exceptional results. I'm curious if the act of 20+ days of wet aging is the deal, or if the long rub timing makes that big of difference.

Any input from those with experience in the wet aging game?

[Magnum_Willys]

Buddy ages his for about a month. Crazy .  He trims any dark or orher and they are tender awesome. 

[7mmfan]

Is that dry aging in a cooler or fridge though? I'm vac sealing and letting them sit unfrozen without exposure to air for 20+ days. Just curious if others have done this and what their learning lessons have been? Maybe @Whitpirate ? I feel like he was working on this a while back.

[Stein]

I know in the beef industry they wet age because it is faster/easier/cheaper, not because it is better than dry age.  If given the choice, I would dry age.  If not, it would be an interesting experiment, I would likely do half and half so I could compare the same cut side by side to see if it was worth the effort.

The big drawback for me would be the need to vac pack everything, paper and plastic wrap seems to work so much better for long term storage as you don't have to buy bags or worry about the ones that leak.

[Blacklab]

When I buy cash and carry meats. Especially beef I’ll bring it home minimum 3wks in frig. Before I start processing. They have kill dates so they get their meat pretty fresh.

[Crunchy]

You guys have to try this location to order meat someday.  I have only had their hams and have never tasted a better ham in my life.  I can only imagine the other meat is just as good.  Seriously it is better than good!  I'm going to order some of their ribs next, and maybe some steaks (ribeyes). 

https://www.snakeriverfarms.com/

[3boys]

You guys have to try this location to order meat someday.  I have only had their hams and have never tasted a better ham in my life.  I can only imagine the other meat is just as good.  Seriously it is better than good!  I'm going to order some of their ribs next, and maybe some steaks (ribeyes). 

https://www.snakeriverfarms.com/

I have had there meat a few times. Best steaks ever.

[92xj]

You guys have to try this location to order meat someday.  I have only had their hams and have never tasted a better ham in my life.  I can only imagine the other meat is just as good.  Seriously it is better than good!  I'm going to order some of their ribs next, and maybe some steaks (ribeyes). 

https://www.snakeriverfarms.com/

I know personally, chefs/pitmasters that have catered and cooked all over the South and east coast, including the Beard house in NY, that buy their meat from Snakeriver farms, who say it's some of the best product sold.

[vandeman17]

You guys have to try this location to order meat someday.  I have only had their hams and have never tasted a better ham in my life.  I can only imagine the other meat is just as good.  Seriously it is better than good!  I'm going to order some of their ribs next, and maybe some steaks (ribeyes). 

https://www.snakeriverfarms.com/

My work gave out a snakeriverfarm meat package to all employees as part of our Christmas presents this winter. I actually had one of the steaks last night and it was delicious.

[deereman]

Great company and high quality product. I always get my prime rib from them or their partner RR beef, St Helens beef. I always buy one grade lower than my expectations and wet age for at least 4-6 weeks. The rib rolls are already vacuum sealed so I just place in fridge til I’m ready to cook. I usually buy choice but sometimes select grade. I have never been disappointed or had a complaint from any friends or family. Always is tender and can usually cut meat with fork. Great to support a local northwest company.

[Karl Blanchard]

I think the soak time on the rub is more important for wild game than anything you are gonna gain from wet aging

[cavemann]

@Karl, 7MM..
What do you use for rub??  I'm a rookie, so just use over the counter stuff.  Seems like most of it has too much salt.  What do you guys like?

[7mmfan]

I have 2 main rubs I use depending on what I'm in the mood for. I usually default to a Southwest flavor pallet.

For steaks/roasts that I'm cutting, I coat in olive or avocado oil, then liberally apply Johnny's. From there I do some coarse ground pepper, McCormick's Southwest seasoning, and a little brown sugar.

If I'm doing a crockpot or Instant Pot meal where I'm going to be pulling the meat, I skip the Johnny's and use sea salt. Then I use the same Southwest seasoning, but I will also vac seal it with minced garlic and onion, and a little adobo sauce.

[Karl Blanchard]

I brush with olive oil and then season with garlic, onion, a coarse ground salt and cracked pepper.  Return to fridge for min 12hr. 24 if I can. Remove and let warm to room temp. Either in a pan with butter or onto a hot grill. I'm a hot and fast guy personally. Let rest and slice. I do this with steaks and roasts. In my opinion a lean muscle gets ruined in a crockpot.  Save the slow cooker for shoulders, necks, and shanks.

This is a NV mule deer. Probably lived on mahogany and sage.  I've eaten nothing but wild game (literally) for 20 years. From sage to high alpine mtns. They are all amazing.  If a person likes red meat but doesnt like venison it is because they don't know how to cook plain and simple.

[Alchase]

You got my mouth watering with that pic!

[Karl Blanchard]

This was dinner tonight. Big fat elk eye of round.  Bit different tonight as I had a pan of bacon grease sitting around. Rub, bacon grease sear, bbq. Got preoccupied with some pickled asparagus and over cooked it a bit but still turned out fantastic.  It's amazing what a 9 and 7 year old will put away! Makes me really sympathize for my parents having to feed three teenage boys

[grundy53]

Looks delicious

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[Blacklab]

Yum 🤑🤑🤑

[Remnar]

  One of my favorites . I feel like alot of people overlook the eye . Right up there with backstraps and tenderloin .IMO

[Karl Blanchard]

One of my favorites . I feel like alot of people overlook the eye . Right up there with backstraps and tenderloin .IMO

probably bring a tear to your eye if a guy knew how many go the way of the grinder. No different than shanks, necks, and shoulders

[7mmfan]

Eye of round was what I cooked for the wild game virgins last week. They were thoroughly impressed. Also one of my favorite cuts.

Recently I've been utilizing our convection oven heated to 550. It gets those steaks and roasts sizzling. I've been very happy with how they turn out.

[jdb]

I brush with olive oil and then season with garlic, onion, a coarse ground salt and cracked pepper.  Return to fridge for min 12hr. 24 if I can. Remove and let warm to room temp. Either in a pan with butter or onto a hot grill. I'm a hot and fast guy personally. Let rest and slice. I do this with steaks and roasts. In my opinion a lean muscle gets ruined in a crockpot.  Save the slow cooker for shoulders, necks, and shanks.

This is a NV mule deer. Probably lived on mahogany and sage.  I've eaten nothing but wild game (literally) for 20 years. From sage to high alpine mtns. They are all amazing.  If a person likes red meat but doesnt like venison it is because they don't know how to cook plain and simple.

i agree with your last sentence 100%

[chad24n]

I'm a butcher. Wet age verse dry age is my business. Here is a piece I edited together (mostly from wikipedia) for customers to read. It is on point. Hope the image is readable after I post.

Wet aging elk will work and you won't have as much waste. IMO, dry aging is always better. For the guy who dry aged for a month... it'll be good eating but will have way too much wastage of meat. Stick with about 2 weeks only, it'll be very similar to 30 days. General rule, the larger, fatter the animal, the longer you can hang. Skinny deer should hang about 7-10 days (if that). If you are crazy about the nutty, aged flavor in your meat, meet these max hang times, pack the meat up, and let it sit in your freezer for a minimum 6 months before you touch it. It'll continue to age there, just at a much slower rate.

Also, pro tip, spray your carcass with a 50/50 vinegar/water solution every 2 or 3 days while aging. It'll protect the outer crust greatly to minimize end loss while internal meat continues to age.

For anyone new to aging and wants a comparison, after your next harvest, cook up a chop the same day you killed the animal. Then age the rest of it and when ready, cook up another chop the same way. The first chop will be extremely tough in comparison. You'll know the difference immediately after eating the second chop.

[Whitpirate]

I have found that wet aging elk and deer 14-18 days in the fridge even without seasoning makes a difference.  Last test I did 21 days vs 14 vs no age and I couldn't tell enough difference between 14-21 to take the extra week.  I like Karl's 12-24 seasoning and I often cheat by re-vaccuming with a marinade of the same spice combos as it will pull in and I have a 17" chamber sealer. 

I agree that cooking skills improve all levels of meats and I'm glad Karl braises now!