Dry Aged Cretan Black Angus

Dry Aged Cretan Black Angus

Dry age is a completely natural process, where absolutely no additional elements are involved, apart from the cold air that circulates freely around the meat and lasts from 21 to 35 days for short maturation. By further increasing the aging time, we achieve more special textures and flavors of aged beef that is addressed to specialized gastronomic preferences.

Dry age concerns almost exclusively beef and veal. Dry age is the process by which large pieces of meat are cooked longer than necessary before being cleaned and cutted into steaks. This process not only helps the meat to acquire a deeper taste but also makes it much more tender compared to the raw meat sold in the butchers. During the dry aging process there are three factors that affect the composition of the meat, moisture, tenderness and taste.

• Moisture that is lost is the first and most important factor. A piece of dry-aged beef may lose as much as 30% of its original volume due to the loss of water it contains, thus concentrating the taste of the meat. Much of the moisture lost comes from the outer layers of the piece, which dry out and turn black, which of course must be removed before cooking.

• Tenderness comes from enzymes, which are found in the natural environment of meat, cutting vertically the cells of the proteins contained in muscle fibers. A well-aged piece is noticeably softer than a fresh one.

• The change in taste is due to many processes taking place, including enzymatic and bacterial action. A properly dry-aged piece has developed a deep beef, walnut and almost cheesy aroma.