Appreciation post: trying dry-aging a single ribeye at home for 14 days

I always heard dry-aging was a pro thing only big shops could do. So I grabbed a $28 ribeye from my local market in Austin, wrapped it in cheesecloth, and stuck it in my spare fridge for 14 days. Honestly, the crust got super funky and I lost about 20% of the weight to moisture. But the flavor was way beefier and more concentrated than any wet-aged cut I've had. Has anyone else tried this at home and got a different result?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamesmason12h agoMost Upvoted

lost about 20% of the weight" is the part that gets me... I always wondered if that weight loss is worth it when you could just do a wet age in the fridge with a vacuum bag for way less shrinkage.

jamesmason7h agoMost Upvoted

And you're paying for that lost water weight too, not getting much flavor back for it.

rowank697h ago

Yeah the weight loss is real, but that's kind of the point. You're not paying for water weight the same way you are with wet-aged stuff from the store. The moisture loss concentrates the flavor way more than any vacuum bag trick ever could. I tried wet aging once and it just tasted like a slightly softer steak with no real character. Dry aging gives it that nutty, almost blue cheese thing that you just can't fake.