In this section of Australian Angus Beef we are talking about the age of the meat that has already been butchered. The age of the Angus Beef Cattle itself and its physiological maturity when it is slaughtered for consumption is referred to as ossification. Whilst ossification is also important in regards to the overall quality of the meat produced from the animal I will cover it in another section.
So what is aged beef? Just like a bottle of fine wine Angus Beef can also benefit from the ageing process. Enzymes begin working on the proteins in the muscle tissue soon after death, the majority of this process happens to within 10 to 24 hours. If the carcass is hung in refrigerated conditions just above freezing level this naturally occurring biochemical activity will slowly break down the muscle fibres at a microscopic level. The end result being in weakened muscle fibres and consequently you end up with beef that is more tender due to this ageing process. Overall the appearance of the beef is unchanged.
In modern times there are two basic ageing processes, dry ageing and wet ageing.
Dry Ageing Angus Beef
Dry ageing is a process described as above where the carcass or cuts of beef are stored in strictly regulated environmental conditions for a prescribed number of days. The carcass of all beef is typically aged this way for up to 5 days before further cut into "Primals" for further ageing.
The disadvantages are weight loss due to evaporation and if aged long enough mold forms on the outer part of the meat which must be trimmed off to maintain the appropriate safety standards. This and lengthy refrigeration and storage increases the costs of this process markedly. You typically find this kind of dry aged beef only in upscale restaurants and gourmet retailers.
The advantages of dry ageing beef is that it is said to intensify the flavour of the cut, producing a mellow, buttery or nutty flavor.
Just for fun you can check out a dry aged beef cam at Haverick Meats.
Wet Ageing Angus Beef
Wet ageing came about in the 1970s when the advantages of placing beef in vacuum sealed packaging became evident. The beef did not lose weight due to evaporation, the onset of mould was significantly delayed and the meat was immediately available for transshipment to supermarket shelves. This relegated the traditional dry ageing process to the niche market it occupies today.
Does ageing actually improve quality?
Research by MSA (Meat Standards Australia) has shown that aging does indeed improve the quality of beef with the majority of the improvement happening in the first 21 days as shown in the following table.
The only thing I can suggest now is the good old Angus Beef taste test so Bon Apetit!
