Warning: My uncle's advice about aging beef almost cost me a whole steer

My uncle Bob, who's been cutting meat since the 70s, told me to hang a hindquarter for 21 days in my garage to get that perfect tender texture. I figured he knew his stuff since he ran a shop in Omaha for 30 years. So I did it, right in late August when temps hit 85 degrees. After day three, the smell got real funky, like old socks and ammonia mixed together. By day seven, I had flies and a greenish sheen I couldn't ignore. I ended up tossing over 80 pounds of beef because I didn't check my garage thermometer sooner. Has anyone else gotten bad advice from an older butcher and lived to tell about it?

3 comments

3 Comments

simonmoore21d ago

Your uncle's method was right for a commercial cooler that stays at 34-38 degrees, not a hot garage in August lol. Thats just asking for spoilage no matter how much experience the guy has.

davis.casey20d ago

Man, that's rough. I feel for you, @simonmoore is right though - that temperature difference is a killer, garage aging is a whole different ballgame. Sorry about all that beef, that really sucks.

alice_harris3519d ago

Stop and think about how many times people just assume their own experience with something translates perfectly to someone else's setup. It's like my buddy who swears by his pellet smoker for brisket but forgets my backyard is a wind tunnel and I'm cooking with a beat-up offset. We all do it, we take what works for us and act like it's a universal law. Temperature swings in a garage versus a climate controlled room, different wood for smoking, different humidity levels for curing meat, it all changes the game completely. People need to stop giving advice like their exact situation is the only situation.