I'd prefer a place in eastern LA County or anywhere in OC, but I suppose beggars can't be choosers.

Thanks!

 

try to figure out a few good butchers (chowhound should do the trick) and call them up.

whole foods dry-ages their beef for 28 days, but that's not enough imo. start with 40 days and work your way up - there's a point where you can't go no more b/c the fat just turns rancid.

a good butcher should be willing to dry-age the meat for as long as it will hold.

- chuck

 

I have heard you say 28 days isn't enough on other threads, but when you're used to having vacuum packed wet-aged beef, 28 days is like manna from heaven!

I will start with Whole Foods (had no idea they dry-age!) and then start calling local butchers. What can I expect to pay per pound for NY Strip and Filet?

BTW, not to overload you with questions, but why do you so rarely see dry-aged Filet anywhere? I think I've only ever seen it at 1 place in my entire life.

 

dry-aging is very expensive for the butcher since a) the meat sits around for X days and b) the meat shrinks (loses water, which gives it more intense taste.) they have to wait longer for less product; thus, few mainstream places do it.

most good butchers seem to do it for 28 days on average; and, then, if you ask, you might convince them to go longer. 28+ day dry-aged beef is not for everyone though - the taste is a lot more intense and might be too much for those used to normal steaks.

- chuck

 

Whole Foods has Dry Aged Grassfed NY Strip for $26.99 and Filet for $35.99. This is at the new OC flagship store on Jamboree. Spoke to the butcher and he said the machine/storage locker they use is $10,000. They do all aging in-store; it's not delivered pre-aged.

I bought a pound of the NY and will try it tonight or tomorrow. Will post reports after!

 

Do you ask if it's grass-fed? Because it wasn't written anywhere on the white boards above the deli where they have the filets out. I asked the person working behind the counter (who I am assuming is not the butcher) and he said he didn't know, "but probably".

 

I am soon to become a meat-related supplier (pork rinds) to Whole Foods and I can tell you as part of the qualification process they require all meat to be vegetarian fed. Technically I suppose this does not mean "grass fed," but it certainly means no ground up leftovers and no animal byproducts. They also require free-range roaming for 2/3 of animal's life (beef/buffalo only). No doubt this results in higher quality meat than conventional.

 

trojan - if the WF stuff tastes very good, and you like it, try going to a local farmer's market one weekend. there are usually one or more meat vendors at the larger markets. rest assured, their meat should be dry-aged and (mostly) grass fed. it *should* be better than WF but the only way to know is to taste.

- chuck

 

Thanks everyone.

Tried it last night...a definite improvement over the $9.99 stuff from the regular grocery store, but I really didn't think it was worth 270% more money. Sadly, it was not nearly as good as restaurant-quality dry aged steaks. Perhaps I should try the $35.99 fillet.

I will keep an eye out for dry aged meat from other butchers and try different places.

 

Is that for every store, or just that certain location?