Hanging carcasses

Kathy Millar · Post by **Kathy Millar** » Sun May 06, 2007 4:35 pm

I was chatting with a fellow cattlewoman (couldn't resist the term!) and she pointed out that we are fortunate that our local butchers dry-hang our beef. Something about better quality and apparently the big, commercial abattoirs all wet-hang theirs. All I know about my butcher is that he never tells me how long he hangs them and I always forget to ask when I go to pick up the frozen packages. Which leads me to another point about butchers. I have noticed that you folks in the UK keep talking about vacuum-packed cuts (and possibly other terms for the same thing). Here the cuts are double-wrapped in butcher's paper (waxed on the inside) and I wonder if it is better for the meat to be able to breathe. Personally I don't want my meat sitting in plastic but having said that, my poultry is frozen in plastic bags. :p

wagra dexters · Post by **wagra dexters** » Tue May 08, 2007 12:43 am

Does the butchers' paper keep the meat safe from freezer burn as well as cling wrap does, Kathy? (I thought by now someone else would have said 'cattleperson'.)
What differentiates dry hanging and wet hanging? I haven't heard those terms yet.

Martin · Post by **Martin** » Tue May 08, 2007 1:00 pm

Hi Kathy,when meat is 'vac packed' I am told that it can be kept in the fridge for up to 6 weeks without being frozen. So if your customer is a restaurant of farm shop and they expect to sell within that time it will stil be regarded as 'fresh' and no need for a freezer. It does cost about 35pence per kilo extra for this service.

jeanthomas · Post by **jeanthomas** » Tue May 08, 2007 2:37 pm

OK, put me out of my misery, what is the difference between dry hung and wet hung? I have never come across these terms before and I could maybe impress my butcher with new found knowledge!!!! ???

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Wed May 09, 2007 8:33 am

Found these on the web:

Dry-Aging

To dry age beef, a carcass is hung for 14-21 days in a locker where temperature (34-35 degree F), ventilation, and humidity (85%) are carefully controlled. During this time the beef loses excess moisture, becomes tender, and develops flavor.

Dry-aging is very time consuming and expensive, requiring extra effort, storage, excellent facilities, and high-quality beef. Up to 5% of the original weight of the carcass is lost during the dry-aging process. This is why dry-aged steak is offered only in fine restaurants, upscale grocery stores and gourmet steak companies.

Instead of dry-aging, most of today's "aged beef" undergoes the wet-aging process. The fresh cuts of meat are vacuum-packed in plastic bags, and are allowed to sit at temperatures between 34-38 degrees F for 7 to 28 days. In this hermetically sealed environment the meat ages in its own juices, hence the term "wet-aging." Since the meat is packed in its own juices, the enzymes will break down the connective tissues and make it more tender. However, because there is no fluid loss, wet-aged meat lacks the concentration of flavor that results from dry-aging.

Wet-aging does not require a facililty that allows for long-term hang-drying of individual sides of beef without them touching each other. The meat is packed soon after processing, and requires much less storage space, doesn't require careful humidity controls and constant checking, and results in no loss of weight. These economic reasons explain why over 99 percent of beef--including the meat used at many well-regarded steak houses--is wet-aged.

And from www.AskTheMeatMan.com

Wet aging or aging-in-the-bag has become the industry norm, 90% of aged beef is done this way. The beef is vacuum packed in plastic and sits at temperatures of 34-38 degrees for 7-28 days. Inside the plastic, the meat ages and becomes more tender yet there is no flavor development since there is not a concentration of flavor occurring with loss of moisture.

This method has become more popular because it is cheaper and more profitable. Dry aging is more costly due to the approximately 18% loss in shrinkage and extra trim required, time, storage, refrigerator space, and labor.

In a mass produced commercial environment where all attention is given to the profit margin, dry aging is being done only for a few discriminating customers.

jeanthomas · Post by **jeanthomas** » Wed May 09, 2007 8:57 am

Wow, thanks for that. It appears my beef/lamb is dry hung. I shall go and quiz Mr Ruse (my butcher) on the subject next week when I collect some lamb he has processed for me (shetland lamb, incredible, almost gamey flavour, dry hung for three weeks - bring on the mint sauce!) :D

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Wed May 09, 2007 12:49 pm

Note that these quotes are from American sites and the temperatures are therefore Fahrenheit, otherwise it would be very well done afer 28 days.

Shetland lamb sounds brill.

Inger · Post by **Inger** » Fri May 11, 2007 12:10 pm

One day I'd like to try Gotland lamb. It may be a while off though, as we only got female lambs last year and I have an order for a ram lamb for breeding. But one day it would be nice to wether a lamb and see what its like to eat. :D

Kathy Millar · Post by **Kathy Millar** » Sat May 12, 2007 4:35 pm

You know, there is a lot to be thankful for with these small butchers here. All of them dry-age their meats and it's nice to know that you have been eating top quality processed meat all this time! I have not had any problems with feezer burn. I'm just not comfortable "aging" my meat in plastic.

Jeanthomas, how old are your Shetlands when you take them in? I hate gamey meat and my intact Shetland rams at 15 months of age are nice and mild.