Food lovers know that making a good steak is not easy. And everything is important in this matter - the choice of meat, its preparation (autolysis or fermentation of meat), the degree of roasting. Despite the great popularity of homemade grills, the secret to making a good steak remains a mystery to many. In the article, we will tell you how the beef steak from fermented meat differs from the steak from fresh meat. And also about how to ensure the fermentation of raw materials at home.
Short introduction
It is beef that wins significantly when aged. And if you think that the perfect piece of beef is already a guarantee of a tasty, juicy, soft and fragrant steak, then you are mistaken.
In the preparation of an exceptional steak, the main thing is its aging, or fermentation of meat. Recall that a steak is a rather thick piece of beef fried over an open fire. If you do not delve into history, steaks were known in ancient Rome. But fried beef owes its popularity to Columbus, who brought the Lokhorn bulls to the New World. Today, beef steak is a national dish of Americans. It was they who developed strict criteria for the selection of meat, fattening of gobies, the stages of ripening of meat and its roasting.
And even in the 19th century, beef carcasses for the nobility “killed” for several weeks (until the upper part rotted), we all prefer to eat less autolized (fermented) meat.
Gourmet Enzymes
It is beef that lay at a precisely defined temperature for a clearly defined amount of time that acquires the divine taste and aroma that gourmets so value. She also cooks fast.
This is easily explained by biochemistry. After the animal is slaughtered, chemical reactions continue to take place in the muscle tissue, which affect its structure, and, accordingly, the structure of the protein. This process is called meat fermentation, or autolysis.
But meat autolysis is a delicate matter. For example, if convulsions occurred in an animal during slaughter, then the rate of autolysis will increase, and the quality of the meat will deteriorate. The processes of meat fermentation are affected by the animal’s health, conditions of its feeding, age, fatness and many other factors.
Essence of the question
Consider the stages of meat autolysis - the process of aging of raw materials, in which softening of muscle fibers is achieved, changes in the chemistry and physics of proteins, and, accordingly, density, water-holding properties, taste, smell, color of meat. Or what happens after slaughter in muscle tissue.
After slaughter, when the body is no longer functioning, processes initiated by proteolytic enzymes, caltapain and catalepsin, continue to occur in muscle tissue. They destroy proteins in the tissues to amino acids, glycogen to glucose, fats to aromatic fatty acids. The whole process of fermenting meat for steak lasts up to 28 days and makes the meat soft and flavorful. Of course, subject to technology compliance.
Paired or fermented
When you buy fresh meat in the market, be aware that this is not so. Paired meat is considered only during the first 3 hours. Such raw materials have a dense and moist texture, not pronounced meat taste and smell. Acidity is slightly increased (pH - 7.2).
The next stage of autolysis is rigor mortis. This stage proceeds for 1-2 days at a temperature of 0 to 4 ° C. The meat loses moisture-resistant qualities, becomes more dense and tough. The pH level decreases towards acidity.
This is followed by the stage of final rigor mortis or the last stage of fermentation. The acid accumulated in the tissues softens them, and they lose their elasticity. The stiffness reduction begins on the 5-7th day at a temperature of 0 to 4 ° C. Optimum indicators of taste and aroma are achieved on the 14-30th day.
Dry fermentation
Today, two methods of aging meat are used - dry meat fermentation and wet.
Dry exposure involves the placement of raw materials in special chambers, where a certain regime of humidity and temperature is observed. This autolysis method is aimed at evaporating moisture from raw materials and softening muscle fibers. Optimum indicators of taste and aroma are achieved on the 15-30th day. The disadvantages of this method are the loss of up to 20% of the weight due to the loss of moisture and the cut edge of the meat piece. In addition, in case of violation of technology, meat can easily deteriorate under the influence of putrefactive microorganisms.
For the fermentation of meat by wet autolysis, it is placed in vacuum plastic bags, where it is kept from 24 hours to 4 weeks. This method appeared not so long ago, but in this way up to 90% of raw materials for steaks in the world are prepared. Advantages of the method - the raw material loses about 5% moisture and almost does not lose weight, and the meat is made juicy and tender. However, the meat acquires a barely noticeable metallic taste, although for some types of steaks this is desirable.
In the industrial production of fermented meat, various methods have been developed for the intensification of the process (physical, chemical, biochemical). Fermented raw meat is marked DRY-AGE (matured).
Fermented meat at home
Is it possible to prepare meat for steak at home? The answer is yes, but efforts will have to be made.
If you purchased a special cabinet for aging meat - you will have no problems, except for buying the right piece of beef. But in a conventional refrigerator, the proper fermentation of meat by dry aging is difficult - it does not have humidity and air circulation controls. But if you abundantly sprinkle steak with ordinary salt, this will inhibit the development of bacteria and draw excess moisture from it. The pieces of meat sprinkled with salt must be wrapped with gauze and put on a wire rack. Such a steak can be stored for no more than 3 days at a temperature of 4 ° C.
Fermenting steak meats with wet aging is easier. There are plenty of devices for vacuuming products on the market. But in this case, you need to be sure that the purchased meat was stored at a constant temperature, subject to all hygiene rules.
You can do it easier - buy chilled beef, wrap it in parchment, a waffle towel or gauze and leave it in an ordinary refrigerator. At the same time, gauze must be changed as it is moistened. After 5-6 days, the meat will become softer, and its taste will be more saturated. But the upper windward crust will have to be cut.
If softening of muscle fibers is important for you, then both methods of aging meat are equivalent. But if you want a true gastronomic pleasure, choose dry meat fermentation for steak.
How to make the perfect steak
Some tips for making a quality steak.
- Each piece of meat requires a different time to achieve optimal performance. So, in a special cabinet, the ribs will undergo autolysis in 28 days, and a thick steak in 8 weeks.
- The criteria for a well-ripened meat is a reddish-brown tint and a dent is retained when a piece is pressed.
- The breed of the animal, its age and proper slaughter affect the taste of the steak. Marbled beef (fattened with grain) from agnus, hereford and vagu breeds is especially appreciated.
- When spices and Himalayan salt are added, the taste and aroma of the steak will become refined.
Other methods of autolysis
There are other ways to ripen meat.
Fermentation in mineral water (aqua ripening) lasts up to 5 weeks. But not everything is so simple - the composition of the minerals and strict adherence to the technology matter. We do something similar when we pickle kebab meat in a mineral water.
The product of haute cuisine (hautgoût - in French and means "haute cuisine") is considered to be the maturation of game meat in fur, which gives the meat a tart-sweet taste. Today it is not used, as it does not meet the requirements of hygiene.
Technologies for aging meat in fat for hundreds of years. In this case, the meat is covered with a layer of beef fat.
For the fermentation of meat for steaks, not only special refrigerated cabinets are on sale, but also packages. Packages for mold aging of meat give it a clear nutty flavor. Bags with semi-permeable membranes (LavaA-Vac) allow meat juice to come out and provide steak aging at temperatures up to 3 ° C. Recall that in this case, you should strictly follow the instructions for their use.
And finally
Beef marked DRY-AGE of foreign origin has already appeared in supermarkets. There are very few producers of fermented meat in the post-Soviet space. This is due to the fact that the culture of consumption of such meat is absent or is only developing. There are two producers of such meat in Russia - the Miratorg online store and the Zarechnoye group of companies.
The development of steakhouses in the cities of the country expands the gastronomic preferences of our compatriots and enriches our diet with delicious meat steaks from the most tender marbled beef.