Old timer told me to age beef on the bone, I thought he was full of it

Tom, the guy who ran the shop before me, kept saying bone-in keeps more flavor during the dry age process. I fought it for 2 years until a customer paid me $100 extra to try a bone-in ribeye and the difference was night and day. Has anyone else had a mentor's advice backfire or turn out to be the real deal?

3 comments

3 Comments

ninas6713d ago

Had a buddy who ran a BBQ joint up in Kansas. He swore by Tom's same advice after a failed experiment where he dry aged a whole boneless strip loin and it came out tasting like a bad steakhouse shoe leather. Meanwhile, his bone-in prime rib eyes were flying off the menu and people kept asking what his secret was. He finally admitted @craig.john might be wrong about the bone being just a hassle - the marrow and connective tissue break down during aging and actually pump a ton of beefy flavor back into the meat. He still grumbles about trimming around the bone though, says it's a pain but worth the extra 30 seconds per steak.

craig.john13d ago

Bone mostly just makes it harder to trim, not tastier.

bettyroberts13d ago

Have you ever actually tried aging a bone-in roast next to a boneless one at the same time? I'm asking because I was pretty skeptical too until I did a side by side test last fall with two prime ribs from the same cow. The bone-in one came out noticeably richer and had that deeper beef flavor that everyone talks about. The boneless one was fine, but it was just kind of flat in comparison. I get that trimming around the bone is a pain, but in my experience that extra few minutes pays off with way better results. It's not just about having a pretty looking steak, it's about what the bone adds while it sits.