bryan Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/how-to/article/dry-age-shortcut-koji What say you? Don't knock it if you aint tried it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinyfish Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 Sounds interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie Ora Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 The theory sounds good worth a try I might give it a go cheers for the post Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 Worth a try if one can just fine the koij Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 I've seen a similar post where they used fish sauce. Same basic principle. Never tried it. Reef's Bistro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookie Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 I think Cook's Illustrated did a test a few years back and a steak placed on a shallow wire rack in a pan and left uncovered in the fridge for 4 days yielded just as good a result as proper 45-60 day dry aged steaks. I could be off on the exact numbers here, but something along those lines. I've done a couple of days with good results, but living in a condo with a small fridge and kids to feed leaves fridge space at a premium. We are about to move to a house and will have a much larger fridge, and a second fridge, so I plan to run the 4 day thing to ground before the end of summer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 Just ordered some of the koji rice from Amazon. Eager to try this. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 I'll be watching to see what you think, Tony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 I'll be watching to see what you think, Tony. I'll be watching too. . I just have my doubts about faking a dry ageing but it's definitely worth a try. Reef's Bistro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted June 19, 2016 Report Share Posted June 19, 2016 OK, so here's the koji rice steak aging experiment results. Here's the setup - a Trader Joe's strip steak (moderately tender cut) and the koji rice. Ground up some of the rice and rubbed all over the steak. Into the fridge on the rack. Here's what it looked like after one day. Things are starting to happen. Here's the result after 2 days. The grid marks are from turning the steak over after the first day. Rinsed, dried, and simple rub of Trader Joe's Steak rub (coffee based) and some Sucklebuster's SPG (salt, pepper, garlic). Onto the KK, direct @ 325F, bourbon barrel chunk, with some corn. 5 minutes on each side. (Note: corn had been on for 30 minutes already) Finished on the sear grate. 2 minutes on each side. Plated with some parsley potatoes w/black truffle oil, cooked SV @ 183F for 35 minutes. Some sauteed mushrooms on the side. And, don't forget that corn on the cob! So, what was the outcome? Will definitely try this again to see if first impressions hold. Steak was slightly more tender, but not dramatically so. I chose this rub combo, as I have used it on the same steak cut before, so I knew what it should taste like. There was a slightly noticeable taste difference this time - slightly sweet/malty, especially on the fatty outer layer. Not a bad thing, but different. Maybe next time, I'll keep it super simple and just use the SPG alone, to see if I still notice this sweetness. I might also go 3 days in the fridge, to see if that further improves the texture/aging. All in all, fun with food! My favorite hobby! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie Ora Posted June 19, 2016 Report Share Posted June 19, 2016 Great effort mate it looks good and you can slightly see the change Outback Kamado Bar and Grill ♨ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted June 19, 2016 Report Share Posted June 19, 2016 Tony, your steak dinner sure looks tasty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted June 19, 2016 Report Share Posted June 19, 2016 Tony - this is very interesting to me. Thanks for this post. I'll be looking forward to your next installment. Thanks, my Friend! Oh, very nice corn! But then, it should be, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryan Posted June 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2016 Thanks for the post. Looks great. Does the meat tear easy or show signs of separation? Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted June 19, 2016 Report Share Posted June 19, 2016 Great experiment - next time get 2 identical steaks. Cook and eat one the first night. After the 3 day ageing cook that the same way as #1. Might be a better way to notice the difference. Reef's Bistro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted June 19, 2016 Report Share Posted June 19, 2016 @CeramicChef - corn was tasty, but not the good local stuff yet. Won't start seeing that until late July. Driving out in the countryside yesterday, corn is only about 2 ft tall right now. Remember the old saying - knee high by the 4th of July. @bryan - no, it didn't. Hence, thinking it might have needed an extra day. @ckreef - I toyed with an actual side-by-side cook, but I've cooked these TJ steaks a few times now and have a pretty good feel for what they taste like and their texture. One of the reasons I chose this steak for the trial, is that they are a bit on the chewy side, but have great flavor. What would be fun to do is a sirloin, cut it half, do one half with the koji for 3 days and second half just plain, dry aged for 3 days. Cooked side-by-side. I've done bigger steaks in the fridge for up to a week and like the way they turn out. Been meaning to try the UMAi bags, but haven't broken down and ordered any yet. So many things to try, so few meals! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted June 26, 2016 Report Share Posted June 26, 2016 OK, so I did another experiment with the koji rice. Like I said before, this time I did some sirloin (fortunately on sale at the local market). Two similar sized pieces - one rubbed with the koji rice and the other with flaked Kosher salt. Air dried/aged in the fridge for 3 days. Here they are right out of the fridge after the 3rd day. Koji rice on the left and salt rubbed on the right. The salt rubbed steak is quite dry/firm on the surface, but pliable. Washed off the koji rice and dried with a paper towel. You'll notice the similarity now in surface textures. Rub mix is Dizzy Pig Raising the Steaks and Cow Lick. I oiled the steaks lightly and then applied the rub. Onto the KK on the sear grate. Dome temp at 500F, with a small chunk of mesquite. Toothpick is in the salted one. After a couple of flips (about 30 seconds per) Done. Rested and sliced open. You can see that there's some textural differences between them. Koji on the left, Salted on the right. Plated, with a nice ear of corn and a twice baked potato, and some sauteed mushrooms for the steaks. OK, for the results. There were very noticeable differences between the two steaks. The salted one was drier (less moist), but had a more intense beefy flavor. A tad salty too. (Note: I didn't rinse it before applying the rub.) The koji steak was softer and had a hint of that malty flavor I picked up the first time. This time I made sure to rinse the steak thoroughly and rubbed it well with a paper towel to remove as much of the rice as I could before applying the rub. Both were very tasty steaks, just different. I leaned toward the salted one, as I liked the more intense beefy flavor. Next time, I'll rinse it before applying the rub and may only go 2 days of air drying in the fridge. So, in conclusion, I didn't find that the koji rice rub accelerated the aging process any more than just a good Kosher salt rub. It was a tad moister and a bit softer than the salted one. I think if the salted one had only be dried for 2 days, that they would be more similar in texture. I did prefer the beefier taste of the salted one. I still have about 1/2 a bag of the koji rice left, so I might try it again with a tougher cut, like a flank steak. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryan Posted June 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2016 Great review. Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted June 26, 2016 Report Share Posted June 26, 2016 Tony, great write up and I found it very useful, thanks. BTW dinner looks soooooooo good.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted June 26, 2016 Report Share Posted June 26, 2016 Good post. Interesting conclusions. I've tried the salt thing before. Even after a good rinse I found it to be too salty for my tastes. Reef's Bistro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
