Fresh Meats and Dry Aged Beef at Heritage Meats Gourmet in Langley

We are proud to supply premium dry aged beef to our customers.

Dry aged beef is beef that has been hung to dry for several weeks. Either an entire half will be hung, or primal cuts (large distinct sections) will be placed in a cooler. This process involves considerable expense as the beef must be stored at or near freezing temperatures. Also, only the higher grades of meat can be dry aged as the process requires meat with a large, evenly distributed fat content. For these reasons one seldom sees dry aged beef outside of steak restaurants and upscale butcher shops.

The key effect of dry aging is the concentration of the flavor. It's generally accepted that the taste of dry-aged beef is almost incomparable to that of wet-aged with four weeks being a recommended minimum.

The Process

The process enhances beef by two means. First, moisture is evaporated from the muscle. This creates a greater concentration of beef flavor and taste. Second, the beef’s natural enzymes break down the connective tissue in the muscle, which leads to more tender beef.

Dry aging of beef is rare in super-markets in Canada today due to the significant loss of weight in the aging process. It is found in steakhouses and certain restaurants.