success with fresh meat storage

[Adora]

Hi all,
   I just had such success with this I wanted to show off. My butcher gave me about 5lb hunk of lean beef. I put bamboo skewers though the holes in my colander as shown and covered it with a paper towel to keep my family from being upset by meat I am so proud of.
   It developed a tough, chewy skin in spots, that I didn't enjoy so I just rotated bits off as I wanted them. It never spoiled or went bad in any way. No more pre-frozen meat for me , Thank you to RawZi, Inger, Sabertooth, and I think Evehart had an older post on keeping meat in her fridge too. I am so happy

[Adora]

2 more pictures that wouldn't post before, sorry

[blackrhino]

Nice!

[letsdoiteczema]

@Adora

Awesome stuff.
1. Why all the fuss with the bamboo skewers and colander? To air the bottom of the meat?
2. How long could you keep it in the fridge for? Did it turn smelly?
3. Is this how commercial dry-aged beef is done? I seem to recall dry-aged beef develops mold outside that is cut off before served. Obviously us raw paleos can eat that mold as well.

[Adora]

Thank you LDIE
It was wonderful for 2 months. I ate fresh when I had it and supplemented with the dry aged stuff. The skewers did dry the bottom. It did mold, but I ate it or cut it off depending on how I felt that day. It didn't smell at all. I love it. This way it is not gross and never need to freeze to store.

[Dorothy]

Thanks Adora!

Eve gave me details on how to hang it in the fridge but I just couldn't get that kind of room or those cuts - but your idea is brilliant!

I'm going to try that too. It's so easy and will take so little room. Have you tried it with any frozen meat to see what the difference would be like?

[letsdoiteczema]

@Adora

Thanks for your quick reply. It's truly amazing to me that you said it didn't smell!

I'll be trying this method soon with my chilled NZ grass-fed beef. Strange that last time (6 months ago when I first started RPD) I stored some deer meat in the fridge in a plastic tupperware with a closed lid for too long and it went REALLY stinky, blue and all bubbly. Back then I didn't know about high meat...so I threw all of it away...

Your method lets air dry out the meat and probably reduces the chance of it turning blue, stinky, bubbly etc.

Now I eat high meat daily so mold should not be a problem for me 

[eveheart]

3. Is this how commercial dry-aged beef is done?

While there is no absolute way to do commercial dry-aged beef, it usually involves refrigeration and humidity control. The home refrigerator does not have that kind of humidity control. The really pricey dry-aged beef boasts long aging, such as 40 days. Forty days of open hanging in a home refrigerator yields a delicious semi-dried-out hunk of meat... delicious if you eat raw paleo!  A commercial butcher/restauranteur wouldn't want that much drying because they trim away the dry outer portion. Commercially, too much humidity is also undesirable because of slime and mold.

It's fairly easy to control conditions in a home refrigerator by varying how the meat is cut, trimmed, and partially covered. Also, remember that in the olden days, meat was aged in attics, buried, or hanging on trees, so be open to variations in the finished product.

[Adora]

Frozen meat is horrible. I haven't had any luck with it. I freeze meat, but I only eat it when I'm desperate.
For best results the fridge needs to be set colder, which seems to decrease humidity. Start with small pieces and work up. If you hold the meat to your nose you can smell it, but it is barely detectable in cold fridge. If you don't like the hardened aged smell, just trip the outer part.

[Adora]

and thanks for the appreciation, I love it too

[Chris]

From my understanding most meat is frozen to some extent through transportation or storage. I don't have an issue with frozen meat as much as you do. I think if the meat is frozen properly, there is less damage to it nutritionally and taste wise. Most meat/exotic cuts you buy online ship frozen. The problem exists when if get's refrozen. I do have a problem with frozen/thawed fish at stores. It has a very mushy texture. Not very appealing, at least to me. I just purchased a pound of the best ground meat I ever had last week. Nice dark reddish color, mixed with raw beef liver (and yes it was frozen). It was so delicious and favorable. I always find it fascinating how/what others do to preserve or enhance raw meats! See what a little bit of research does on this site, and Walhalla!

[Dorothy]

The problem here in Texas are the laws. A farm is not allowed to process it's own meat if they are selling any and all processing plants freeze their meat. I have yet to find unfrozen meat here. I still don't know how fresh meat tastes!

[Adora]

I am spoiled. My meat is purchased hours after slaughter from the farm. They save a ton by having a butcher in the CSA. It is 100% better than frozen. My butcher freezes in paper maybe that's part of the difference. It is soggy and drippy when thawed.