Why dry aged beef is so tasty

It is no secret that beef is a huge favourite in Britain, and the versatility of it gives home cooks and celebrity chefs a lot of recipes to with which to work.

Beef is one of those foods that tastes great with almost any meal. However, sometimes beef is not as tasty as it could be, and this can let a meal down. Sometimes, we need to let science do the work and let the meat become tastier on its own.

Dry aged beef is prepared in a different way to normal beef, and part of the process is what makes is so much tastier. Normal beef is usually put out into the market fairly quickly once the animal has been prepared. Dry aged beef involves leaving parts of the meat out in controlled conditions for a certain amount of time in order for the enzymes to do their work. Enzymes already exist in beef and when they are left to be active, they can successfully transform the flavour of the beef in a way no cooking method can.

The basic science of it is that the enzymes break down the meat’s proteins and carbohydrates into fatty acids and sugars, creating more distinct flavours that are not present in fast processed beef.

Dry aged beef is also less moist than normal beef, but this does not mean it is not juicy when cooked. It just means that the juice left over is more concentrated, and therefore much tastier.