Bring Certified Angus Beef® To Its Full Potential Through Dry-Aging

Dry-Aging is a science that takes the Certified Angus Beef® brand’s unrivaled quality to its fullest potential. The aging process improves beef tenderness and intensifies flavour. Temperature, airflow and humidity must be controlled to develop the distinct dry-aged flavour, often referred to as “nutty” or “oaky”.

You may have wondered, how can you gain access to our custom dry-aged beef program?

• Need 28 days to start program
• Need to provide weekly usage and then take weekly commitments
• Need 28 days notice to stop program
• Charged on green weight (start weight)

What cuts of beef do our meat experts recommend for dry-aging?

Ultimately, we can dry-age any cut you want but cuts of beef that are highly marbled benefit from the dry-aging process most, which is why most of our customers choose striploins and boneless ribeyes for their dry-age program.

How long is our dry-aging process?

Our customers can choose Certified Angus Beef® that has been brought to its full potential through our 45 day dry-aging process, however, we are happy to customize our dry-aging time to your needs so dry-aging can be shorter or extended as per your specifications.

What is the science behind dry-aging?

The dry-aging process causes the natural enzymes in beef to break down proteins within the muscle fibers and naturally tenderize the meat texture. In other terms, moisture evaporates from the outer surface, concentrating the meat’s flavour inside – much like reducing a sauce. During dry-aging, meat undergoes some dehydration, which results in loss of yield.

Is all beef from Intercity Packers dry-aged?

Whether the beef is dry-aged or not, all beef sold by Intercity Packers is aged in some way before it gets delivered to our valued customers. For comparison, the majority of beef is aged through a more conventional method of aging called “wet-aging”. During the wet-aging process, beef is sealed in airtight vacuum packages and refrigerated at a carefully controlled temperature. At Intercity Packers, if the beef is not dry-aged, then it is wet aged for approximately 21 days at a minimum. Wet-aging beef improves tenderness similar to dry-aging, but has less of an impact on flavour and does not require as much trimming and minimizes yield loss.

Similar to cheese making, aging beef is an art form that requires many years of expertise to do correctly. Get in touch with your ICP account manger today and choose our master craftsmen to produce expertly dry-aged beef for your next menu.