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I just found that there are some part of the dry aged beef under a rack that became slimy. It has been 20 days at 2°C and humidity around 75%. Is it ok to still consume since I have to trim the outer part anyway or Can I wipe out the slimy part for now to slow down the spoilage process as I aim to age at 28 days. Thanks you all in advance

Thanapat Sriprasert
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1 Answers1

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Your conditions were both too warm and too low of a humidity. Ideal for 'dry aging' is 32.5°F to 33.8°F (0.5°C to 1.0°C) at 80%-85% humidity.

Firstly, temperature control is critical to slow and almost stop the rotting process. Beef is received right after slaughter and it must be held at a core temperature of around zero degrees (this is done by our cool room running between −0.5 and 1 °C). Secondly, airflow is critical. Increasing the airflow around the aging room is needed to make sure that the fresh beef dries as quickly as possible on the surface to stop bacteria and potential mould growth. To achieve this, we have a number of ceiling mounted fans to push air in different directions around the room (Fig. 2). Thirdly, the use of UV lights is crucial to kill any air borne bacteria (Fig. 3). Lastly, the humidity is important and it must be between 80% and 85%.

Toss it and start over. (Bonus points for the effort though...not many have the patience to try to dry age their own beef)

Cos Callis
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    I'm not certain this is correct. A [more comprehensive literature review](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4872334/) on the process indicates more variation in temperature (sometimes even up to 4C, though 2C or below is best for longer aging) and humidity (the problem with spoilage is HIGH humidity, not humidity that's too low). Without more details about the process in the question, the problem if spoilage is occurring is much more likely to be poor air circulation with these conditions. If that is the problem, increasing humidity without air circulation could make it worse. – Athanasius Apr 10 '18 at 18:52
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    Just to clarify what I said -- obviously lower temp is better as long as it's above freezing. But the humidity was not really "too low." Lower humidity will just tend to dry out the meat more, which is not ideal for a high yield. – Athanasius Apr 10 '18 at 18:57