Temperature
The front panel on the Steak Locker should be set to 35 degrees and 70% humidity. There are defrost cycles and the temperature and humidity will always fluctuate. As long as temperature stays between 34-41 degrees and humidity stays between 60-80% there is a safe dry aging environment within the meat ager. A fresh product in the meat aging fridge will create more humidity than one that has been in there for more than two weeks.
Humidity
Creating humidity within the Steak Locker is a variable in that fresh meat will create more humidity at the beginning of the dry age process and increasing it towards the end of the process will keep the muscle from drying out too much. Another variable of humidity is the amount of meat inside the dry age fridge, the Steak Locker Home Edition has a 60-pound capacity, and three 20-pound sub-primal cuts would fit comfortably without touching each other. Just remember that this will create more humidity within the locker and the front panel may be set to 65% for the first half of a 45-day process then bumped up to 70% for the second half.
Fan forced air
Fan forced air is required to disburse a consistent speed of air to have better circulation and decrease stagnant air at the same time. If the forced air is at too high of a speed, then the product inside the locker will dry out too soon. The forced air fans within the lockers are designed to turn off when the door is opened to eliminate the external air from entering and during the defrost cycle so that the evaporators can dissolve moisture.
Germicidal light
Ultraviolet light is a type of electromagnetic radiation that comes from the sun and is transmitted in waves or particles at different wavelengths and frequencies. When properly utilized, this invisible form of light can safely kill germs, mold, mildew, and in some cases even some bacteria. The UV Light also turns off in the locker when the door is opened.
Time
Time is an essential component in how dry aging works because once the meat is placed into the locker, it will take time to reach the desired outcome of tenderness, texture and flavor.
The process in Steak Lockers meat ager
The process of dry aging using Steak Lockers meat ager is dependent on a number of factors, such as; the type of meat, the cut of meat (size) and personal preference. Different types of meat take different lengths of time to dry age and generally, the larger the cut of meat, the longer it will take to dry age. Beef can be dry aged for the longest whereas meats such as pork or fish do not require nearly as much time in the meat ager for the dry aging process to take place.
Also, it's important to remember that just like cooking a steak, everyone's preference is different, some people like it rare, others like it well done, the same rule of thumb applies to dry aging. The longer the meat is left to dry age in our steak ager, the more intense the flavors will be. We recommend dry aging for a minimum of 35 days to truly experience the flavours and texture associated with dry aging. You can read more about the dry aged steak process in one of our previous blog posts.
