Steak Locker Global · Est. 2015
Why Steak Locker
We invented the smart connected dry aging system. This page documents the patent, the certification, where the machines are assembled, and the real story behind why the G5 exists — with the numbers behind every claim.
Of unit cost
Parts & labour
We invented this category. US Patent 11,006,657, priority date October 4, 2015 — the first smart dry aging system, built by chefs, for people who take aging seriously.
Early units had real problems. The hardware aged protein reliably. The software connecting it didn’t — app instability, connectivity failures, support that couldn’t keep pace. Those reviews are accurate. They’re also about machines we no longer build.
We reengineered it from the ground up. New control board, new app, new connectivity architecture — not a patch, a replacement. Ten years of real aging data from 8,500 units sold informed every decision.
The G5 is what that looks like. Backed by a 3-year warranty and a US phone number that a real person answers.
I built this for people who take a good steak as seriously as I do. A decade in, that’s still the only spec that matters.
— Chef Claus Schmitz, Founder
What we believe
The best ingredient is time. We built a machine to protect it.
Dry aging is one of the oldest techniques in cooking — and one of the least accessible. Done properly it requires an environment that holds temperature, humidity, UV, and airflow in continuous precision for weeks. Until 2015 there was no purpose-built machine for it.
We built one. Patented it. Spent a decade in the field refining it with chefs, butchers, and serious home cooks. The G5 is not a different product — it is the same invention, ten years better.
The mission has not changed: give anyone who cares enough a machine worthy of that care.
What no other dry aging system has
Any competent refrigeration company can hold a temperature. What no competitor has built — not the German makers, not the Italians — is the smart connected architecture: the cabinet, the cloud, and your phone operating as one instrument. That is what we patented in 2015, and it remains unmatched in this segment.
You know before it costs you
Power cut at 3am. A door left ajar. Humidity drifting outside tolerance. The G5 alerts your phone the moment it happens — not the following morning, when a 45-day program is already lost. A cabinet without connectivity gives you no way to know until you open the door.
Live telemetry, not a readout
Temperature, humidity, airflow and UV cycle stream continuously and log for the life of every program. Every parameter is adjustable in real time from anywhere. European cabinets in this category run preset programs and report nothing.
Ten years of data nobody else has
8,500 units sold means a decade of real aging telemetry across thousands of cycles in working kitchens. The G5’s predictive intelligence was built on that dataset. A competitor entering the market today starts at zero, and there is no shortcut to ten years of field data.
Adaptive predictive pH and barometric intelligence
On the Professional Edition, the algorithm builds a predictive model of your specific cabinet’s pH and barometric behaviour as it accumulates cycles — anticipating shifts before they affect a program. No other dry aging platform in the world offers this.
US Patent 11,006,657
On May 18, 2021, the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted Steak Locker Global US Patent 11,006,657, titled “Meat Aging Chamber and System Utilizing a Communications Network.” The patent is held by founder and inventor Claus Schmitz.
The USPTO’s own examination confirmed how new this was: prior art methods provided no remote control of the aging process, and no meat aging apparatus had been built in a manner accessible to consumers.
The patent covers the complete system: the aging cabinet, control circuit, cloud resource, and portable interactive device — the smartphone app — working together as an integrated architecture. This is not a design patent or a utility feature. It is a foundational systems patent on smart connected aging technology.
Certified to NSF Category 7
All Steak Locker units are tested and certified to NSF Category 7 standards by Intertek — the commercial refrigeration standard for equipment used in food contact environments. Intertek is one of the three primary global independent testing bodies, alongside SGS and Bureau Veritas.
This is not a marketing claim. It is a third-party verified standard that places Steak Locker units in the same certification category as commercial foodservice refrigeration used in professional kitchens globally.
Final assembly in the USA
Every Studio, Home Edition G5 and Professional Edition G5 completes final assembly in the United States, across our San Diego, California and St Louis, Missouri facilities. Control board installation, firmware loading, telemetry configuration, and final quality control are performed by our own team — not outsourced, not offshore. The unit that ships to you was finished by the people who designed it.
This is why US-based support means something here. When you call, you reach the team that assembled and tested the machine, with the build record in front of them.
What’s American in every unit. Final assembly, control board installation, firmware, telemetry, and quality control are completed in the United States. The mechanical cabinet is manufactured by a contract supplier and imported.
US-origin intellectual property and electronics represent approximately 50% of unit cost of goods — the engineering and the intelligence that make the machine what it is.
What we claim
Steak Locker makes five US-origin claims. Each one is specific, accurate, and verifiable.
US Patented
US Patent 11,006,657, granted by the USPTO. Inventor: Claus Schmitz. The only US patent on a smart connected dry aging system architecture.
Final Assembly in the USA
Control board, firmware, telemetry, and quality control completed in the United States — San Diego, California and St Louis, Missouri. Cabinet and select components imported.
US Engineered
The control board, aging intelligence software, and system integration are designed and engineered in the United States.
US Designed Intelligence
The aging protocols, predictive algorithms, and platform architecture are developed in the United States. The intelligence is the product — and it is American-made.
US Support
All customer support, installation assistance, and technical help is provided from the United States. A real person answers. Not a ticket queue, not a call centre.
Previous generation vs G5
The current models are the Home Edition G5 and Professional Edition G5. The previous generation has been retired — not updated, retired. Here is what changed.
| Feature | Previous Generation | G5 |
|---|---|---|
| App capability | Monitoring only | Active remote control |
| Wi-Fi | External module | Embedded — built in |
| Control board | Previous generation | Reengineered from ground up |
| Connectivity architecture | Retrofitted | Designed around the patent |
| Alerts & telemetry logging | — | Live, for every program |
| Predictive maintenance | — | Fall 2026 |
| Warranty | 1 year | 3 years, parts & labour |
| Aging environment | Proven | Unchanged — same core |
| Patented humidity control | ✓ | ✓ |
Common questions
Where are Steak Locker units made?
Final assembly is completed in the United States, across our San Diego, California and St Louis, Missouri facilities — control board installation, firmware, telemetry configuration, and quality control. The mechanical cabinet is manufactured by a contract supplier and imported. US-origin intellectual property and electronics represent approximately 50% of unit cost of goods.
What can the G5 do that other dry aging cabinets cannot?
Alert you the moment something goes wrong, and let you fix it from anywhere. Power loss, a door left ajar, humidity drifting out of range — the G5 Smart App tells you immediately and logs every parameter for the life of the program. Competing cabinets, including the European makers, run preset programs with no connectivity. You find out something went wrong when you open the door. On a 45-day program that difference is the whole investment.
What is the difference between the old SL150 and the new Home Edition G5?
The Home Edition G5 is the current model — shipping now. The SL150 has been retired. The core upgrade is the app: the G5 gives you active remote control, not just monitoring. Temperature, humidity, airflow, and UV cycle adjustable in real time from anywhere. The control board was reengineered from the ground up with embedded Wi-Fi built in. The aging environment is unchanged — same patented humidity control, 34°F to 72°F range, UV sterilisation, and rear plenum airflow.
Which model is currently for sale?
The Home Edition G5 ($2,499) and Professional Edition G5 ($5,999) are both shipping now, alongside the Studio ($1,799). The previous SL150 and SL520 have been retired. Home Edition: 65 lbs, 4.2 cu. ft. Professional Edition: 350 lbs, 20 cu. ft., up to 7 adjustable shelves.
Is Steak Locker NSF certified?
Yes. All units are tested and certified to NSF Category 7 standards by Intertek, for commercial refrigeration equipment in food contact environments. This is a third-party verified certification, not a self-assessed claim.
Does Steak Locker hold a US patent?
Yes. US Patent 11,006,657, granted May 18, 2021, covers the complete smart connected system: the aging cabinet, the cloud, and the smartphone app. No other dry aging system in the US market holds equivalent patent protection.
What is the warranty?
Three years, parts and labour, on all G5 units. That is an increase from the one-year warranty on previous generations, and it reflects how much of the machine was reengineered.
Who invented the smart dry aging system?
Chef Claus Schmitz, founder of Steak Locker Global, invented and patented it. At the time, no comparable smart connected dry aging system existed — confirmed by the USPTO examination record.
What about the negative reviews?
They’re real. Early units had software instability and connectivity failures that the hardware — which aged protein reliably — couldn’t compensate for. Those machines have been retired. The G5 was reengineered from the ground up: new control board, new app, new connectivity architecture. The 3-year warranty and US-based support are how we stand behind that.
Ten years of aging telemetry
Steak Locker has been collecting aging telemetry from deployed units since 2015. 8,500 units sold across a decade means temperature, humidity, airflow, and aging duration data across thousands of real-world cycles. The G5’s predictive intelligence was built on that dataset. No competitor entering the market today has access to anything comparable — it took a decade to build.
Speak to a real person — or a chef
However you want to reach us.
Questions about the patent, certification, assembly, models, or platform — from customers, journalists, researchers, or partners — are welcome.
Prefer to type? Use the chat on this page. It reaches the same team and nothing falls through the cracks.
