On the 8th of August after 29 days of aging I unbagged my first drybag-aged slab of meat, a choice grade rib-eye from Costco that started out at 15.72 pounds and ended up at 13.12 pounds dry. It trimmed out to 10.78 pounds, a total weight loss due to aging and trimming of 31.49%. That's nearly a third of the original wet weight of the meat.

It seems like a lot of loss until you look at the cost per pound. The meat was priced $5.99 a pound at Costco. After dry aging, my cost per pound was only $8.74. In my opinion, that is a super deal. By way of comparison, Central Market sells their Premium Choice rib-eyes for $14.99 a pound for individual steaks. If you buy a subprimal rib-eye from them, it goes for $9.99 a pound. So my dry-aged cost per pound beats their fresh un-aged cost per pound.

Now I've eaten the Central Market rib-eyes a number of times, and it is a better quality of meat than what I got at Costco. But my dry-aged Costco steaks definitely beat it in flavor, texture, mouth feel, and plate manners (no pool of blood on the plate for my dry-aged steaks). Now I'm wondering how much better a dry-aged steak could be if I started out with that better quality premium choice ... or perhaps a prime grade subprimal.

I'm really impressed with the results I got on my first try at dry-aging with the drybags. I've just ordered a bunch more bags. I'm going to try to keep something going in my fridge all the time. Right now I've got a choice NY Strip and a choice Top Sirloin in the bag.

I'm going to try to attach a snapshot of the spreadsheet I put together to log my dry-aging. You plug in the measured weights and costs and it calculates the dry-aged costs and percent weight loss values.

Ahhhh another believer! Glad to read your report and your organized record. I too have been keeping something aging all the time so as to build supply in my freezer. As one believer to another can I give you a challenge for your next one? It sounds like you trimmed fairly extensively like maybe clear back to red meat? I myself was challenged to go easy on the trimming as that's where the real taste comes into play. Granted I trim the dried fat pretty much, but only the crustiest of the brown meat. I find it mellows in a sear and is tasty. Initially my wife trimmed around hers, but know she likes it as well.

Yes, I trimmed the dried fat heavily and I trimmed the non-fat brown meat portions down to the softer red meat, but as thinly as I could. It was a little tricky to trim the rib-eye. It has rib indentations that you have to follow. I probably lost a little more than I intended on some of the raised portions between the ribs. I sharpened my knife before I started, but I think a different type of knife might help. I'm thinking about getting a Forschner Cimeter. I've heard they are great on large pieces of meat.

Trimming more lightly will indeed be a challenge for me RRP. The dried outer "crust" just doesn't feel or look very appetizing to me. But I think I'm up for the challenge, so thank you for it. If for some reason I find it unappealing after trying it, I can always trim it off the remaining steaks before grilling them. So it really won't hurt to leave it on. (You see how I'm trying to talk myself into it?)

I'll try it on my NY Strip and the Top Sirloin when they are done aging.

LOL - at least I was kinder to you than my mentor was who questioned why I even bothered to dry age my meat if all I was going to do was trim back all evidence of the effort! I will say this though at least try less trimming on a steak or two next time and I'll bet you will eventually become a less trimming is better believer and join my mentor and I on this side of the fence!

One other thought and I can't believe I forgot to mentioned it...check out my thread about hot tubbing your steaks. That method does wonders for thicker cut dry aged steaks and in particular (for some reason) that dark brown layer becomes quite moist in the process. You just have to trust me I guess.