Ribeye aging?

tuckatodd

I just remembered the other day that when I was younger and my stepdad (God rest his soul) used to buy ribeye steaks in bulk he would leave them in the fridge to age for weeks.  They were chamber sealed in packs of 2.  Any truth to this or possibly a bad thing? I vaguely remember this.  Thanks for any help!

Chris_Young_80640

This is called wet-aging, and it's a common industry practice. You'll get most of the benefit within the first 14 days, and very little change after 21 days. Essentially, enzymes in the meat break down proteins into flavorful, savory amino acids and also break down some collagen and some contractile proteins for increased tenderness. 

Unlike dry-aging, you don't get water loss, so those savory amino acids and other tasty molecules in the meat aren't concentrated. You also don't get too much oxidation of fat, so you don't develop as much of the nutty flavor of dry aged meat.