Some old posts of mine on ageing meat on an Archery Forum I am part of, my experience is 10 years in the cooking industry and 2 years of college culinary apprenticeship.
Under hygienic conditions and without other treatment, meat can be stored at above its freezing point (1° - 4°C) for about six weeks without spoilage, during which time it undergoes an aging process that increases its tenderness and flavor.
In muscles that enter rigor in a contracted position, actin and myosin filaments overlap and cross-bond, resulting in meat that is tough on cooking – hence again the need to prevent pre-slaughter stress in the animal.
Over time, the muscle proteins decompose in varying degree, with the exception of the collagen and elastin of connective tissue, and rigor mortis resolves. Because of these changes, the meat is tender and pliable when cooked just after death or after the resolution of rigor, but tough when cooked during rigor. As the muscle pigment myoglobin denatures, its iron oxidates, which may cause a brown discoloration near the surface of the meat. Ongoing proteolysis also contributes to aging process. Hypoxanthine, contributes to the meat's flavor and odor, as do other products of the discomposition of muscle fat and protein.
We age our Beef tenderloin, Ribeye, Striploin, Sirloin, Venison, Lamb and just about any other red meat like this at work. It sounds pretty complicated, (I actually had to text my boss for some of those big words up above as he is "Mr. Science".), but pretty much just keep the meat cool, dry and CLEAN. If you want to help speed the process, butcher the meat into cuts (roasts, tenderloins etc. etc.) and age it like that, more surface area = more oxygen contacting the meat = faster aging process.
I was then asked:
"I always quarter the deer up and i put the quarters in garbage bags and let them sit in our extra fridge for about a week. Do you think the fridge is too humid for this? I'm sure the plastic bags dont help much either. Then again I'm not sure I like the sound of mold on my meat!"
The problem with this method is that it is more likely to lead to moisture inside the bag, inside a fridge (especially if the product is warmer then the fridge by 5+ degrees when you put it in at first). Moisture + darkness + stagnant oxygen = Bacteria. Bacteria uses Nutrients (whereas meat is a pure nutrient....PROTEIN mmmmmmmm meat!) and and the moisture to reproduce and because they are microscopic they can penetrate deep into the meat (because meat is very porous on a microscopic level), which can eventually lead to food poisoning (Not saying you have poisoned yourself, just saying that you run the risk of) What is the saving factor to your method is the refrigeration, bacteria grow much slower in lower temperature settings, but they still grow.
Mold is actually more "food friendly" then the bacteria as we use mold everyday (not just any molds, but specific ones cultured in specific settings) to make food products. Cultured molds are used in the production of foods, including:
* cheese (Penicillium spp.)
* tempeh (Rhizopus oligosporus)
* oncom (Neurospora sitophila)
* Quorn (Fusarium venenatum)
* bread
* sausages[3]
* soy sauce
* Beer (the yeast used to ferment the beer is just another form of mold)
Pretty much Mold, as it derives its energy to grow not from photosynthesis but from the organic material on which they inhabit, is prof that your meat is, decomposing. Which is exactly what we want, but the mold means its been "aging" too long, or its "aging" too quickly (too warm). And just any good painter, mold works from the Top-Down, or rather Outside-In. So if mold is present, you can simply cut it off at the pass. Literally, just cut the mold off, not too deeply though as you don't want to waste the product but enough to take off the "rotting" portions.
A great way of storing the meat, frozen or in the fridge, VAC PACKING! At work we just got in a vac packer and some fresh chicken breast. We packed it on the 10th of April, froze it for a week, brought out a bag (to the fridge) and left it sealed for another 14 days. We opened it up and smelled, looked just as fresh (if not fresher) then the day we got it in! Great method, if you can afford it, DO IT!
Hope this helps in any way!
