Understanding Aged Beef

At Tony’s we insist on aging our Prime and High Choice beef for 21-28 days using a combination of wet and dry techniques - assuring the finest quality beef possible for our guests. Here are some details about aging and quality.

How Does Aging Work?
During the aging process, natural enzymes in the muscles work to tenderize and mature flavors. The improvements are particularly noticeable when aging the highest grades of beef, but there is little advantage to aging low-grade beef.

Tony’s Aged Beef
There are two ways to age beef – wet or dry – at Tony’s we do both. All cuts are wet aged for maximum tenderness and we also dry age premium steak cuts to develop flavors to their absolute peak.

Wet Aging
In this modern technique, primal cuts of beef are aged in airtight cryovac packages. During the wet aging process, natural enzymes in the muscles work to tenderize and mature the meat for increased tenderness and flavor.

Dry Aging
In this old world technique, sides or primal cuts are hung in a cooler with excellent air circulation and low humidity. Like in wet aging, natural enzymes work to tenderize, but in dry aging, evaporation reduces water levels (and weight) by up to 15%, significantly improving, concentrating and enhancing flavor.

More on Aging
Aged beef exhibits visual clues that the savvy buyer can identify. While fresh cuts of beef are a very bright red, shiny and wet looking, aged cuts are the opposite – duller, darker and dryer looking. Some cuts can develop a darker edge, which is another visual indication of aging. Once cut into steaks, beneficial aging slows and spoilage begins, so you cannot age steaks in your refrigerator.