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Aging of Meat, Fish, and Poultry
Appears in
By Ole Mouritsen and Klavs Styrbæk
Published 2017
It used to be said that wild game, such as pheasants and hares, should be hung up to age so long that they fell down from the hook on their own. That is probably not what anyone would do now because the balance between aging the meat sufficiently and attack by bacteria that cause rotting is very delicate and difficult to control, especially if the temperature is too high. But it is true that meat from game, especially that from older animals, can be very tough and definitely needs to be aged.
Aging meat has been described, quite accurately, as “controlled decomposition.” The enzymes that are naturally present in the meat break down the tissue so that it becomes more tender. Certain enzymes degrade the proteins in the muscles, while others work on the connective tissue. The result is that preparing the meat—for example, by frying it—can be done over a shorter period of time, which in turn means that it retains more of its moisture. A piece of rare beef that has been aged properly, can be both tender and juicy.