Meat fermentation: process, structure and properties of raw meat

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Gourmets know that a good steak is not easy to cook. And in this matter, everything is important - the choice of meat, its preparation (autolysis or fermentation of meat), the degree of roasting. Despite the great popularity of home grills, the secret to cooking a good steak remains a mystery to many. In the article we will talk about the difference between a beef steak from fermented meat and a steak from a steam room. And also about how to ensure the fermentation of raw materials at home.

Short introduction

It is beef that benefits significantly when aged. And if you think that a perfect piece of beef is already a guarantee of a tasty, juicy, soft and fragrant steak, then you are mistaken.

In the preparation of an exceptional steak, the main thing is its aging, or fermentation of the meat. Recall that a steak is a rather thick piece of beef fried over an open fire. If notdelve into history, steaks have been known since ancient Rome. But fried beef owes its popularity to Columbus, who brought lockhorn bulls to the New World. Today, beef steak is the national dish of Americans. It was they who developed strict criteria for the selection of meat, the fattening of bulls, the stages of maturation of meat and its frying.

Although back in the 19th century beef carcasses for the nobility were “killed” for several weeks (until the top part rotted), we all prefer less autolyzed (fermented) meat.

Gourmet Enzymes

It is beef that has lain at a strictly defined temperature for a clearly defined amount of time that acquires that divine taste and aroma that gourmets appreciate so much. Plus, it cooks quickly.

This is easily explained by biochemistry. In the muscle tissue after the slaughter of the animal, chemical reactions continue to take place, which affect its structure, and, accordingly, the structure of the protein. This process is called meat fermentation, or autolysis.

But meat autolysis is a delicate matter. For example, if an animal has convulsions during slaughter, then the rate of autolysis will increase, and the quality of the meat will deteriorate. The processes of meat fermentation are affected by the he alth of the animal, the conditions of its feeding, age, fatness and many other factors.

The heart of the matter

Let's consider the stages of meat autolysis - the process of keeping raw materials, in which softening of muscle fibers is achieved, a change in the chemistry and physics of proteins, and, accordingly, density,moisture-retaining properties, taste, smell, color of meat. Or what happens after slaughter in muscle tissue.

After slaughter, when the body no longer functions, processes initiated by proteolytic enzymes - c altapain and catalepsin - continue to occur in muscle tissues. They destroy proteins in tissues to amino acids, glycogen to glucose, fats to aromatic fatty acids. This whole steak meat fermentation process lasts up to 28 days and makes the meat soft and flavorful. Of course, subject to technology.

Steam or fermented

When you buy fresh meat at the market, you should know that this is not so. Paired meat is considered only during the first 3 hours. Such raw materials have a dense and moist texture, not pronounced meaty taste and smell. The acidity is slightly increased (pH - 7.2).

The next stage of autolysis is stiffness. This stage proceeds for 1-2 days at a temperature of 0 to 4 °C. The meat loses moisture-resistant qualities, becomes more dense and tough. The pH level drops towards acidity.

Next comes the final rigor stage, or the last stage of fermentation. The acid accumulated in the tissues softens them, and they lose their elasticity. The decrease in hardness begins on the 5-7th day at a temperature of 0 to 4 °C. Optimum indicators of taste and aroma are reached on the 14-30th day.

Dry fermentation

Today, two methods of aging meat are used - dry fermentation of meat and wet.

Dry aging involves placing raw materials in specialchambers where a certain regime of humidity and temperature is observed. This method of autolysis is aimed at evaporating moisture from raw materials and softening muscle fibers. Optimal indicators of taste and aroma are achieved on the 15-30th day. The disadvantages of this method are the loss of up to 20% of the weight due to the loss of moisture and the cut edge of the meat piece. In addition, if the technology is violated, meat can easily deteriorate under the influence of putrefactive microorganisms.

For fermentation of meat by wet autolysis, it is placed in vacuum plastic bags, where it is kept from a day to 4 weeks. This method appeared not so long ago, but up to 90% of raw materials for steaks in the world are prepared in this way. The advantages of the method are that raw materials lose about 5% of moisture and almost do not lose weight, and the meat becomes juicy and tender. However, the meat acquires a subtle metallic taste, although this is desirable for some types of steaks.

In the industrial production of fermented meat, various methods (physical, chemical, biochemical) have been developed to intensify the process. Raw meat that has undergone fermentation is marked DRY-AGE (matured).

Meat fermentation at home

Can I prepare meat for steak at home? The answer is yes, but it will take some effort.

If you have purchased a special cabinet for aging meat - you will not have any problems, except for buying the right piece of beef. But in a conventional refrigerator, the correct fermentation of meat by dry agingdifficult - it does not control humidity and air circulation. But if you generously sprinkle regular s alt on the steak, this will prevent the development of bacteria and draw excess moisture out of it. Pieces of meat sprinkled with s alt must be wrapped with gauze and placed on a wire rack. You can store such a steak for no more than 3 days at a temperature of 4 ° C.

Wet-aged steak meat is easier to ferment. There are plenty of devices for vacuuming products on the market. But in this case, you need to be sure that the purchased meat was stored at a constant temperature, while observing all the rules of hygiene.

You can do it easier - buy chilled beef, wrap it in parchment, waffle towel or cheesecloth and leave it in a regular refrigerator. In this case, the gauze must be changed as it is moistened. After 5-6 days, the meat will become softer, and its taste will become richer. But the upper windward crust will have to be cut off.

If softening of muscle fibers is important to you, then both methods of meat aging are equivalent. But if you want to get a true gastronomic pleasure, choose dry fermentation of meat for a steak.

How to make the perfect steak

Some tips for cooking a quality steak.

• Each piece of meat takes a different amount of time to reach its optimal performance. So, in a special cabinet, ribs will autolyse in 28 days, and a thick steak in 8 weeks.
• The criteria for well-aged meat is a reddish-brown hue and retaining a dent when pressedpiece.
• The breed of the animal, its age and proper slaughter affect the taste of the steak. Marbled beef (grain-fed) from Agnus, Hereford and Wagyu breeds is especially valued.
• When spices and Himalayan s alt are added, the taste and aroma of the steak will become refined.

Other methods of autolysis

There are other ways to age meat.

Fermentation in mineral water (aqua-aging) lasts up to 5 weeks. But not everything is so simple - the composition of minerals and strict adherence to technology matter. We do something similar when we marinate barbecue meat in mineral water.

Gourmet cuisine (hautgoût - in French and means "high cuisine") is the aging of game meat in fur, which gives the meat a tart-sweet taste. Today it is not used, as it does not meet the requirements of hygiene.

Technologies for aging meat in fat for hundreds of years. In this case, the meat is covered with a layer of beef fat.

For the fermentation of meat for steaks, there are not only special refrigerators on sale, but also packages. Mold aging bags give the meat a distinct nutty flavor. Bags with semi-permeable membranes (LavaA-Vac) allow meat juices to escape and keep the steak at temperatures up to 3 °C. we remind you that you should strictly follow the instructions for their use.

And finally

Supermarkets already have foreign-made DRY-AGE beef. In post-Sovietspace producers of fermented meat is very small. This is due to the fact that the culture of consumption of such meat is absent or is only developing. There are two producers of such meat in Russia - the Miratorg online store and the Zarechnoye group of companies.

The development of steakhouses in the country's megacities expands the gastronomic preferences of our compatriots and enriches our diet with delicious meat steaks from the most tender marbled beef.