Hi Frank!
>I've experimented with aged meat and have a question. How long can you
>keep meat hanging in the refrigerator. After a week its kind of dry but
>definitely not beef jerky. It is cut into one inch strips.

To get jerky you must cut into thinner strips (like and eighth or quarter
inch)--the thinker the tougher the chew will be.

To simply age meat you need not cut it into strips at all--just hang in
chunks and cut off steaks/portions as you want them.

Sounds like you are kinda inbetween either method with one inch strips,
which would _eventually_ dry into a too-tough piece of leather ;)

I have been successful keeping large cuts of meat (fat side down) simply
laying them in the open on the wire rack/shelf in the fridge for days. Just
get it out of the packaging which retains moisture and will expediate
bacterial growth.

>It did not find it as appealing as raw or rare meat and also question
>the health effects of all the oxidation that occurs.

Then go with your taste. Perhaps down the line you will develop a taste for
more aged meat, but it ain't exactly a goal--you gave it a taste and prefer
fresh: some people do!

The oxidation is only occuring on the surface (another reason to age larger
pieces and cut as needed instead of cutting before hand). I would guess
that whatever the downside of the crusting/oxidation might be, that we are
probably evolved to deal with it effectively, given our (probable)
scavenging prehistory. In any case it is better than leaving it in
packaging...

>However it is
>more convenient then going to the store every two days.

Yeah, it is. ;)

Cheers,
Kirt