> This really interested me.  Do you know more about the hanging and
> aging process? I guess it is surprising to me that meat hung for days
> on end doesn't grow some kind of harmful bacteria.  Is it because the
> meat is considered a "live food" or has the enzymes that prevent
> bacteria growth?  I remember hearing that frozen meat, once thawed,
> will decompose but fresh meat will not.

Aging tenderizes muscle tissue. Enzymes in the meat break the meat down. It
is the reverse of rigor mortis I guess. For some reason, you can age beef
and lamb, but pork and chicken do not benefit from much aging.

Dry aging involves hanging the meat in a refrigerated room, preferably for
about 3 weeks. Since the room is very dry, the meat also dehydrates, losing
about 1/4 or more of its weight, making the meat more expensive weight-wise.
Also, the costs of this type of storage are high.

Most meat is wet aged. It is sealed in heavy plastic "cryopacs" that you can
see if you buy meat at a warehouse club in large quantities. It does not
lose any water weight this way, and does not take up space. I do not know
why it does not spoil this way -- I am told that it is rinsed in
disinfectant although I am not sure.

You can age meat at home to great advantage. Take meat out of the package it
comes in and put it on a cookie rack (elevated rack) in the refrigerator.
The secret is good air circulation. The meat will dry out and become a lot
better. About 4 days of aging really improves things, whether you start with
grass fed beef or supermarket beef.

--Richard