17/09/2026
Ageing meat in fat? Meh...
These are the conclusions of a recent scientific study (”Beef Quality Under Different Ageing Conditions: Physical, Chemical, Technological, and Sensory Evaluation”; P.Kosztolányi et al. 2026) that compared four beef-ageing methods (using striploins—Longissimus lumborum muscles—from Fleckvieh heifers) over 50 days.
The first two were fairly "conventional" methods: dry-ageing (with controlled temperature, humidity, and airflow) and wet-ageing (in vacuum-sealed bags).
The other two involved preservation in fat: one batch was aged in unsalted butter (82% fat content), and another in tallow (rendered from the subcutaneous fat of slaughtered calves).
Well, the findings were not particularly enthusiastic about the two methods involving coating the meat in fat:
"Coating and aging beef in fat, particularly butter, is a current trend in modern gastronomy, and numerous claims regarding its potential benefits can be found on social media platforms, culinary websites, and posts by gastronomic influencers (...) Non-scientific sources frequently suggest that butter aging enhances meat flavor and tenderness by imparting a rich buttery character and reducing moisture loss during aging. Such claims are often presented as established facts, although they remain largely anecdotal and are not supported by robust experimental evidence." However, the conclusions state that: "the claimed benefits of the development of unique flavor properties of meat aged in a butter coating were not confirmed."
Meat aged in tallow fared no better, as "it exhibited higher scores for sour and atypical sensory notes."
"Overall, although all methods produced acceptable tenderness, conventional aging—particularly dry aging—provided superior sensory quality. Utilizing butter or tallow coating during beef aging did not enhance flavor development and may negatively affect sensory profiles."
So, yay for dry-ageing!
Even better if done using an Bim climatic cabinet!
