48 LIFESTYLE FEBRUARY 2012

The explanation behind aged steak.

INTENSE STEAK Culture Intense Steak

“Dry ageing is done for one purpose and one purpose only and that

is to intensify the fl avour and give you a good grilling steak,” said Peter John Rollinson, 28, Meat Maestro, Head Chef, The Prime Society. He worked at Flutes at the Fort at Fort Canning Park prior to joining The Prime Society.

The process will cost you between 30 per cent and 50 per cent more than wet aged beef. The wet Sirloin beef is $58 at The Prime Society. The dry Striploin is $88.

AGEING The process of dry and wet aging beef was explained at The Prime Society’s Culinary Masterclass on Dempsey Road. Peter explained the most important thing is “tenderisation”. Eating a fresh piece of meat within a week will be “quite chewy”.

WINE – WET AGED BEEFAll Shiraz wines from Australia, Shiraz from Rhone Valley in France and Barbera wines from northern Italy are perfect, said Nicolas Faux-Girard, Wine Consultant, Singapore Straits Wine Company.

DRY AGED BEEFNicolas points out old Bordeaux wine with a vintage of 1985 or 1986 and old Burgundy are both great. As well as old Barbarescos and Barolos wines from Italy.

WORDS WONG MUN WAI

DRY VS. WETDry ageing involves drying the beef to concentrate the beef fl avours. For example, the dry aged Cape Grim 100 per cent Natural Pasture Fed Rump presented at the Masterclass originally weighed 14kg. After drying six to eight weeks the rump weighed 10kg.

In Singapore, wet aged beef makes up 95 per cent of the beef available to the consumer market. The benefi ts of wet ageing occur after just one week.

THE TASTESo the difference is in the taste. A Rangers Valley 300 Days Grain Fed Black Angus Striploin was also presented.

“When you chew the wet aged rump you would have got the fl avour and had a lot of texture to it,” said Peter. “But when you chew the dried aged one, the juiciness will start to come out in your mouth you would have got a more intense fl avour.”

For the wet aged Striplon you would have got a good fattiness to the taste. “The dry aged one I hope you would have got a really rich almost buttery type fl avour and texture to it,” Peter said. Decide which you prefer the next time you order steak!

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