I posted about chicken below and I've received several comments from friends. I had dinner with my friend Jason Epstein on Friday night and he brought it up jokingly as I ordered the Kobe burger at Pete's Tavern. So I figured it was time to post about beef.
Dry aging was popular until the 1960s and is still practiced by fine steak houses and markets. The beef is hung in a climate- and humidity- controlled room for a minimum of 21 days. A hard, bacteria enzyme-filled crust forms on the outside of the beef. Before cooking, this layer is trimmed off and the steaks are more succulent than before. I can't tell the difference between a prime steak and a dry-aged steak. But researchers from Kansas State University say they have the data that shows dry aged steaks are more tender and flavorful. I believe them.
Most people age just like beef. They develop a hard crust from a life of toxins. The skin literally hardens over time due to the sun, chemicals, smoke, poor eating and other pollutants. And their outlook hardens as life beats them down. I see this again and again walking around New York, riding the subway, interacting with friends, family and business partners. The aging process leaves them with a bacteria-infested crust clouding their outlook and clogging their skin.
We all are bombarded with toxins. Actual toxins we come into contact with on a daily basis and toxic people who suck the energy from us and harden our skin. But the real difference between happy, fulfilled people and nasty, toxic people is whether or not they can trim their own layer of crust. If they can, then like dry-aged beef, they are more tender and full of flavor and life. If they can't, then they walk around with a hard crust.