Over the last few years I’ve had the chance to sample dry aged beef at some excellent steak houses.  Dry aging is done to beef only: primal cuts are kept for several weeks so they lose moisture and natural enzymes beak down muscle fibre, creating a strong beef flavour and a tender texture.  This was the common practice for millenia until vacuum sealing arrived and primal cuts were vacuum packed and wet aged, meaning no moisture loss.  From a retail standpoint dry aging takes shelf space, time, and results in …

I am on a burger quest.  I love hamburgers, or more precisely cheeseburgers.  That glorious combination of beef, cheese and produce piled on a fluffy bun is the ultimate pairing of raw ingredients.  Don’t try and pass off anything pre-made to me: I want it all fresh and made to order.  Beef quest will focus on five items: meat preparation, meat cooking, cheese, the bun and toppings.
Let’s start off today with the meat.  A great burger to me is 100% beef: we don’t need to add pork, veal or bacon …