What’s Up With Aged Steak?

I remember the days, as a child, when we looked forward to Fridays. Why? It was on Fridays that we got fresh, grass-fed beef from the butcher to make a beef soup, with lots of root vegetables. Back then, everyone knew the butcher and who he got the cow or bull from for slaughter. We knew we were getting fresh, good quality beef that was quite tasty whichever way it was cooked. Fridays or Sundays were the only days we ate meat.

Today, we go to the supermarket or order our beef online. We have no idea where the meat came from, how it was raised and what it was fed. We have to trust the labels. We hear advertisements for aged steak, and it is quite expensive. My curiosity was aroused. I started researching and trying to decide what exactly is aged steak. Granted, I no longer eat meat, but I needed to share what I found.

According to Wikipedia, there are two types of aged steak, wet and dry aged steak. Dry ageing happens when the meat is cleaned and hung to dry for several weeks in controlled temperatures. During this time, moisture evaporates and the natural enzymes break down the connective tissues in the muscles to make it tender! Sounds like a rotting process to me! On Wikihow, the process to age beef is explained. One concerned reader wanted to know if the ballooning sealed bag, containing the ageing meat, is normal. That sounds like a build up of bacteria to me! Then, this same ‘exotic steak ‘ is eaten rare or medium rare!

There is just so much processing of meats, along with the way the animals are grown and fed. One has to wonder how it is affecting our health. The news just indicated that the USDA school lunch meat has “Pink slime”. I guess many other sources of meat may also have pink slime. So, what is pink slime? According to CBS News, it is a low cost ingredient found in ground beef, made from fatty left over meat trimmings that is heated to about 100 degrees F, and then treated with ammonium hydroxide gas! This sickens my stomach, just thinking about it! What are we eating?

There are many stories, that I have heard from people who work in supermarkets, on how the meats are kept “fresh”, just color the surface with blood; so if, the meat starts to turn brown, a sign of rot, just treat with gas and cover with blood! Oh Jesus, help us!. Do we ever eat aged cabbage, or aged collards, aged lettuce, aged cucumbers? So why eat aged meats?

So, are you willing to pay $355 for steaks, which are aged to perfection, just for you? Be my guest and enjoy “good health” with your steak!