Salt Dry-Aged Steak

Summer at the Jersey Shore is serious grilling time for my family and me on my new custom-made, luxury XO grill and outdoor kitchen. One of our favorite summer meals is a great dry-aged steak on the grill enjoyed on my deck overlooking the Sandy Hook Bay. And, you can’t get a better piece of meat than my salt-dry aged beef. The design and process I created is so special I received a U.S. patent on it. I discovered it by accident when I was working on another food invention, something entirely different, but one thing always leads to another. I am curious about food and I am always playing around and creating. Thinking outside the box is a must. But I have found that it is important to know the rules before breaking them. I’m always connecting the dots with a little theory, chemistry and common sense. When I taste my salt-dry aged beef it reminds me why I’m not a vegetarian. It is so delicious.

First, I purchase the best beef. For this I look the best purveyors of beef in the America, right here in New Jersey. There are three grades of beef, the best being prime, then, select and choice. Only two percent of beef sold in the United States is prime and that’s what we serve in my restaurants. We place whole sides of beef in a specially designed walk-in refrigerator. The walls are lined with pink-Himalayan salt bricks. You may have seen these salt bricks at my restaurants. We use them as eye-catching table toppers. Beyond their beauty, the salt bricks are also immensely useful in the aging process. The salt kills the bad bacteria allowing the good bacteria to help ferment the beef. The bacteria count in our dry-aged beef is about 1000 times less than traditional dry-aged meat. The salty air helps evaporate the water in the beef making it more tender and flavorful. The salt permeates the meat adding a slight salinity to the beef for seasoning and gives it that yummy umami flavor. Once the beef is aged up to 40 days, we hand cut it into various steaks. Our 34-ounce Porterhouse steaks are about three-inches thick and serve two guests. And nothing goes to waste in my restaurants. We render the beef fat trimmings and use it to baste the steaks while cooking. This is what we call “Beef Love.” You’ll love it too when you taste the rich, buttery taste.

So, the home chef should do what we do: Start with the best dry-aged beef you can find and do as little to it as possible. Make sure your steak is at least two-inches thick. Let it set at room temperature for 30 minutes. Just add salt and pepper liberally and brush with a “beef love” baste or melted butter. Grill the steaks for four – five minutes to create a nice brown, charred – not burnt – crust on both sides, then, place in a preheated 400 degree oven, or on burner on your grill turned down medium to low, for 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature is 120 degrees for rare and 130 degrees for medium rare. And dry-aged does not require a lengthy rest after reaching your desired temperature. You really don’t need to add sauce but if you do, try our B1 Sauce by David Burke. And order your very own David Burke’s Santoku Steak Knife signature steak knife set, both available online at redhorsebydb.com and pick up at the restaurant. The knives slice steak with ease. They are also perfect for general kitchen tasks and make great host gifts.

Better still, call and make a reservation at one of my restaurants and we’ll take care of everything else from shopping to cooking to cleaning up. Sit back and enjoy one of the best steaks in the country right here at the Jersey Shore at Red Horse in Rumson, DRIFTHOUSE in Sea Bright or THE GOAT in Union Beach. It doesn’t get any better than that!