Dry-aging brings out a depth of nuanced flavor that steak connoisseurs love. Dry-aging Japanese Wagyu is something else — not even the most umami-rich steaks can compete with a dry-aged A5. And it's surprisingly simple to do at home with an A5 Wagyu Picanha roast.
Steps
- Thaw your A5 Picanha roast in the refrigerator, in its original packaging.
- Prepare a sanitary space on your counter.
- Cut open one end of the packaging, but leave the roast inside.
- Take a Umai Dry-Age bag and slide it over the open end of the Picanha packaging.
- Slide the Picanha from its packaging into the Umai bag. Following this order avoids exposing the meat to outside bacteria.
- Seal the Umai bag and dispose of the empty packaging.
- Place the bag in a refrigerator with an internal temperature of 34–38°F.
- Let the roast sit undisturbed for at least 15 days. We found 35 days was the sweet spot for building a pellicle (browned area on the edges) around the whole roast and developing a strong, blue-cheese-rich flavor.
- Once the roast has aged to your liking, remove it from the bag.
- With a very sharp boning knife or kitchen shears, trim away the pellicle.
- Slice the Picanha into individual steaks, then cook and enjoy — or vacuum-seal and freeze for later.
