45-Day Duck Fat Aged Beef

My 45-day duck fat-aged beef recipe comes out sublime. It’s good enough that I would swap the resulting steak for Wagyu any day. Prime rib is already tender and tasty, so the dry aging process serves to amp up the flavor profile.

The Dry Age Difference

I use a specialized temperature-controlled system that keeps humidity at consistent levels. For lack of a better word, the result is beefier. Sometimes you get subtle hints of butter or nuts. The texture is remarkably fork-tender. Aged beef takes “melt in your mouth” to a whole new dimension.

Duck Fat, Ghee, Butter

The reason for using duck fat in this recipe is because it has a natural meaty taste. When you use it for making potatoes, for example, you’ll notice a distinct difference. By comparison, when you add it to a highly seasoned recipe, it’s hard to recognize the duck fat.

Ghee is clarified butter. Basically, you melt the butter until all the milk solids are removed. Ghee is clear, and for those with limited real estate in their refrigerator, Ghee can live in your panty just fine. It is the perfect vehicle for sauteing things like garlic and onions.

Factoid: When cooking with Ghee vs. Butter, remember Ghee does not burn as quickly, which comes in handy should you get distracted.

Of the three, butter has the lowest smoke point, which is why it’s not great for high-temperature preparations. Oven cooking is perfect for butter (which, of course, makes everything better).