I may not be in college anymore, but education is far from a thing of the past…as long as it tastes good. When I learned about the Meat 101 classes at Nick + Stef’s, I was happy to submit to some higher learning. Executive chef Megan Logan teaches classes regularly that focus on the finer points of her steakhouse’s premium meat program. I signed up for “A Well Aged Steak” class that covered dry-aged and wet-aged steaks, which culminated with an illuminating tasting.
GM Patrick Kirchen anticipated 12 people, but demand was so high that he set aside 33 seats by the glass-fronted meat locker to best showcase dry-aged and wet-aged rib-eye and New York steak.
Fun fact: Logan was a vegetarian for 12 years, but shifted after deciding to become a chef. Now she eats anything, but of course has preferences.
The night’s selection of USDA Prime Angus included 28-day, dry-aged ribeye, and 20-day, wet-aged ribeye.
Nick + Stef’s stores meat in a glass-fronted room with 87% humidity to remove excess moisture and 34-degree temperature, breaking down enzymes to make it the meat tender. After 28 days, the beef becomes gamier, and carries a reduced yield.
Only 3% of cattle is Prime, and that’s the only grade to dry-age. It needs fat cap to shield beef from bacteria, which gets shaved after aging. Nick + Stef’s cows are born in Texas and finished on corn for six months in states like Oklahoma and Nebraska to achieve optimum marbling and fat content.
Nick + Stef’s only wet-ages lean cuts of beef like the tenderloin, which age in a Cryovac, in natural juices. However, Logan said not to let the beef wet age for too long or the beef breaks down.
She seasons each steak with salt and fresh cracked pink, black and white pepper. Clockwise from top right: we received a wet-aged, bone-in ribeye, dry-aged ribeye, dry-aged New York, and wet-aged, bone-in New York. Just about everybody at my communal table, including me, preferred the dry-aged ribeye. For my taste, it was drier, more concentrated, slightly gamier, and more savory.
Kirchen poured 2008 Scaggs Vineyard Mt. Veeder Montage, wine from musician Boz Scaggs, with the steak.
Nick & Stef’s treated me to Meat 101, but given the generous serving of Prime meat (easily 10 ounces), the wine pairing, and access to a wealth of meaty information, a $35 price tag seemed well worth it.
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