Presented by DRYAGER For my first foray into dry aging at home using the DRYAGER UX500 I opted to follow the recommend settings: 82% humidity, 36°F. UV system on. I must admit my first instinct was to leave the UV light off, and stuff the unit with aged fat from an established dry aging room so as to to inoculate the DRYAGER with mold spores and accelerate the maturing process. Professional facilities boast stable climatic environments allowing them to consistently develop distinct aromas and flavor profiles to the beef they produce. As meat is moved in and out, on an often daily basis, the e ..read more

Presented by DRYAGER One might imagine that watching beef age is akin to watching paint dry, but in my experience nothing could be further from the truth! I liken it more to watching a terrarium grow and prosper or a Richard Serra sculpture rusting over time, its final form markedly different than the way it started out. The beef in a dry age environment transforms, the fat goes from being as white as the driven snow to being tinged with yellow, to eventually looking like a faded map, its jaundiced paper etched with contours the color of madeira wine. The muscle too transforms, from a pale pi ..read more

Published 1 May, 2008 on A Hamburger Today It is no accident that I picked a decidedly downmarket and untrendy restaurant to review for my initial posting on A Hamburger Today. I think that it speaks to the way I feel about burgers; they should be unpretentious and low-brow, a culinary delight for the everyman. I have yet to be impressed by a chef-designed truffle, foie gras, and Kobe beef short rib–stuffed “gourmet” burger served on date nut bread with a 50-year-old balsamic vinegar reduction and caviar—at least not to the degree in which a simple $5 cheeseburger might stir me. I have a basi ..read more

PRESENTED BY DRYAGER I am proud to announce that I am a brand ambassador and partner with DRYAGER, the original home dry aging refrigerator. All DRYAGERs are designed and manufactured in Germany and include temperature and humidity regulation and ultra violet light sterilization. DRYAGER makes a number of units for both residential and professional markets. I opted to test out the compact UX 500 which can hold up to 44 lbs. of meat and retails for $4,695. I knew that dry aging at home, especially with a dedicated unit is possible, having previously used several different refrigerators, includ ..read more

Peoria, Illinois, is often considered the most average city in America, its population perfectly representing mainstream Midwestern and, by extension, American values. The oft-posed refrain "Will it play in Peoria?" actually dates back to the Vaudeville era but has now become synonymous with marketers looking to appeal to a broad section of the American population. It thus speaks volumes that celebrity chef Bobby Flay decided to open the first of his intended national burger chain in the upscale digs of the Smith Haven Mall on Long Island, in Lake Grove, New York. Bobby's Burger Palace (BBP ..read more

Mastoris is massive in every way. The restaurant is so large that it has several themed rooms, each of which would make for a large restaurant by itself. You can choose between the "Diner" room, which lives up to its name by looking like a typical Jersey diner, or the "Rockwell Room" in the back, which is a tribute to Norman Rockwell. I chose to dine in the "Mastoris Lounge"—with its wood paneling and oil paintings, I hoped a bit of the steakhouse vibe would rub off on the burgers. The menu is also massive—the sandwich and burger menu alone has over 100 items—and the portions are simply enorm ..read more

Gilding the Lilly Having successfully aged two prior batches of American beef I decided to try something a little more exotic in my DRYAGER UX 500. I procured an A5 chuck roll from Wagyuman, an importer of Japanese Wagyu beef. As I am sure you are aware true Japanese Wagyu beef is prized the world over amongst meat eaters for its intense marbling, supreme tenderness, and unique flavor. It is generally not dry aged, in fact almost all of it is brought to market, even to wholesale clients, in boneless form. In numerous visits to Japan I have only ever eaten one bone in dry aged steak and it was ..read more

Further experiments with the DRYAGER UX500 To say that the initial result from dry aging at home with the DRYAGER UX500 was a success is an understatement. It radically changed my mind on what is achievable in the domestic environment, improbably rivaling the results attained by commercial facilities. To be frank, I was not expecting this, I knew that credible results can be achieved at home, indeed I have run several relatively successful experiments myself using non-specific equipment; but the DRYAGER UX500 turned out such high quality beef that if I hadn’t aged it myself I would not have b ..read more

Although New York City has long had a clearly defined and ubiquitous style of pizza, the city's appetite for the dish knows no bounds. While New Yorkers can certainly be parochial and protective of their home slice, they can also be open and accepting of different pizza points of view. Here is a look at the predominant forms of pizza found in New York City with information about how they developed over the years, and a glimpse at some of the more eclectic and disparate variations on the theme. ,CONTINUE READING AT EATER NY ..read more

British hamburgers, like British food in general, have a lamentable reputation. But it is one that is increasingly becoming undeserved. The BSE crisis served as a wake-up call to the meat industry, British beef is highly regulated these days and a keen interest in provenance and husbandry has taken hold. There is, I would argue, a renaissance happening in British beef and indeed the British hamburger as well. London is burger-mad these days with seemingly endless options, and new local chains are popping up all over the place. And now you can also find some of New York City's most celebrated ..read more