On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 17:47:59 GMT, "Peter Aitken"
> wrote:

>"Kathy" > wrote in message
...
>> "Lucretia Borgia" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> It would probably roast nicely and be delicious. Perhaps the one you
>>> had decades ago was too recently killed. A wild duck should hang to
>>> age the meat in a cool place such as a basement. Preferably, still
>>> with feathers on. Nice cool basement, I would give it about a week.
>>> ...
>>> Sheena
>>
>> I've always been confused about hanging meat. Food safety purists say you
>> never let raw meat thaw on the counter and keep it refrigerated or frozen
>> when it's not above ... what was it? ...140 degrees? Something like that.
>> So
>> can anyone explain why the aging of meat is a good thing and not a
>> cardinal
>> sin against food safety?
>>
>> Kathy
>>
>>
>
>Your phrase "food safety pursists" says it all. Some people are so worried
>about spoilage that they go to extreme lengths and take actions that do not
>increase their real safety (although they do increase their perceived
>safety). These are the worry-warts who will not let a casserole sit and cool
>on the counter - it has to go in the fridge 2 milliseconds after it comes
>out of the oven. The one thing all these people have in commn is a lack of
>understanding of bacterial, how they grow, and when they can be dangerous.
>You cannot really blame them - many authorities go overboard because they
>know that many people will not follow their advice exactly, so they err on
>the side of safety.
>
>BTW, aging is not about bacterial growth. During aging the natural enzymes
>that are present in the meat slowly change the composition, making it more
>tender and flovorful.

Thank you, Peter. Can you give a reference that will explain hanging
procedures without scaremongering? Would you do it in a frost-free
refridgerator? I have done curing of fish and duck breasts without
problems, but never hung a duck, or even part of one, without packing
it in a cure (salt/sugar mix).

I can get lamb from local farmers that I would like to dry age, if I
knew how to do it.

Would you deliberately put a benign mold on it?



Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a


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