NORPAC DRY AGE PROGRAM

Dry-aged beef is a high quality product that has been hung or placed on a rack to dry for several weeks. After the animal is processed, entire quarters or sub primal cuts like striploins, ribeyes and sirloins, are placed in a controlled environment refrigerator unit. The dry age cooler then ages the beef in a humidity and temperature environment that promotes a healthy and natural aging of the beef product.

This unique process changes beef by two means. The first change that occurs is in regards to the drying of the beef. By sitting in a low humidity environment, moisture is dehydrated from the muscle. Drawing the moisture out of the muscle enables a greater concentration of beef flavor and taste that is unmatched by any other process. The second change centers on the tenderness aspect. Sitting in this perfect aging environment allows for natural enzymes to break down the connective tissues in the beef that are responsible for toughness. When these tissues are neutralized, it creates a product that is not only very consistent in nature, but also unparalleled in tenderness.

Another premium feature of dry aged beef is that you have to ensure that you are using only the highest quality grades of meat, as the process requires meat with a large, evenly distributed fat content (AAA or Prime). This higher marbling content allows the aging process to penetrate the product evenly and create that cream flavorful taste.

Very few locations have an authentic dry age program like Norpac. Others prefer to do a variation on an authentic dry aged program, preferring to first "wet" age the beef before placing it in their coolers. Most packing plants will also wet chill and acid wash/steam their beef carcasses which conflicts with the definition of a “true” dry age program. By avoiding both of these processes, we truly believe that our system is superior to any other dry aging program currently promoted in Ontario.

Overall this truly unique process, in which our beef is aged, is a program that creates a product that we believe results in some of the world's best beef. Once you try this product you will realize just what we, at Norpac, are bragging about. It is a program that we are very excited about and are proud to be sharing this premium product with some of Ontario's fines steakhouses and retail butcher shops.