With the right aging, top round just as tender as N.Y. Strip, research shows

By Michael Fielding on 9/6/2013

Research from a University of Idaho graduate student shows that inexpensive top round can become as juicy and tender as pricier New York strip steaks with the right aging.

Michael Colle’s research into the science of steak has focused on the consequences of wet-aging meat, storing the bulk cuts in plastic vacuum packages at temperatures just above meat’s freezing point.

Specifically, Colle wanted to know how extended storage affected the retail shelf life and consumer acceptability of popular beef steaks, namely top loin, top sirloin, top round and bottom round.

“His research helps provide guidelines for retail and food service to manage different cuts of beef for maximum consumer satisfaction,” Matt Doumit, Colle’s mentor and a professor in animal and veterinary science, said in a news release.

Colle’s research tested wet storage times of two days and two, three, six and nine weeks. After each storage interval, steaks were cut from the major muscles and then displayed in a retail meat case. The steaks were monitored for discoloration daily for four days, and fat was analyzed for oxidation that causes off flavors. 

The more tender steaks from the top loin, such as New York strip steaks, fared less well with long-term aging. Already tender by day 14, the pricier steaks showed little improvement in tenderness with longer storage. 

In contrast, top round, which is initially less tender because cattle rely on the muscle for locomotion, became much more tender and juicy during storage.

Formula for success

Colle and his colleagues conducted consumer taste tests to determine tenderness, juiciness, flavor and overall acceptability of the steaks as the aging and retailing progressed. The testing revealed the formula to successful aging of top round.

They found that top round steak benefitted most from wet aging, with tenderness and juiciness peaking after 42 days at 32 degrees. It emerged as palatable as strip steaks that cost considerably more. 

Colle’s research poster focused largely on issues important to meat packers and grocers. 

His work showed that if a muscle has been aged past a certain date, a retailer may offer it at a sale price to quickly turn over inventory, for example. For most muscles, the longer steaks were aged, the more desirable the eating characteristics, but the quicker they discolored in the meat case. 

The project also may point to more studies, such as how long prime rib can be stockpiled successfully in cold storage before Christmas, the season of peak demand. 

“If I was going to have a party and serving steaks, I’d consider buying a top round, then wet aging it for six weeks at 32 degrees,” Colle said.

His research was funded through the Idaho Beef Council and the Beef Checkoff