Grilled 81 Day Dry-Aged Wagyu Striploin

I've been on the hunt for dry-aged meat for awhile. This post in May 2013 gives some background on the dry-aging process and the changes that occur in the meat. It dealt with a 30 day dry-aged New York steak and a 30 day dry-aged ribeye. I was not particularly impressed with either. Earlier this year, I tried a 40 day dry-aged prime ribeye and I liked it much more, in fact I loved it, as did other family members. 

Later this year I was talking to Anshu Pathak of Exotic Meat Market and he found an 81 day dry-aged wagyu strip loin (same as a New York) for me.

I much prefer ribeyes to New Yorks, because I like the extra fatiness, but I could not pass up the opportunity to try a steak aged that long. This wagyu was from Australian cattle which have been cross-bred with Japanese kobe style cattle and are naturally fatter than typical beef. 

I grilled the steak on our outdoor grill and it carved up into beautiful slabs of pinkish/red meat. The aging had: (a) tenderized the meat and it was almost like butter; (b) reduced the blood in the meat which changed the color; and (c) reduced the fat in the meat, which is why having wagyu beef, which is naturally more fatty, was a plus. Those reductions of fat, blood and other moisture concentrate the flavor in the beef and give it a stronger flavor. 

I did not detect any hint of blue cheese taste, or any outrageously different taste, but the taste was subtly different, in a nice way. Anshu will say, "someone asked him if alligator tastes like chicken?" He'll respond, "no, it tastes like alligator." I can't adequately describe the taste other than to say "it tastes like 81 day dry-aged wagyu."