Christner’s Aged Beef Story
At Christner’s Prime Steak & Lobster, the aging process is essential to delivering the exceptional steaks our guests have come to expect. To explore this process in more detail, we sat down with David Christner, who shared our unique approach to dry-aged and wet-aged beef, from sourcing to preparation.
The Story Behind Our Dry-Aged Steaks
We have a long-standing partnership with Linz Beef of Chicago to ensure the finest dry-aged steaks reach your plate. Linz ages the beef for 30 days, creating a distinctive flavor profile that appeals to many guests.
David explains, “It has more of an earthy, mushroomy flavor… Many of our guests ask for it by name and simply love it.”
Our dry-aged steaks are always USDA Prime quality and aged to bring out earthy, nutty, and umami complex flavors. Although David prefers our signature wet-aged steaks, the partnership with Linz ensures that those who enjoy the unique character of dry-aged beef will always be pleased.
Our Wet-Aged Process: Where Passion Meets Precision
When it comes to wet aging, this is where we truly shine. Wet-aged beef is stored vacuum-sealed, allowing it to age in its natural juices. This method keeps the meat tender and full of flavor, and David personally stands behind it.
“I like the wet-aged; I like the juice,” David says. “Wet aging keeps all the flavors inside the meat, so you get a tender, juicy steak every time.”
We’ve been perfecting our wet-aging process since 2005. When we receive the beef, it’s only about seven days old. Rather than purchasing pre-cut meat, we receive whole cuts and butcher them in-house. Cutting the meat to order enhances freshness by minimizing exposure to air, which can cause oxidation affecting flavor and texture. This hands-on approach also allows our skilled butchers to expertly trim each cut, ensuring that every steak meets our exacting standards.
From there, we store the beef in our temperature-controlled coolers. The naturally present enzymes in the meat break down the muscle fibers, creating a more tender steak by the time it’s ready for your plate. David keeps a detailed, proprietary wet-aging log that tracks each cut—including tenderloins, striploins, bone-in ribeyes, and shortloins—by case number, weight, box date, and age. This meticulous record-keeping ensures consistency and allows us to determine the optimal aging time for each cut.
“We normally age the steaks for 35 days or so,” explains David. “This gives us the best balance of flavor and texture.”
USDA Prime: The Standard of Excellence
At Christner’s, we serve only USDA Prime beef, representing the top 2–3% of all beef produced in the United States. What makes USDA Prime special is the level of marbling—those fine streaks of fat that run through the muscle. This marbling gives the steak its superior tenderness, juiciness, and flavor.
David explains, “The marbling in USDA Prime beef melts right into the meat as it cooks, making it super tender and packed with flavor. That’s what takes a steak from good to truly amazing. When you bite into a USDA Prime steak, you can instantly taste the richness and get that melt-in-your-mouth texture that’s hard to beat.”
By choosing USDA Prime, we ensure that every steak we serve has the highest levels of flavor and tenderness, creating an unforgettable dining experience for our guests.
Join Us
At Christner’s Prime Steak & Lobster, we believe that the aging process is essential to achieving a perfectly tender and flavorful steak. Whether you prefer the bold, earthy flavors of our dry-aged steaks or the juicy tenderness of our wet-aged cuts, you can trust that each steak is prepared with the utmost care. Our partnership with Linz Beef for dry-aging and our wet-aging expertise ensure that every bite you take will be memorable. Join us and experience the craft and passion that goes into every steak we serve.
For informational purposes only.
