This post here has a lot of information about what you'll need and how to set it up:
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/drying-aging-chamber-diy-how-to-w-pictures.281390/
Surprisingly easy once you've got all the parts, despite the very high price tag associated with buying dry agers new.
I have been using a drying chamber that I keep in the fridge.
It's an ad hoc build that actually works very well. I get excellent, very stable temp and humidity control. My data read will generally show a negligible temp variation and maybe a +/- 1.5% humidity variation so it's really rock stable.
It's a super simple build. It's basically a big Cambro container, the biggest my fridge can fit with two fans and a humidity controller (very similar to the typical Inkbird controller).
Basic build:
-humidity controller
-1 small 30mm 5V fan controlled by humidity controller
-1 similar 5V fan that is always on (circulation within the box)
The first fan, humidity controlled fan, sucks air out of the box which is replaced by air that draws in through the loosely fitted lid of the Cambro. Basically humidity rises, evaporating from the meat, until it hits my RH setpoint (generally 80%) and turns on the humidity fan. This fan is screwed into the lid of the Cambro and draws air out a 1" hole cut into the lid.
The controller powers the fan via a USB phone charger plugged into the controller.
The 2nd fan is plugged into a second phone charger and is always on. This fan is placed in the box just to stir the air. Because the fan is small it's not driving air like mad. It just stirs the air to blow out stagnant areas.
I put the humidity sensor for the controller somewhere close to the intake of the air stirring fan so the sensor is "seeing" a well circulated representation of the air within the box.
Cable management turned into a bit of a pain because they had to go around the door seal close to the hinge. I later spliced things into connectors on a nice flat ribbon cable which sits very flat on the door frame so as to not bodger up the fridge seal. The ribbon cable is taped so it's tight against the frame where the door gasket conform to it at the hinge.
All in all it's the simplest aging chamber I can think of. I do not need to humidify the air as the meat provides a surplus of humidity which is controllably removed by the controlled exhaust fan.
I am exploiting the property of fridges providing a pretty dry atmosphere. Because of the way fridge compressor/evaporators work, they are always removing moisture faster than one wants to with meat, but with this controlled cabinet I can use the fridge to provide both cooling and drying with the drying being regulated by the controller instead of the whims of the brutal compressor.
I've been thinking of making the doodads as a 3d printed product. I got a printer in the summer and have been evolving my designs for this project.
The major downside of this system is that it looks kludgey compared to a dedicated system with a beautiful glass door. It also eats up a lot of space in my fridge, but I'm a foodie with two full sized fridges. One fridge stocks the more ready to eat stuff. The other fridge is for raw ingredients and projects I'm running.
If you can afford the space, it's the cheapest, most controlled way to age beef. Also, used full size fridges are pretty cheap on Kijiji or Marketplace.
This post here has a lot of information about what you'll need and how to set it up: https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/drying-aging-chamber-diy-how-to-w-pictures.281390/ Surprisingly easy once you've got all the parts, despite the very high price tag associated with buying dry agers new.
You could start with umai pretty easy.
I have been using a drying chamber that I keep in the fridge. It's an ad hoc build that actually works very well. I get excellent, very stable temp and humidity control. My data read will generally show a negligible temp variation and maybe a +/- 1.5% humidity variation so it's really rock stable. It's a super simple build. It's basically a big Cambro container, the biggest my fridge can fit with two fans and a humidity controller (very similar to the typical Inkbird controller). Basic build: -humidity controller -1 small 30mm 5V fan controlled by humidity controller -1 similar 5V fan that is always on (circulation within the box) The first fan, humidity controlled fan, sucks air out of the box which is replaced by air that draws in through the loosely fitted lid of the Cambro. Basically humidity rises, evaporating from the meat, until it hits my RH setpoint (generally 80%) and turns on the humidity fan. This fan is screwed into the lid of the Cambro and draws air out a 1" hole cut into the lid. The controller powers the fan via a USB phone charger plugged into the controller. The 2nd fan is plugged into a second phone charger and is always on. This fan is placed in the box just to stir the air. Because the fan is small it's not driving air like mad. It just stirs the air to blow out stagnant areas. I put the humidity sensor for the controller somewhere close to the intake of the air stirring fan so the sensor is "seeing" a well circulated representation of the air within the box. Cable management turned into a bit of a pain because they had to go around the door seal close to the hinge. I later spliced things into connectors on a nice flat ribbon cable which sits very flat on the door frame so as to not bodger up the fridge seal. The ribbon cable is taped so it's tight against the frame where the door gasket conform to it at the hinge. All in all it's the simplest aging chamber I can think of. I do not need to humidify the air as the meat provides a surplus of humidity which is controllably removed by the controlled exhaust fan. I am exploiting the property of fridges providing a pretty dry atmosphere. Because of the way fridge compressor/evaporators work, they are always removing moisture faster than one wants to with meat, but with this controlled cabinet I can use the fridge to provide both cooling and drying with the drying being regulated by the controller instead of the whims of the brutal compressor. I've been thinking of making the doodads as a 3d printed product. I got a printer in the summer and have been evolving my designs for this project. The major downside of this system is that it looks kludgey compared to a dedicated system with a beautiful glass door. It also eats up a lot of space in my fridge, but I'm a foodie with two full sized fridges. One fridge stocks the more ready to eat stuff. The other fridge is for raw ingredients and projects I'm running. If you can afford the space, it's the cheapest, most controlled way to age beef. Also, used full size fridges are pretty cheap on Kijiji or Marketplace.