RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CA — A Minnesota-based steakhouse will use Rancho Santa Margarita's Aging Room technology to increase the flavors of their meats and the experience of diners to the Chicago-area restaurant, owners say.

Jarrod Felton, the owner of Prime Steakhouse, described why they added The Aging Room chamber equipment to their restaurant.

"The Aging Room (has) helped us to create a unique offering: Now, 20-day, 30-day, and 45-day ribeye will have an improved taste and specific tenderness for each," Felton said. "We are able to extract new qualities from the same product and create a flavor of excitement each time a customer is there."

Felton not only wanted to build a regular steakhouse but also a unique place where customers could have a gourmet experience.

"Aged meat gives them exactly what the gourmet experience is," Felton said. "The art of steak cooking opens an immense palate of tastes, but properly aged meat takes it to an entirely new level."

Owners at The Aging Room say they are excited to work with Prime Steakhouse.

"We have no doubt that Prime Steakhouse has an excellent menu with a lot of options, and The Aging Room is what sets the steakhouse apart from other steakhouses," they said.

The Aging Room is a unique piece of equipment that brings the old, natural process of meat ripening and aging back to life.

"With the help of modern technology used in The Aging Room, it has become possible to recreate an old process and keep it fully natural," they wrote in a recent news release.

The Aging Room Chamber produces a salty microclimate with controlled air circulation, temperature, and humidity, their website states.

"All systems of The Aging Room create, maintain, and circulate the salty, cold, and humid microclimate to ensure an optimal dry-aging and ripening process. Every component of the chamber is calculated and proven reliable in the given environment," they said.

For lovers of different types of beef tenderness, The Aging Room microclimate evaporates moisture from the meat—meanwhile, enzymes within work to break down the fibers.

"As a result, the beef tenderizes, and the taste enhances into its signature, nutty, Umami taste," they wrote.

The Aging Room matures exclusively with Himalayan salt, which means there are no ultraviolet lamps, activated charcoal filters, or chemicals.

"The maturing process dissolves the salt in the air, creating a thin film of salt that envelops the meat and allows it to safely age. The room is big enough to prevent microclimate disruption when you open it, so it would not flush out the climate. With the air moving around the meat, the meat itself will not need to be moved around," they wrote.

The Aging Room not only ages meat, but it presents and sells it. The room's lighting system creates a warm, pinkish glow to present aged meat on the best possible palette.

"It is a tool that helps your business create different levels of tenderness and taste," they said. "Each time your customers visit, you can offer something new."

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