Steak is a dish made from thick slices of meat that are cooked by grilling or roasting. Not only fresh meat steaks are also starting to use meat that has gone through a unique process first, one of which is dry aged meat known as titan meat. How is it halal?
Are you a steak lover? If so, you should try the steak dish that has recently been trending on social media, namely titan meat. The appearance of the meat is black and shows veins like a monster, making many netizens call it by that term. In fact, in the culinary industry, this type of dish is known as dry-aged meat because it goes through a rotting process, which actually gives it a distinctive taste and a softer texture.
The dry ageing process takes place using a unique tool that is prepared to regulate a specific temperature and temperature to prepare enzymes that help the meat’s “ripening” process. This enzymatic process will help the meat become more tender with a distinctive aroma that other types of meat do not have. Usually, the prepared meat is put into a dry ageing machine with a storage temperature of 1-3 ° C. In addition to temperature, humidity in the machine also needs to be maintained. The humidity level in the machine is no more than 70%. To produce dry-aged meat, a minimum storage time of 28 days is required, depending on the type of meat and the cut used. As a result, this process will dry out the outer layer of the meat and leave the natural meat juice on the inside.
The selected beef usually has a lot of muscle tissue. The dry ageing process causes the muscles contained in the meat to contract and eventually disintegrate. Therefore, the destroyed muscle parts can give dry-aged meat a softer and broader texture and make it look bigger like a titan.
Seeing the complicated and standard manufacturing process, as Muslims, of course, we need to be vigilant and careful about its halal status. Technically, the process of making dry-aged meat does not violate Islamic law or risk making meat haram. This method only aims to soften the meat and provide a strong meat flavour.
According to the Halal Post Audit Management LPPOM, Eka Rizky Riastuti, S.TP., there are several things to consider when choosing dry-aged meat. It must be ensured that the meat used comes from halal animals and is slaughtered according to Islamic law.
“The production facilities used to produce dry-aged meat must also be ensured to be free from haram and impure materials. Production facilities must ensure that there is no cross-contamination with haram and impure materials and products,” explained Eka, who is also a halal auditor for LPPOM.
He explained that there is potential for the use of enzymes, so it is necessary to ensure that the nitrogen source used comes from animal or vegetable protein in the production of enzymes through microbial fermentation. If it comes from animal protein, it must be ensured that it comes from halal animals and is free from impurities.
Dry aged steak is usually cooked using spices and accompaniments, such as butter, cheese and truffle oil, which must also be ensured to be halal. Some of these complementary ingredients are likely to be contaminated with haram and impure materials.
In addition, the meat cooking process also needs to be criticized, primarily whether it uses angciu/wine in the marinating or cooking process. Furthermore, in the packaging of the sauce served as an accompaniment, it is also necessary to ensure that halal ingredients are used. Based on Act No. 6 of 2023, food and beverages are a group of products that are included in the category of mandatory halal certification with the nearest deadline, namely October 2024. This obligation includes raw materials, additional materials, and auxiliary materials in the food and beverage industry, including related services. This means that slaughtered products and slaughtering services are also a priority to support the success of the regulation.
LPH LPPOM is open to any company that wants to consult regarding halal certification through Call Center 14056 and WhatsApp 0811-1148-696. You can also check the list of halal-certified products through the Cari Produk Halal platform on the website www.halalmui.org, the Halal MUI application which can be downloaded on the Playstore, and the BPJPH website. (ZUL)
