Think about it like buying fresh vs frozen chicken at the grocery store. Wet aging is basically just letting the meat sit in its own juices in a vacuum bag, which does make it more tender but you lose a lot of that beefy flavor. I used to be all about those fancy dry aged steaks at home until I realized my local butcher's wet aged prime ribeyes were just as good for half the price when cooked right. A lot of those chain steakhouses use wet aging because it's cheaper and faster, so yeah you're kinda getting scammed on the "premium" price tag they slap on it lol. Just find a good butcher who knows their stuff and you'll be way happier.

foil gang is out here making wet blankets and calling it brisket lmao. paper lets the meat breathe while still holding in enough steam, foil just turns your bark into sad soggy paste. i did a side by side last july and the foil one looked like it went swimming, paper one still had that snappy crust. old timer knew what he was talking about, paper is the only way to go unless you're into eating steamed meatloaf with smoke flavor.

Wait, @sanchez.ivan, you really just eyeball it instead of checking first?

Did you ever read that study about how most "done for you" marketing stuff is just repackaged generic advice from 10 years ago? I heard a podcaster break it down once, said these sellers just grab free blog posts, slap a template on them, and charge you because they know you're desperate for a shortcut. $80 for 5 emails that say "ask about needs" is honestly insulting, like they didn't even try to hide it. You're way better off just networking with other groomers like you said, real people give you real stuff that actually works.

Kevinm17 has a point about those ignition switches, I've heard similar grumbles from other guys on forums. But I don't agree that hand finishing just "builds character" when you're fighting the clock on a setting slab.