Hanging beef make the enzymes break down the muscle fibres, making the meat increasingly tender. In Britain beef is normally hung 7-35 days.

Dry aging is done by hanging meat in a controlled, refrigerated environment. The temperature needs to stay between 36F (2ºC) degrees and freezing as if it’s too warm the meat will spoil, and too cold will freeze the meat and stop the aging process.

High humidity is needed to reduce water loss. When prime beef is dry aged moisture evaporates from the muscle meat creating a greater concentration of beefy flavor and taste. Bacteria is controlled by a constant flow of air all around the meat. It takes about 11 days before much improvement is seen in the flavour of the meat.

Wet aging is done in a vacuum package to improve meat safety and eliminate the product's exposure to additional pathogens that can occur during a dry aging process. The meat is cut into wholesale cuts and aged for an average of 21 days before portion cutting. Wet aging also enables the meat to age without losing valuable moisture incurred during the dry aging process although some people argue that dry aged meat has a much richer flavour. However, since the meat is packed in its own juices the enzymes will break down the connective tissues and make it more tender.