A Taste of Time: Bacco’s Dry Aging Tradition

At Bacco, the steak experience begins long before a cut reaches the grill. Within Four Seasons Hotel Nashville, the Tuscan-inspired steakhouse takes a thoughtful approach to sourcing, preparation and dry aging, with its Dry Aging Cabinet providing a dedicated environment for developing the flavor and character of its Tennessee-sourced beef.

Bacco’s meat program is intentionally designed to showcase different expressions of high-quality beef. The restaurant’s center-cut offerings feature domestic American Wagyu, while the Dry Aging Cabinet is dedicated to 100% Black Angus beef sourced from Deer Valley in Tennessee.

For Executive Chef Derek Simcik, that distinction is an important part of the program.

The Dry Aging Cabinet, supplied by The Aging Room, is the only one of its kind in Tennessee and features a Himalayan salt. As air circulates around the salt, it helps draw moisture from the environment while creating conditions that support the dry-aging process. The salt also contributes to a reduction in moisture loss, helping preserve more of the beef as it develops.

The process begins with the selection of cattle. Bacco works directly with its producer at Valley Gold, communicating the qualities the culinary team is looking for before individual animals are selected. Once processed, the beef is broken down into primal cuts, including the short loin used for Bacco’s Bistecca and large-format cuts such as the Tomahawk ribeye.

Each cut entering the Dry Aging Cabinet is carefully tagged with its breed, source and aging date. From there, time becomes an essential part of the process.

Bacco typically ages its beef for approximately 40 to 45 days, a range the culinary team has found to offer the ideal balance of flavor and texture. During this time, moisture is gradually removed, and the beef develops the distinctive characteristics associated with dry aging.

The result is a deeper umami quality and a more concentrated flavor, accompanied by changes in the texture of the beef. The controlled aging process allows the protein structure to tighten as moisture is drawn out, creating a steak that becomes increasingly tender as it is cooked.

For Bacco, the dry-aging program also creates a natural connection to the restaurant’s Italian roots. The restaurant’s Bistecca draws inspiration from Bistecca alla Fiorentina, the iconic Tuscan steak traditionally served as a substantial, thick-cut porterhouse featuring both tenderloin and strip steak.

“It’s well known as a Fiorentina Bistecca, which is an extremely large porterhouse cut,” explains Chef Derek. “That cut right there in the dry-aging program lends to the Tuscan Italian steakhouse portion of it.”

The approach is intentionally simple. In the same spirit as the traditional Florentine preparation, the quality of the beef takes center stage rather than being masked by elaborate sauces or excessive accompaniments.

“If the steak by itself can stand on its own with just salt, that’s special,” he says. “Restraint is more powerful than technique. If you can restrain and not cover it full of stuff and let it shine because you know it’s great, that, to me, is amazing power.”

Guests experiencing dry-aged beef for the first time are encouraged to embrace that simplicity. Chef Derek recommends trying the steak closer to rare or medium-rare to experience the flavor of the beef, while emphasizing that there is ultimately no single correct way to enjoy a steak.

“The right way is the way you like it,” he says. “If you like it with a sauce, get it with the sauce. If you like a lean cut, like a filet, then get your lean cut.”

Whether enjoyed simply with finishing salt or elevated with Bacco’s tableside Lusso-style preparation, the Dry Aging Cabinet represents the restaurant’s broader philosophy: start with exceptional ingredients, treat them with care and allow their natural character to speak for itself.

Through its Tennessee-sourced Black Angus, dedicated Dry Aging Cabinet and connection to the traditions of Italian steakhouse dining, Bacco offers guests a closer look at what makes a truly memorable steak.

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