Pancetta (UMAI)

[rbacci]

From what my rookie mind can tell is it allows you cure meats without the need of a curing chamber. They let moisture out but keep bad stuff from getting to the meat and allows you cure in the fridge.

 

[rgautheir20420]

 
So why exactly does one need an UMAI bag? 

I've been making pancetta for years and it's basically a cured belly then hung to dry.  What does the bag do?

The bag allows drying of meats to take place in a less than ideal environment like a fridge where the temps are below 40 usually and RH is very low. If you're able to control those 2 factors, then these bags aren't really needed. But if not....like many...they provide access into the world of dry cured meats.

 

[gary s]

Cool, just learned something

gary

 

[ak1]

 
The bag allows drying of meats to take place in a less than ideal environment like a fridge where the temps are below 40 usually and RH is very low. If you're able to control those 2 factors, then these bags aren't really needed. But if not....like many...they provide access into the world of dry cured meats.

Thanks for the explanation. That's a great concept. 

 

[rgautheir20420]

You're very welcome. I've got a number of things in them right now, and I'm overall happy how the 1st run turned out. I'm looking forward to these results as well.

 

[dls1]

 
I've only had 2 things come out of the bags (Soppressata and Chorizo), but as of now I've got a Lonzino, Soppressata de Calabria, Andouille Salami, and this Pancetta going in them. The Lonzino will be the next to come out.

Nice product selection you have coming up. Some of my favorites, especially the Soppressata di Calabria. When preparing that, did you use authentic Calabrian chile powder or paste, or did you take a different route?

 

[rgautheir20420]

Thanks dls1. Can't say how excited I am for this stuff to come out. It's gonna be a few more weeks on the salamis and maybe  another week on the Lonzino. I've also got 2 Coppa cuts curing that'll come out this weekend and be tide and hung in my curing chamber instead of the UMAI bags. One of these is going to get 10-12 hours of cold smoke also before getting hung in the chamber.

For the Calabria, I used Len Poli's recipe which doesn't include that authentic spice. I have a feeling I'm going to be getting more serious into the dry curing, so I'll probably be picking up some more of the authentic spice stuff in the near future.