# Gonna Try Doing a Coppa



## mr_whipple (Jul 30, 2022)

So.... while I've never done this and really had no plans to, this is kind of off the cuff. I had seen another thread about doing this in the fridge, and after running into $.97/lb butts at Kroger I figured why not?

Watched a 2 guys and a cooler video Here and figured I could do this. Followed the recipe to a t.

According to the calculator in the recipe it came to a 3% eq brine with the following for ingredients:

1742 g coppa muscle
52.26 g kosher salt
26.3 g turbinado sugar
4.36 g black pepper (I used my standard peppercorn melange in my grinder)
3.83 g red pepper flakes
5.57 g cayenne
5.57 g calabrian hot powder chili
6.62 g garlic powder
5.57 g smoked paprika
My scale is only graduated down to .1 gram so we're as close to those measurements as I need to be.

I watched a video Here on properly removing the coppa from a butt.  As you'll see in the pics, I didn't butcher my own pig so I was at the mercy of a prepackaged butt so it didn't look as pretty as his.

My first ever coppa removal.








All rubbed up and ready for the vacuum bag.






Vac sealed and into the fridge.







According to the calculator they used for time to cure Here it came to 5.56 days at 3" and tubular shaped. They recommend to add 20% so that brings it to 6.68 days. I think rounding up to 7 days should be no problem. Maybe a bit longer would be ok as it's an equilibrium cure? The week actually works out so I can wrap it up next weekend, but I suppose I could do it any day during the week.

Once it's done in the vac seal, I bought the sausage makers dry age sheets so that's the plan for now. BTW, them suckers ain't cheap. Had I known I was only getting 2 sheets and the netting for $25 this may have never happened. I figured there were a few more than that, but I was probably drunk driving around on Amazon when I bought them.

Thanks for looking!


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## chopsaw (Jul 30, 2022)

I have one that's almost at target weight . 
I always use 14 days cure time for these types of things . I'm doing mine in a Umai bag . 
Been in the fridge since 6/25 . Was in the cure 6/10 to 6/14 .


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## Sven Svensson (Jul 30, 2022)

We’ll be cheering you on! Looks good to start. Now comes the patience part.


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## indaswamp (Jul 30, 2022)

Good start! When you said brine, made me think you had this sitting in salt water....then I read down to find you are dry curing it in a vacuum bag. Cool....doing it right. Umai is a good process...you will still get the flavor from the protein and fat breakdown, but without the mold you won't get that cheesey funky depth of flavor on the product and the buttery, cashew like notes on the fat will be missing. But it will be better than what you can find at most grocery stores-that's for sure! One tip-don't put them on the top shelf directly under where the return air is blowing into the refrigerator.....

My first coppa was umai and I followed the same video....


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## mr_whipple (Jul 30, 2022)

indaswamp said:


> Good start! When you said brine, made me think you had this sitting in salt water....then I read down to find you are dry curing it in a vacuum bag. Cool....doing it right. Umai is a good process...you will still get the flavor from the protein and fat breakdown, but without the mold you won't get that cheesey funky depth of flavor on the product and the buttery, cashew like notes on the fat will be missing. But it will be better than what you can find at most grocery stores-that's for sure! One tip-don't put them on the top shelf directly under where the return air is blowing into the refrigerator.....
> 
> My first coppa was umai and I followed the same video....


Gotcha!! Brine/Cure?  I just type and words come out, but you understand. As I said, this is a purely off the cuff thing so hopefully it works out. Charcuterie is not the rabbit hole I'm looking for.  I want to do smoked sausage... Kielbasa style etc, but that's a thread for another day.


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## indaswamp (Jul 30, 2022)

Well, when you are ready to tackle sausages...we got ya covered!


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## LoydB (Jul 31, 2022)

mr_whipple said:


> Charcuterie is not the rabbit hole I'm looking for.



12 months later:


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## indaswamp (Jul 31, 2022)

You and I are gonna get along GREAT!!! LOL!! What all do you have hanging?


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## MileHiGuy (Jul 31, 2022)

This sounds awesome.  I think I'm gonna have to try this.  I'll watch the video too.


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## mr_whipple (Aug 13, 2022)

Off we go. I got very busy during the week and decided this was going to have to ride it out till today, making it 14 days in the cure. Oh boy did that thing smell good coming out of the vacuum bag! Being in the vac seal kind of flattened it a bit, but once I wrapped it and put it in the netting it shaped up a little. I'm hoping gravity rounds it out a little as it hangs. Guess we'll see.  
Not the best pic... but hey, I'm not a photographer or a long list of other things.
Thanks for looking.


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## indaswamp (Aug 13, 2022)

The trussing is to get a more uniform shape for drying....if the piece is irregular, you will get some spots that are drier than others, but that can be fixed by removing the casing and vacsealing, then put back in the fridge to allow the moisture to equalize in the piece..


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## mr_whipple (Aug 13, 2022)

Fingers crossed. At 1827 grams 35% loss means this is gonna be in the fridge for a while.


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## indaswamp (Aug 13, 2022)

...and umai dries a little slower than at regular curing chamber temps.....but it'll be worth it!


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## chopsaw (Aug 13, 2022)

mr_whipple said:


> 35% loss means this is gonna be in the fridge for a while.


Yup . I finally pulled mine out last week . Got to about  33% Then it just stopped . The outside got hard . So I cut the ends off and put it back in the bag for a couple days . I started mine just before you I think . June 10th . 
You're right about the smell . 
It's worth the wait . Taste is just fantastic . 






Made pizza with some last night . Fantastic .


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## MileHiGuy (Aug 13, 2022)

I'm trying this too.  I put the pork in the Brine Aug 2nd.  I'll start the dry age process tomorrow.  Good luck with yours.  I'll be watching to see how long it takes to get the necessary weight loss.  I'll share my results too.  I saw on that website that Eric said it could take 8 weeks.


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## MileHiGuy (Aug 14, 2022)

To those that have done this I would like your input on how long you kept it in the Brine?  Mine is still in the brine, I have not put in the dry age bag yet.  On the video for this, Eric's link says to brine for a week but that seems to short to me.  I put it in Aug 2nd.  Should I leave it in longer or move on to the dry age stage?


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## indaswamp (Aug 14, 2022)

cylinder shaped pieces like coppa cure faster than a flat piece. Use this calculator to input the thickness of your coppa:
https://genuineideas.com/ArticlesIndex/nitritecuringcalculator.html

But 7-10 days is plenty enough time at temps. 37-41*F...colder than that slows down the cure penetration.


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## chopsaw (Aug 14, 2022)

MileHiGuy said:


> To those that have done this I would like your input on how long you kept it in the Brine?


I went 14 days .


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## MileHiGuy (Aug 14, 2022)

Thanks for the input!


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## mr_whipple (Sep 5, 2022)

Almost there.....I've weighed this a few times since hanging in the fridge and we're getting close.  Total weight at the start was 1827 grams, making my target 1187 grams for 35%. 1300 on the dot a few minutes ago.


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## chopsaw (Sep 5, 2022)

I used almost all of the one I did on pizza . Awesome flavor  . 
I have 2 pork cushions curing now . Be ready for the umai bags this weekend . 
Be watching to see a slice of yours .


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## MileHiGuy (Sep 5, 2022)

Mine has been in a dry age bag in the fridge since 8/15/22.  It went in at a weight of 1441 grams and is now at a weight of 1016 grams.  It has a little bit to go, maybe another week or so I guess.  It's target weight is 936 grams, according to the video on two guys an a cooler.  I can't wait to try it out!


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## mr_whipple (Sep 5, 2022)

Looks like we're both close to the finish line!


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## mr_whipple (Sep 17, 2022)

Pulled it this morning. Getting that wrap off was a FPITA!!! Anyway, here's a shot of the whole and one sliced in half. There was a small indentation on one side of the muscle as you can see. I made sure the wrap was tight up against when I did it.  Looks like it got a little dark around that side, but the one slice I did eat was pretty damn good and I couldn't tell by mouth feel if there was any issue with it being hard around the edge. Spice and flavor seem to be very well balanced. Nice heat without being overpowering. I followed that recipe to a T for the spices just to see.. Anyway, I vac sealed the two halves and will let them sit in the fridge till next weekend. I'm calling it a win, but I was not in love with getting that wrap off. If I ever do this again that will be the thing I want to change. Maybe those umai bags aren't such a pain? 

Thanks for looking!


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## indaswamp (Sep 17, 2022)

Next time, spritz the wrap with water then wrap in cellophane, let it sit for about 20-30 minutes....95% of it will come off easily then you can use a tooth brush for what is left on....Looks great! Good job!


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## indaswamp (Sep 17, 2022)

Charcuterie done in the fridge with the permeable wraps will usually have that darker ring because of the lower temps. and lower humidity in the fridge. But an equalization like you are doing will help. Might take longer than a week though...closer to a month.


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## chopsaw (Sep 17, 2022)

Looks great .


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## tbern (Sep 17, 2022)

looks delicious, nice job!!


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## mr_whipple (Sep 17, 2022)

indaswamp said:


> Charcuterie done in the fridge with the permeable wraps will usually have that darker ring because of the lower temps. and lower humidity in the fridge. But an equalization like you are doing will help. Might take longer than a week though...closer to a month.


I waited this long, whats another month?  Maybe I'll pull one half this weekend and slice some up, then let the other ride for a few more weeks.


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## MileHiGuy (Sep 17, 2022)

I am getting really close to the target weight loss I want to see.  I put the meat in a dry wrap bag on 8/15 and now it is down from 1441 grams to 954 grams.  I plan to keep it in the bag until it goes down to 936 grams.  Maybe another half a week?  Yours looks great Mr_whipple.  I'll try spritzing it with water as indaswamp suggests when I'm taking the bag off.


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## chopsaw (Sep 17, 2022)

mr_whipple said:


> Maybe I'll pull one half this weekend and slice some up,


Makes a great pizza .


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