# Umai Dry Bag Soppressata and Chorizo



## rgautheir20420 (Dec 8, 2014)

This is my first time using these bags for fermented and dried meats so I'll document it up to the finish line. Yesterday I ground about 9 lbs of pork shoulder through the largest plate in my grinder and mixed 4.4 lbs with the Soppressata spices and 4.8 are waiting for the Chorizo spices (I'll explain why).

So I'll admit I didn't research the use of the newest addition of zip ties to this system to well. I cut 6 lengths of casing the same size and sealed off one end to create the expected length of the casings. I had no idea what each length would actually hold, so I just made them even. Turns out I only got to use 4 of the 6 because of some issues. So I'll just say for anyone reading that the new system that doesn't use the VacMouse and only uses zip ties is much different. 

So after I stuffed 4 logs worth, all you apparently all you have to do is twist it really tight and use the tie wrap to close the opposite end. This is the part where I goofed and I thought you'd need to vacuum, seal, and then tie wrap (wrong!). This is where I lost 2 of the pre-cut casings because had to put some meat back into the stuffer. 

With that said, the process took MUCH longer and was MUCH more frustrating than I'd originally hoped. It took far to long so I don't think I could have mentally taken another round. However, now that I know how to do it, it should be very very simple. 

I only ended up spicing and stuffing the Soppressata and the meat for the Chorizo is sitting in the fridge already ground still. It'll get spiced and stuffed and hung tonight though.

Here's a shot of the mixed meat with the culture and all spices. Also one of the pictures is last night and 1 is of this morning. The meat is already turning a nice red color, so things are looking as they should it would seem. They'll sit here for 48 hours and then off to the fridge for drying. I'm very hopeful at this point.

BTW, I used the recipes straight off of the Dry Bag Steak website. If these go well, I'll definitely be doing other stuff.

Also, I did some thinking on this and this kit cost me $20.50 (50mm size) and it should stuff about 25 lbs. Considering 35% weight loss of all meat stuffed, you could expect an approximate weight of the finished total product to be about 13 lbs of salami. That's a little over $1.50 a lb for a dry aged product that can be done in your fridge. I know it seems like it's on the pricier side when thinking of casings, but considering you pay $6-$10 for 6 oz of salami decent salami at the store, this sounds like a win to be. Time will tell though.

Also, they are hanging in my bathroom, so you really DON'T need a chamber.













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## atomicsmoke (Dec 8, 2014)

I am the first one to say curing chamber is not a must, but bathroom? The sopressata might work as deodorizer but ...


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## rgautheir20420 (Dec 8, 2014)

atomicsmoke said:


> I am the first one to say curing chamber is not a must, but bathroom? The sopressata might work as deodorizer but ...


Haha it's the most unused room in my house. It's the guest bath upstairs and doesn't ever get used for anything at the moment so. It's definitely being overtaken by the smell of meat though


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## pc farmer (Dec 8, 2014)

Looks interesting.


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## radioguy (Dec 8, 2014)

I'll be following this one.  Ran across the Umai system while browsing.  How long is the planned dry time?

RG


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## rgautheir20420 (Dec 8, 2014)

RadioGuy said:


> I'll be following this one. Ran across the Umai system while browsing. How long is the planned dry time?
> 
> RG


I think I'm looking at 3-4 weeks because these are the 50mm size and not the 32 mm size which are usually done in 2 week or so. I'll be keeping a sheet with the weight's and percentage losses while doing it.


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## rgautheir20420 (Dec 9, 2014)

36 hour update:

The color is looking very nice as the curing and fermenting is going on. It's becoming a nice darker red color. There is some noticeable shrinking already taking place. You may be able to see some of the casings beginning to shrink.

Thanks to a 1.5 hr dentist appt after work yesterday, I wasn't able to get the Chorizo stuffed. I was able to mix up the seasonings and cure with it though, so I'm definitely stuffing tonight to get them fermented and on their way to drying.

Here are some updated shots.













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## chef willie (Dec 9, 2014)

Hell, that looks simple enough even I could do it. And, yes, you can see the shrinkage already after only 36 hours....magical. Not a bad setup for hanging.....I'd much rather see those hanging off the rod than pantyhose any day...just sayin'.....Willie


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## rgautheir20420 (Dec 9, 2014)

Chef Willie said:


> Hell, that looks simple enough even I could do it. And, yes, you can see the shrinkage already after only 36 hours....magical. Not a bad setup for hanging.....I'd much rather see those hanging off the rod than pantyhose any day...just sayin'.....Willie


You're absolutely right Chef. It's been a very easy process up to now. I'm hopeful that the finished product will be good. It's cool to see the color change and all as it's happening pretty much. 

I know when I was researching these bags, I didn't find all that much info on them with pictures and a play by play. I'm hoping this thread will add to the limited search options that are out there for some pics and experience.


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## chef willie (Dec 9, 2014)

rgautheir20420 said:


> You're absolutely right Chef. It's been a very easy process up to now. I'm hopeful that the finished product will be good. It's cool to see the color change and all as it's happening pretty much.
> 
> I know when I was researching these bags, I didn't find all that much info on them with pictures and a play by play. I'm hoping this thread will add to the limited search options that are out there for some pics and experience.


Will be very interested in the final pics/results. Not sure if you saw this in doing your homework but I always remembered this post from a few years ago & was interested in trying it although, there are only 2 of us here, and now beef is outta sight in prices. http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/104369/time-to-try-out-my-new-dry-bag-system-the-conclusion


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## rgautheir20420 (Dec 9, 2014)

Chef, I hadn't seen that thread, but it's VERY nice indeed. The larger sized bags are a bit more expensive that the usual casing style ones. Since is so expensive, I don't see myself doing it, although I'd love to be invited to that party.

I just had a thought to cold smoke 2 of the 4 chubs with some pecan before putting them in the refer. Since I've got 4, I might as well experiment...right?


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## rgautheir20420 (Dec 9, 2014)

The night got alittle busy but I was atleast able to get the Chorizo stuffed. A shot of that. It was so much easier this around. Only took a few minutes to get everything tie wrapped and stuffed. It took longer tagging them and cleaning up. Also here's a shot of the Soppressata after the 48 hour ferment and cure. It beautiful and a bright red color now. 













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## pc farmer (Dec 9, 2014)

Wow.


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## rgautheir20420 (Dec 10, 2014)

c farmer said:


> Wow.



Thanks C. I'm really excited for this stuff!


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## chef willie (Dec 10, 2014)

wow, indeed.....that looks b-utiful


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## rgautheir20420 (Dec 11, 2014)

The Chorizo is done the fermenting 48 hours and is now going to the fridge to dry. 













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## crazymoon (Dec 14, 2014)

I hope yours tastes better than mine did. I  followed a venison salami recipe from their site and it looked great after drying BUT tasted like a large blob of fat !


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## daveomak (Dec 14, 2014)

CrazyMoon said:


> I hope yours tastes better than mine did. I  followed a venison salami recipe from their site and it looked great after drying BUT tasted like a large blob of fat ! :th_crybaby2:



CM, morning....   Try smoking sausages for 24 hours at 140-150....  The fat shouldn't render at those temps....


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## crazymoon (Dec 14, 2014)

Dave , It just doesn't have any flavor, I was taking it to work and dipping it in garlic powder/red pepper flakes and the guys would eat it then !
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  I have some left and was thinking about smoking it just to add something to it.  Thanks .


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## rgautheir20420 (Dec 14, 2014)

CM, when this stuff was fermenting the aroma it was giving off definitely indicates its got some flavor....I hope. We'll see.


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## rgautheir20420 (Dec 22, 2014)

Ok so I just couldn't wait!!! One of my logs hit 30% weight loss yesterday, so cut it open and sliced a few pieces. This stuff is good! No off smells or flavors what so ever. Nice tang and salt levels are good. It's a simple recipe, but it's very good. I put the pieces back into an UMAI bag and tied the ends and it's back in the fridge to loose a bit more weight for more testing. The other logs are around 27% lost and those will be taken closer to 40% before opening. Here it is. Fat was silky already and delicious. 

BTW, the Chorizo logs are around 25% as of now.













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## red dog (Dec 22, 2014)

Looks great! I might have to give this a try.


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## atomicsmoke (Dec 22, 2014)

Nice dry cured meat. What plate did you use for grinding? Or was the meat chopped only?


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## rgautheir20420 (Dec 22, 2014)

atomicsmoke said:


> Nice dry cured meat. What plate did you use for grinding? Or was the meat chopped only?



Thanks atomic. I went with the largest player I had because I wanted this type of look and texture. Everything has blended together nicely for a smooth texture and taste  ,


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## dirtsailor2003 (Dec 22, 2014)

Yumm, the sliced pics look great!


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## rgautheir20420 (Jan 20, 2015)

I know it's been awhile since I've updated this thread, but I broke out the Chorizo about 1 week ago and it's been pretty good. I've still got 2 logs in the fridge and they aren't fully hardened. They are a bit over 40% loss even but I don't think they're gonna get much firmer. Here are some sliced shots. It's pretty darn good, but I prefer the Soppressata to be honest.













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## dirtsailor2003 (Jan 20, 2015)

rgautheir20420 said:


> I know it's been awhile since I've updated this thread, but I broke out the Chorizo about 1 week ago and it's been pretty good. I've still got 2 logs in the fridge and they aren't fully hardened. They are a bit over 40% loss even but I don't think they're gonna get much firmer. Here are some sliced shots. It's pretty darn good, but I prefer the Soppressata to be honest.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Tasty!!!! Nice job!


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## chef willie (Jan 20, 2015)

looks xlnt.....I'm rethinking the Umai bag method now....Willie


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## rgautheir20420 (Jan 20, 2015)

Chef Willie said:


> looks xlnt.....I'm rethinking the Umai bag method now....Willie


Chef, the process truly has been very easy to make something that's come out so delicious. Personally, it was worth every penny.


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## chef willie (Jan 20, 2015)

rgautheir20420 said:


> Chef, the process truly has been very easy to make something that's come out so delicious. Personally, it was worth every penny.


thanks for the honest opinion....have read other reviews on them and they all sound legit. Got the site bookmarked for research at another time.....I was seriously considering a wine fridge conversion to a chamber but, truthfully, with all the gear needed I'd be close to 4-500 and hoping that urge would pass....<grin>......Willie


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## chewmeister (Jan 20, 2015)

rgautheir20420 said:


> I know it's been awhile since I've updated this thread, but I broke out the Chorizo about 1 week ago and it's been pretty good. I've still got 2 logs in the fridge and they aren't fully hardened. They are a bit over 40% loss even but I don't think they're gonna get much firmer. Here are some sliced shots. It's pretty darn good, but I prefer the Soppressata to be honest.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Looks good. I started some soppressata last Saturday with the 50mm tubes. To try and maintain a constant temp for the fermenting I put them in my proofing box at 70 degrees. I've been keeping an eye on them and they should be ready to come out. The issue I have is that one of the sticks doesn't have a uniform color to it like it hasn't fermented evenly. I mixed the batch well before stuffing so I'm kind of at a loss as to what's going on. The others have a nice uniform color.


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## rgautheir20420 (Jan 20, 2015)

Care to post some pictures? I afraid I'm not qualified to really answer that, but the only thing I can think of would be insufficient mixing of the culture and mixture. The best way to check for a proper ferment is usually by measuring the pH drop in the meat. Do you have that capability? Maybe share what culture you used also? I'd imagine at 3 days time and 70 degrees even the slow fermenting cultures would have done their job.


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## chewmeister (Jan 20, 2015)

i used T-SPX for the culture. There is just the light colored area on the middle one that concerns me. The color difference is not as dramatic as in the picture as the flash makes it more pronounced and it's just the one area.













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## rgautheir20420 (Jan 20, 2015)

Hmm that is very interesting. It also could have been an issue with a small portion not getting as much cure. Either way, it doesn't look to be spoiling which is a good sign. If there are no off smells or other bad signs, I'd commence with the drying.


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## chewmeister (Jan 20, 2015)

Actually, it smells fantastic. Kind of a cross between a traditional hard salami and pepperoni. I'll put them in the reefer to start the drying process. Thanks for your input.


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## rgautheir20420 (Jan 20, 2015)

chewmeister said:


> Actually, it smells fantastic. Kind of a cross between a traditional hard salami and pepperoni. I'll put them in the reefer to start the drying process. Thanks for your input.


If you used the recipe from the drybag site, it's got a really nice spice to it once it hardens up. It was very good.


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## chewmeister (Jan 20, 2015)

That's good to know. That is the recipe I used as I wanted a baseline to try for my first attempt. If this turns out well then maybe tweak it some if I feel it's needed.


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## mckay (Jan 21, 2015)

I did their Choizo as well and it was fantastic. I also did a 50 day $180 prime rib in one of their dry aging bags. That did not turn out as well. Ill stick to sausages for now.


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## rgautheir20420 (Jan 21, 2015)

McKay said:


> I did their Choizo as well and it was fantastic. I also did a 50 day $180 prime rib in one of their dry aging bags. That did not turn out as well. Ill stick to sausages for now.


My Chorizo is definitely taking some time to loose the appropriate amount of weight for some reason. I cut open another log yesterday at 40% WL and it's still a bit soft and it's been in the fridge for 45 days or so. I'm gonna leave the other one in there for a couple more weeks to see if that helps. It really is good though, so no big deal.


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## mckay (Jan 21, 2015)

I went almost 60 on mine to get the texture I wanted. Time to make more!


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## rgautheir20420 (Jan 21, 2015)

McKay said:


> I went almost 60 on mine to get the texture I wanted. Time to make more!


Damn! Ok well that makes me feel a little better then. Yes....it is indeed time to make some more.


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