My Journey with UMAi Bags

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crustyo44
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Post by crustyo44 » Mon Sep 01, 2014 03:40

Hi Phil,
What is the weightloss of your Coppa. I tend to think that you might have overdone the paprika coating a bit for my taste.
The choice is yours. My Coppa's finished up darker on the outside than I expected.
They tasted extremely nice though and I am still alive and kicking as you might have noticed.
I would take a close up of the spots on your Coppa and post it on the UMAi forum.
Somebody will know the answer.
Cheers,
Jan.
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redzed
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Post by redzed » Mon Sep 01, 2014 06:32

Phil, I can't comment on the Umai process, but looking at the product it does not look like a coppa cut. To me it looks like the lower part of the butt. Can you cut it in half and post a pic?
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Post by Shuswap » Mon Sep 01, 2014 14:40

redzed wrote:Phil, I can't comment on the Umai process, but looking at the product it does not look like a coppa cut. To me it looks like the lower part of the butt. Can you cut it in half and post a pic?
Redzed, will do but towards the end of the week. I've since trimmed all of the surface off. I asked our local butcher for a coppa and he went back and cut it and charged me a healthy $13 kg. I'll be interested in your opinion. This w/e we visited a family owned custom meat packing
operation that will be my new supplier. They raise fallow deer and wild boar as well :cool:
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Post by Shuswap » Mon Sep 01, 2014 14:41

crustyo44 wrote:What is the weightloss of your Coppa.
Jan, it was 36%.
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Post by Chuckwagon » Tue Sep 02, 2014 04:21

Shuswap, you asked:
1. There are a few tiny dots of white mold some of which have a small off-white center. Is this bad mold? In my lifetime all mold was bad but I see that fermented meat can have good mold - news to me.
It`s not visible in the photo but you are describing that which is most likely debaromyces hansenii or candida formata. These are yeasts and part of the sausage making process although it occurs later in the process. They metabolize some of the lactic acid which in turn improves flavor by increasing pH (lowering acidity). Neither debaromyces hansenii or candida formata are affected by lack of oxygen and both are anaerobic microorganisms growing on the surface. If you happen to notice a quick sniff of what you perceive as ammonia, it is because debaromyces hansenii decomposes peroxides while consuming acetic and lactic acid, both of which may be present in your project. As the pH increases, the meat is simply less acidic and milder in flavor. The breakdown of protein, (called proteolysis) and fat, (called lipolysis), is very similar to that of the well-known staphylococcus spp. (species) and is most necessary to the flavor profile.
2. The coppa was smothered in paprika when it went into the bag. It is now discolored with some near-black areas. Is this bad? Should/can this be removed before slicing?

I can`t see the black area from the photo but it is possibly one of three common microorganisms which should be removed. Any non-white mold could be that of clostridium perfringens, bacillus cereus, or staphylococcus aureus. A fourth, although not common, produces toxic spores known as clostridium botulinum and is most concerning. Remove any mold that is not white. If spores have already formed, you should also wipe down the inside of your fermentation chamber.
3. There is a dark ring around the outer edge. Should this be removed before slicing?
Don`t remove it unless it is too hard to chew. This "dry rim" is caused by the imbalance of moisture removal. When balanced, an "equilibrium is established as the diffusion rate is equal to the evaporation rate. If the diffusing moisture moving towards the surface from inside the meat cannot keep up with the moisture removed by evaporation at the surface, the meat will become dry on the outside and produce that characteristic dark ring. Keep the faith Phil... and keep making that great looking product. Get rid of the black mold and make a sandwich! :wink:

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! :D
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Post by Shuswap » Tue Sep 02, 2014 15:37

Thanks Red and CW for your interest. Because learning about mold is new to me I don`t know if they just sit on the surface or penetrate into the meat so I`ve trimmed by removing the coating and most of the dark ring. From the Google images of capicola it certainly seems to be a coppa cut.

Image

CW wrote: "If the diffusing moisture moving towards the surface from inside the meat cannot keep up with the moisture removed by evaporation at the surface, the meat will become dry on the outside and produce that characteristic dark ring."

Interesting because I was thinking of adding a fan to the fridge to move air across the umai bag but maybe that isn`t a good idea.

There is a stronger odor now that it is trimmed. If only I could take a picture of an odor because I find it hard to describe. It is not like ammonia which I am familiar with. The taste is what we expected and certainly not objectionable in any way. However, I`ve learned from CW`s lessons that trouble is not always indicated by taste. We have survived our sampling though.

This weekend we are serving up the Rocky Ford Cantaloupe & Capicola Bites recipe so will see how our family likes it.
http://www.insockmonkeyslippers.com/roc ... d-balsamic
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Post by Shuswap » Wed Sep 03, 2014 17:54

Here is the Capicola sliced - lots of fat! I am still unsure about the rather strong odor. We are going to try it tonight and see if we survive before feeding it to guests this weekend.

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Phil
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redzed
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Post by redzed » Wed Sep 03, 2014 18:24

Phil, your butcher obviously is not a very good one. What you got was half the coppa cut. Coppa is the very top part of the shoulder, actually the neck muscle. The meat fat distribution should look like the one in this article:
http://menuinprogress.com/2011/11/homem ... icola.html

Also look at mine in this thread. Your butcher split the cut right in half!
http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.ph ... c&start=30

I wish I could help you with the smell. Dry cured products do give off an odour that some people do not like, something like tanned leather and hiker's feet, somewhat tempered by all the aromatics in the meat! Do what I do with some mushrooms. Eat a small amount today and bit more tomorrow. If you live, serve to your guests!
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Post by Shuswap » Wed Sep 03, 2014 19:44

Chris, I agree on all fronts and hiker's feet is a good metaphor. Found a new butcher last week :grin: BTW he raises fallow deer and I'm thinking of getting some venison from him for sausage. I'm assuming the front quarter is what I'm looking for since I've never had wild game :?: .
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Post by cogboy » Wed Sep 03, 2014 23:51

I have two coppas in the fridge from the Umai process. Are you telling me I'm going to smell hikers stinky feet when I open up the packages ???? :cry:
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Post by Shuswap » Thu Sep 04, 2014 00:10

Cogboy, let us know the results please.
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Taste Test

Post by Shuswap » Thu Sep 04, 2014 00:56

The Rocky Ford recipe noted above calls for baking the Capicola in a muffin tin at 400F for 7 minutes, which we did. It was crispy and tasted very good. But the odor permeated the kitchen which I didn't like. The question is whether or not there is a way to neutralize the odor. If not, I will cook it on the bbq.
Phil
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Post by crustyo44 » Thu Sep 04, 2014 04:00

Hi
I just finished 2 Coppa's in UMAi bags. No "stinky feet"smell at all. I can just smell the garlic and paprika.
The taste was good and I am set for another 2.
I just bagged my first 1800 gram Bresaola as well. In a couple of days I will check the weight loss, smell if there is any and will report back.
Cheers,
Jan.
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Post by cogboy » Thu Sep 04, 2014 10:46

Shuswap wrote:Cogboy, let us know the results please.
Shuswap, Will do plus I've got some venison salami going also .At least two weeks to go for my goodies, I'll post a few pics. Dave
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Post by cogboy » Sun Sep 07, 2014 19:04

Image[/img]

venison salami taken out today after drying 30%. A bit bland. I should have added more red pepper flakes ? Dave
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