The Original Dry Bag Steak | Make Artisan Dry Age Steak at Home › Forums › UMAi Dry® Sealing › Sealing Questions › Moisture issues
- This topic has 22 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 9 months ago by
Barry.
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December 30, 2011 at 10:07 am #1330
Anonymous
GuestHey everyone FYI, I was having a moisture issue in my dry age fridge. Every time I checked on the process, I noticed that there was moisture inside on the walls , and the ceiling. So I got to thinking about how I could remove it, and keep it in check inexpensively. I thought about how you use cat liter on the shop floor to absorb moisture. So I got 3 small plastic containers, filled it with the cat liter, and placed them throughout the fridge. WHALA ! It worked. No more moisture. Just a note, only use clean unused cat liter. LOL !
December 30, 2011 at 7:44 pm #5282Ron Pratt
MemberLOL – whatever works is OK :laugh: Sounds to me though the frost free heater aspect must not be working right as that moisture should be being removed in the cycle.
December 31, 2011 at 3:41 pm #5283Steven Almas
MemberI’m having the same issue, but I just put a box of baking soda in the fridge and it dropped the humidity about 10%. What kind of fridge are you using? I have a Danby all-fridge mini-fridge.
December 31, 2011 at 5:40 pm #5284GuestCould be that the frost free mechanism isn’t working as you stated. If this is the case, do you think I should try and repair it, or is it ok just to continue doing what I’m doing? It doesn’t seem to be effecting anything else. I’m using a full size side by side LG brand that is probably about 8 yrs. old that we put in the garage to use as extra storage space. The ice maker kept malfunctioning, and I got tired of fiddling with it so we just got a new fridge in the kitchen.
January 7, 2012 at 7:25 am #5333Charlie
MemberArrange shelving and food items so air circulates.
Don’t “overload” or leave the freezer empty. It should be at least half full.
Properly seal liquids and high‐moisture foods stored in the fresh food section.
Clean the condenser coils at least twice a year.
Check and maintain the door gaskets.
A good door seal keeps warm moist air out of the refrigerator.These tips will help control frost and moisture in your refrigerator, but won’t eliminate the problem,
especially when humidity is excessive.B) Charlie
February 27, 2012 at 12:42 am #5703Bob Burk
MemberGreat forum, a big reason I purchased the kit. Quick question. I’m 3 days in, everything looks OK. I placed a small electric fan in the beer/beef fridge, temp is at 36 degrees but the humidity is only at 20 percent. Should I remove the fan to increase the humidity?
Thank you,
Bob
February 27, 2012 at 1:33 am #5705MemberFirst of all, Bob – Welcome aboard!
How large is your beer fridge and how often are you opening the door say on a daily basis? Typically the fan will help if it’s one of those small refrigerators as some don’t circulate any air. OTOH the aging process involves the removal of water from the meat so yes you will have moisture in there for a while. In just the first 3 days though I’m not sure that is a long enough test period for what humidity levels to expect over a longer run.
Ron
February 27, 2012 at 1:48 am #5706MemberThank you!
I’m not sure of the exact size but it’s our old upright kitchen fridge with the freezer on top. I open it briefly about 5 times per day just to take a peak… I’ll try to open it less to see the results and keep the fan going unless you think the low humidity is a concern.
February 27, 2012 at 2:26 am #5707Memberbburk, you don’t need to worry as much about the humidity as you would if you were dry aging without a dry bag. I have the same setup (old fridge) and open it about ten or twenty times a day to get stuff in or out. Opening the fridge more often will cause the fan to kick in. This is a good thing. I also added two battery operated fans to the bottom to circulate air all the time.
I believe that proper temp and good air flow are more important than humidity when using this dry aging method.
Charlie B)
February 27, 2012 at 2:34 am #5708MemberIn that case I bet you’ll be fine! Some folks try to trick out one of those tiny “dorm” refrigerators but it sounds like yours – even being an old one will be fine. Be sure to keep us posted on your progress as we all are learning from each other and creating a data base for future DrybagSteak believers!
Ron
March 8, 2012 at 12:57 pm #5755Joseph Moore
MemberClam Digger wrote:
quote :bburk, you don’t need to worry as much about the humidity as you would if you were dry aging without a dry bag.Good to know for beginners like me 🙂 who worry about the humidity.
March 9, 2012 at 4:02 am #5760Matthew Garcia
MemberShould I be monitoring the humidity? I am monitoring the temp with wireless sensors (pretty handy). And my fridge is RIGHT on the money fluctuating between 35F to 37F. But do I need to watch humidity? There is no condensation in my fridge and I live in a pretty low humidity area.
March 9, 2012 at 2:32 pm #5762MemberYou said in your introductory post that you had just purchased a new refrig for your kitchen which freed up your old one. Assuming the old one did not have cooling issues I’d say you are fine! Going on 2 years ago I monitored my humidity for a week or so and quickly concluded the relative humidity level in my kitchen refrig where I age was all over the board due to opening and closing…and I have had several successful aged sub-primals since then. My second rule behind not playing with your meat is to not worry so much! :laugh:
RonMarch 9, 2012 at 11:01 pm #5763Barry
MemberI worried about the project at first– amount of vacuum, will it really work, etc. the first subprimal ribeye is coming out in a few days and all has gone well and as written up by more experienced people. That bag is designed like it is for a reason. Do your best and enjoy!
The only drawback is that the days pass so slowly while waiting (and waiting)…..March 10, 2012 at 5:09 am #5765MemberI am calming down actually quite a bit. My next adventure will be with a rib eye and I suspect it will be a more seamless operation.
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