The Original Dry Bag Steak | Make Artisan Dry Age Steak at Home › Forums › UMAi Dry® Forum Questions › General Questions › question about weight loss during fermentation › question about weight loss during fermentation
Johnnie,
It appears that you did get some what is called “case hardening”, it when the meat dries quicker on the outside and forms a crust that slows down the evaporation from the center of the meat. This condition is fairly common when you use a fridge to dry and ferment in non-humidity controlled space. It also happens even in humidity controlled spaces when the grind is very fine or the meat is not cold enough during stuffing. If you leave the other piece in for 2 more weeks, you will probably see a difference. The inside will firm up a bit more.
To avoid this next time, I would recommend a coarser grind and placing the fermenting sausage in a more humid space without any direct airflow during fermentation. A coarser grind will also give you nicer texture.