First attempt….kinda disappointed

[jack daniels]

My first attempt.

I ordered some bags a few months bag but just now got around to attempting my first dry age experiment. I have always wanted to try a brisket, so 1st attempt is a brisket.

I read a lot and watched videos to familiarize myself with procedures and techniques. All went great until I went to seal. The bags are to light weight and flimsy for my Foodsaver machine. I have a newer one that is automatic, you stick the edge of bag into machine until it activates. It then clamps down to hold the bag while pulling a vacuum and sealing. These bags are to flimsy for my machine.

I played with for an hour before I got it to work with my vacuum sealer. BUT, it didn’t hold a good vacuum before sealing. I will keep an eye on it and see what develops.

Anyone have any suggestions, besides a buying a different sealer? If not, I just wasted 30 bucks on bags.

Thanks in advance.

[Ron Pratt]

Unlike Food Saver bags which are meant to vacuum down and keep that tight seal the UMAi material breathes meaning it will release the moisture in the meat as it dries.

Sorry to hear of your frustration sealing the bags and then going through so many bags. I wish you would have done what I did…I must have used my first bag 6 or 7 times to learn how my sealer was going to work with the UMAi Bag.

On the other hand you don’t even need a sealer as a perfect vacuum is not necessary! In fact what you can do is place the moist meat into the bag and then using your hands press the bag against the meat while forcing out as much air and not leaving any air pockets. Then at the open end insert a drinking straw or a piece of tubing in and then grab the bag tightly around the straw or tubing and finish sucking out as much air as you can. When done quickly remove the straw or tubing and tightly close the end using a bread twisty.

Ron

[jack daniels]

Thanks for the reply.

I’ll see how the bag works this time. If not, I’ll give your method a try.

[Ron Pratt]

The one part of your post that I forgot a reply was the model of Food Saver. Yes, the “smarter” it is then the more likely your sealing effort will be a hassle. That is part of the reason I have kept my oldest one handy. It is an ancient model 1050 which has a manual sealing override as well as a choice of 3 or 5 second sealing time.
Ron

[Ethan]

I purchased the sealer recommended by UMAI,
FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer FM2000-FFP, and it’s not heat sealing the UMAi dry bag. I’ve tried so many times but it’s not working.

The sealer with the vacuum isn’t working either.

[Ron Pratt]

Hmmm – are you following the directions about sealing twice in one place? Often that much heat is necessary to liquify the material. Then, it’s important to allow it to just sit and solidify.

And if you are sealing twice, and the material is not melting, then your sealer’s heat strip is not operating to spec. If you can you should return it to the vendor.

Ron

[Thea]

Jack,
First of all, give us a call and we will take care of you: 612-741-6750.
Getting the hang of sealing UMAi Dry® the first time takes a bit of practice. But most of all, you need to adjust your expectations.
UMAi Dry® is a MEMBRANE not a vacuum bag. You want a tough oxygen barrier bag to keep the moisture in. You want an UMAi Dry® membrane to release the moisture and allow for oxygen exchange. Of course they are “flimsy”!!
Did you check out videos and the illustrated instructions in your packet? We have worked diligently over the past ten years to make the process as clear as possible.
All you really need is good, gooey, moist meat and an UMAi Dry® bag. Put the meat in the bag, press the air out to get 75-80% surface contact, and tie it off with a zip tie. Rest it on an open wire rack in a modern frost free fridge with good air flow and AWAY YOU GO!
Give us a call for replacement bags. Okay?

[Ethan]

I followed the instructional video on sealing, sealing at a diagonal first. However, the sealer isn’t melting the UMAI bag at all.

I tried sealing it about 4 times in the same spot without moving it, still the bag won’t seal.

I also tried the vac-seal process and still won’t seal.

I tested the bags that came with the sealer and it worked perfectly fine, so the sealer should be okay.

[jack daniels]

Thanks for all the replies. I did place an order for more bags, bigger than previous, and still can’t get them to work with my sealer.

I did try the suggestions offered above. The bag doesn’t look great, lots of wrinkles. Seems to be more wrinkles as the days go forward. It appears to be working, I think. I’m 16 days into my second attempt. The fridge doesn’t have any off smells/odors and the bag seems to be odor free. Will know more next Friday when removed from the bag.

[Author]

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