First time using UMAi Drybag and plastic melt

[Stephen Yuwono]

First time using umai bag here. Need advice 🙂

After done with 1 corner and 2 main seal, I tried to do another seal on the corner then the plastic melt.

I tried to reseal it few times and it still melt until I wait for a bit longer before I finally got it right. After it melt, I forgot to suck the air out again.

It’s still the 3rd day and do I need to replace the bag? or maybe make a hole and suck the air out then seal the corner again? Please advice.

Thanks 🙂
https://imgur.com/a/1kmnmXd

[Ron Pratt]

Like we said in the Q & A…

UMAi Dry® is not a vacuum bag, and is significantly more oxygen permeable. Ensure that you have the meat resting meat side down, fat cap up on the open wire rack. If you have not achieved a perfect vacuum, particularly if you have some small amount of air in the corners of the bag or in the divots when the bones have been cut from a ribeye, for instance, never fear. You will have good, consistent dry aging results with only 70 to 80% of the meat surface bonded.

However, if you notice within the first day or two that more than 25 to 30% of the meat has not maintained contact with the UMAi Dry® material, you should repeat the application with the vacuum sealer, ensuring the surface of the meat is moist to achieve the bond.

Now in your case you do already have a good amount of air trapped in there! I would cut a hole and massage the air out and if need be insert a straw or tubing and suck out the rest. seal that hole with a piece of good sealing tape.
ron

[Stephen Yuwono]

Hi Ron,

Thanks for the advice. I tried to take out the air but in the end I decided to use a new bag.

Pictures:
https://imgur.com/a/Szeq9N0

If this one is acceptable, should I reset the starting date for the process?

Stephen

[Ron Pratt]

Yes – that’s fine. No need to reset the starting date.
Ron

[Stephen Yuwono]

Today is the 30th day and I open the bag and slice it.
I just notice there is a white mold. Is this normal?

When cutting it the color a bit brown and after season it with salt and pepper it turn red again.

The beef have some smells. My daughter say it’s like ham from the italian pizza.

Any suggested dry age time to make it tender and without strong smell and strong taste ?

I went to wolfgang steakhouse recently to try their porterhouse and their steak don’t have strong taste the one I’m experiencing. Just wondering if I’m doing it right.

Thanks.

https://imgur.com/a/egnznWu
https://imgur.com/InYLJhM

[Ron Pratt]

That mold can happen and there are several reasons why – but mostly because of unsafe handling before the meat was placed in the UMAi Dry® bag. Now though it is just on the surface and can be trimmed off. BTW those steaks look beautiful full of rich marbling. As the saying goes “know fat, know taste – no fat, no taste!”

As for in the future 30 days really wasn’t long enough in my opinion…as thick as that sub-primal was it easily could have gone for 45 days with far better results from aging.

Dry aged beef can taste stronger to some and after grilled any smell is gone. The effect of turning red after the salt was added is called blooming and if you salted them way ahead of grilling then unless that salting occurred 4 hours ahead then the salt actually pullout more moisture. If done for 4 hours before the meat will actually draw the moisture back in. BTW this isn’t my opinion, but what test results that Cooks’s Illustrated published.
Ron

[Stephen Yuwono]

This time I remove slightly more of the hardened meat. The taste and smell is much better. The first one that I grill still have the hard outer meat on it ( I trim the moldy part only).

Next one I’m going to try the 45 days.

Thanks Ron for the advice given.

Cheers
Stephen

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