First timer & resealed eye of round beef after 3-4 days…am i ok?

[Vakur]

That is the first time i am using Umai bag and i started with charcuterie bag to make bresaola. I cured an eye of round beef for two weeks (umai recipe), rinsed and put it into Umai bag.

I thought that i had a good vacuum and sealing but than i noticed that i am losing contact (much less than %70-80) at the second day. So i changed the bag at second day.

It turned out the same after two days i changed the bag. Than i thought that i realised what i was doing wrong. I had dried the meat with paper towel after rinsing subsequent to curing. Than i spread paprika which made it even drier.

So i thought that the issue was lack of moisture. I crossed my fingers and decided to open the seal (at 4th cumulative day). I put the gloves on and cut the bag from its seal. The smell was ok and there were not any trace of spoiling. I removed the butchers knot, wet the meat with water and that i resealed with the same bag. The vacuum and contact looked perfect at first and second day.

As today is 10th day, i still have a very good contact and it has already started to change color after 6-7 days. But i can not help thinking that i might have spoiled the meat. Do you think what i did spoil the meat?

I am writing this down both to reilieve myself if possible and to be able to helpful to others through your comments on what i experienced.

[Thea]

Hi! Sorry for the delay in response!
What you describe demonstrates such tenacity! With charcuterie, if you don’t rinse and bag immediately, the meat will lack sufficient moisture to forma good bond. You’ve worked really hard to figure that out.
Essentially, even a loose UMAi bag will provide the protected environment you need for successful aging. Less air to start, will mostly lead to more effective moisture release–at the start. Eventually, with charcuterie, the meat will dry and shrink away from the Umai Dry membrane. Never fear. If white mild spots begin to form, watch carefully to make sure they do not begin to turn color. So long as you are aging in a regularly used modern frost free kitchen refrigerator located in a room temperature environment, you should have no problems.
Once reaching target weight loss of 35-40%, you can wipe any minor white mold away with wine vinegar prior to vacuum sealing to protect the moisture level.
Hope this helps!

[Vakur]

Yes it helps, thank you very much. Just chilled and waiting for tasting the outcome.

[Vakur]

Just wanted to give an update.

Today is the 20th day. It started aging with 1144 gr and now it weights 854 gr with app %25 weight loss. Depending on the total weight loss&expected duration suggestions, speed of the loss seemed a little bit faster to me. You can see how it is looking right now.

I will finish somwhere between %35-40 and post the outcome too.

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmKJNL9E

[Vakur]

Hello again,

Right now it is almost end of 4th week after curing. The weight loss is app. 35% (1144gr–>760gr) and the outer shell is not rock hard. It will probably reach 40% within a week. It seems quite fast according to what i read in the forum.

Do you think that i should wait for a while longer and aim more weight loss?

[Thea]

Four weeks for a completed Bresaola sounds highly suspicious. Curing and dry and beef can be tricky.

My first question would be: did you cure the meat completely submerged in the cure solution for two full weeks? It is very easy for beef to refuse to take up the cure. Pork cures much more easily.

My next question would be: are you sure you’ve done the calculation correctly? Unless it was a very narrow diameter chunk of eye of round, it is extremely unlikely that even a well cured piece of beef could have 35% weight reduction in only four weeks.

Are you drying in a regularly used modern frost free kitchen refrigerator located in a room temperature environment?

[Vakur]

I covered and massaged the eye of round with the mixture given in Umai recipe. Put it into a vacuum bag and let it rest in my regular fridge.

Well i am quite positve about the start weight because that is more or less the same number with the butchers weigher. Unless something is wrong with my kitchen weigher, calculation is accurate. It started with 1144 gr and now it is 760gr.

Yes i am using kitchen fridge. Since my wife and i are both working, the door stays closed for 10 hours in the morning and 6-7 hours in the evenening. We open the door at least 4-5 times in between.

I am also dry aging ribeye in the same environment. So far it seems quite good after 16 days.

[Thea]

I think part of the problem may be that we’ve failed to specify that “start weight” is post cure, rather than weight of the fresh meat. As you know, a lot of moisture is lost with the salt cure, but the 35-40% target weight loss should be based on the weight after curing.

Either way, you want to to let that bresaola keep drying for at least another two weeks, I’d say. Beef is reluctant to cure and slow to dry.

[Vakur]

1144 gr is the weight when i put it into Umai bag. I’ll do as you say and wait for at least two more weeks. Let’s see what happens. Thanks.

[Vakur]

I opened the bag at day 45 with %43 weight loss. Here you can see how it progressed & turned out. We were delighted with the result…

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmLjVbZC

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