Carne Salata ( Pork cushion proscuitto )

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chopsaw

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Dec 14, 2013
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This is from Len Poli's site , crossed over to Umai bags . Used his basic spice profile , then followed most of the Umai directions . I say most because Umai called for 4 months in the fridge . This lost 40% in 4 weeks . That's where I wanted it .
Cured 2 weeks with the spices in a vac bag .
Then rinsed , dried and sealed in the Umai . I didn't add any more salt or seasonings to it .
This go round had a great seal and the bags stayed tight to the meat surface .
Out of the cure . Rinsed and dried .
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Sealed up in the Umai bags . Weighed and tagged .
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This was about half way through . Loosing weight fast .
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40% loss . I have 2 of these . Gonna let the other one go a bit .
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Out of the bag , and taking a peek . These always smell so good .
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My goodness . It's good . ( That's about as dramatic as I get )
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Nesco FS-250 takes a nice slice .
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Gonna let the other one ride and keep an eye on the surface hardening .
 
Holy pig! That’s amazing. I see pork cushion but never gave it a thought until now. I use the Umai bags but the vacuum never seems to hold for more than a couple days for me. That looks like it held tight the whole time. Impressive!
 
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Holy pig! That’s amazing. I see pork cushion but never gave it a thought until now.
Thanks Sven . I bought it back in 2019 during the first shortage .
No pork butts so they had these instead . It's a really good cut .
I use it for sausage and roasted .
I use the Umai bags but the vacuum never seems to hold for more than a couple days for me. That looks like it held tight the whole time. Impressive!
It did . First time . I think that might be why it lost weight so fast .
I had talked to Ray sawhorseray sawhorseray about it , and we think you really need to crinkle up the neck of the bag before sealing .
 
That looks absolutely phenomenal Rich! The amount of weight loss is amazing, wish I knew your secret, my last two coppas lost 20% in two months, had to smoke them, not that it's all bad. Got another going in the fridge right now, pretty fair seal tho it doesn't look as tight as yours. I used to see pork cushion at Pack & Save markets when I lived in CA, hope I can find some here in AZ, prosciutto is next on my list, got five UMAi bags left. That'd sure make a special pizza! RAY

 
Jesus Christo Rich!! That looks amazing. Some seriously good looking stuff. I bet the flavor is off the charts. You might just get me back into this. Used to do a lot of it but kinda let it go for some reason.
( That's about as dramatic as I get )
For something that amazing, I wouldn't be the least bit upset to see some really graphic descriptions :emoji_wink:

Robert
 
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Looks great, nice job!!
Thanks .
Looks good chop. Surprised it dried that fast though....
Thanks man . That's the first time I had it go so fast . I know the bag doesn't have to be tight , but I think it helps if it is . I do this stuff in my garage fridge and maybe the mild ambient temps helped also .
 
Looks fantastic, Rich! I haven't dipped a toe into charcuterie yet, but I intend to try my hand at dry curing this winter.
 
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Yes , they come with the bags . It is also a must that you crinkle up the neck of the bag before you vac seal .
That's got to be the ticket Rich! My coppa lost 20 grams in a week. Since I krinkled up the opening and re-bagged it two days ago it with a fresh mouse it's lost 19 grams, looks good with a nice tight seal, I'm feeling real good about this one now! Got a 4lb loin in the freezer, maybe a lomo next. RAY
 
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Boy, does that look fantastic Rick. Well done.

Point for sure
Chris

BTW: What's the difference between an Umai bag and a regular vacuum sealer bag. Asking for a friend.
 
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