Welcome to Meathead Talks, a series of curated articles from AmazingRibs on everything from kitchen science to myth busting to tips for upping your grill game. All articles are written by the Meathead, a brilliant chef and self-proclaimed Barbecue Whisperer whose culinary word are heeded as gospel in many circles. This guide teaches you how to cook a high-quality steak at home, focusing on selecting the right cuts, grades, thickness, and technique to achieve a juicy, flavorful, and dark steak with bold beefy flavor. To prepare a truly unforgettable ..read more

Welcome to Meathead Talks, a series of curated articles from AmazingRibs on everything from kitchen science to myth busting to tips for upping your grill game. All articles are written by the Meathead, a brilliant chef and self-proclaimed Barbecue Whisperer whose culinary word are heeded as gospel in many circles. Gas or Charcoal? Meathead calls this "the most frequently asked question since 'Chicken or Egg?'."  While "the flame war between charcoal purists and gas hotheads burns brighter than the debate between Mac and PC users," he points out that there is waaaay too much garbage-posing ..read more

Fun fact #1: Did you know that before the coronavirus pandemic, more than half of all air cargo traveled on passenger flights? (International Air Transportation Association) Fun fact #2:  Did you now that fliers essentially subsidize the cost of many shipments? Prepandemic, carriers devoted roughly a third of their cargo space to letters, packages and commercial goods. (Aircraft Commerce) Less than fun fact #3: For the past couple of months, Australia Post has suspended acceptance of certain international postal services, leaving your orders shipped First Cla ..read more

Steak may repair your heart. Research published in the journal Nutrition indicated that eating meat can positively affect your heart. “The impact is the same as if you were to stop smoking, cut back on your sodium intake, or exercise more,” explained Korin Miller in For a Healthier Heart, Eat … Steak? Researchers looked at the consumption of seven amino acids, the building blocks of protein, recognized for retaining heart-healthy properties. In a comparative study of twins, scientist found that the twin that consumed more of the amino acids found in protein-rich f ..read more

Charcuterie, or cured, dried whole muscle meat, is a relatively simple craft. Salumi, or fermented slow dried sausage, is a bit more work. It’s easy enough to master at home with a meat grinder, a dedicated stuffer, and a bit of patience.  Basically, all that is required is meat, salt, time--and UMAi Dry.  There are Three Fundamental Rules to ensure safety when making Salumi or Charcuterie: Rule #1:  3% kosher salt to weight of meat Rule #2:  0.25% #2 Curing Salt (slow-acting curing salt) to the weight of meat Rule #3:  Dry cure until meat ..read more

Separate and Conquer! You may be familiar with VacMouse® vacuum aid strips ("a tiny space only a mouse can get through..."). These are the "secret sauce" of making UMAi Dry® work with your typical home vacuum sealer. Before VacMouse, you had to use either a commercial chamber sealer (your butcher has one, as do meat processing plants) or a bizarre snorkel-style vacuum sealer to apply UMAi Dry. In 2012, the invention and release of VacMouse was a huge game changer for both our company and the meat-loving world. The multilayer vacuum aid strip, compatible with UMAi Dry ..read more

With UMAi Dry, anyone anywhere can craft genuine dry aged steak in a typical kitchen refrigerator. Sometimes basic misunderstandings stand in the way of easy, successful dry aging. Understanding the processes behind UMAi Dry will help you eliminate potential waste and get to a delicious steak dinner faster. Read over this list of myths and facts to help simplify the process Myth 1: The bags will look, feel, and act like a vacuum sealer bag. Since you can apply UMAi Dry with a vacuum sealer, first-time customers often expect that UMAi Dry bags should perform l ..read more

How do UMAi Dry casings help you craft slow-fermented traditional dry sausage — and how can we do better? This is what we asked in our Salumi Survey. Almost 450 UMAi Dry® sausage makers responded! Your responses set us on a clear course to formulate our new UMAi Dry Sausage Spice Blends so that you can craft the best-tasting salumi recipes ever with UMAi Dry casings.  These blends were created by the master dry sausage maker at Spark Spices. You will find spice blends for soppressata, pepperoni, and salami (and other incredible spices) on ..read more

Welcome to Meathead Talks, a series of curated articles from AmazingRibs on everything from kitchen science to myth busting to tips for upping your grill game. All articles are written by the Meathead, a brilliant chef and self-proclaimed Barbecue Whisperer whose culinary word are heeded as gospel in many circles. Meathead says: "You don’t need to donate last week’s paycheck to a steakhouse to enjoy a fantastic steak."  There is no reason to spend a fortune at a restaurant when you can grill a steak at home like the pros by just following ..read more

Welcome to Meathead Talks, a series of curated articles from AmazingRibs on everything from kitchen science to myth busting to tips for upping your grill game. All articles are written by the Meathead, a brilliant chef and self-proclaimed Barbecue Whisperer whose culinary word are heeded as gospel in many circles. Is stabbing your steak with a thermometer pointless meat cruelty? Does "stick a fork in it" truly signal the end of your carefully dry aged steak's juiciness? After carefully aging steak in a dry aging bag, will you ruin it by p ..read more