The wife and I made salami and pancetta for the first time on the weekend. The recipe I followed for the pancetta said to vac seal the bag once the spices were rubbed in. But other information I've read and a few friends have also said you should just seal the bag without vacuuming the air out first.
I figured vac sealing would hold the spices against the meat which can only be a good thing and would be similar to massaging them into the meat on a constant basis.
So what's the general consensus? Do you guys vac seal the bag first or just seal it?