Vacuum Sealer

[Bean Counter]

Anybody used this vaccum sealer this year?  I got two deer tags and really want to get an elk so I'm thinking I should do more than just butcher paper since some of it may be sittin' for a long time in the freezer.

They used to carry Food Saver but not anymore? 

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11240800&whse=BC&topnav=&browse=&lang=en-US

[DeKuma]

Been using a vacuum sealer for years.  As long as you make sure the seal is good, they last in the freezer a long time!  Just had deer from 2004 the other night that was way in the back.  Found it and it looked good, and ate even better.

Most important thing with them is to keep the meat as dry as possible when you first start, and make POSITIVE that the bag has sealed fully.  Keep the unit clean and it is awesome.

Used it last year on three deer.  Between my dad, step-mom and I we cut and sealed three deer in a few hours.

[Bean Counter]

So... butcher paper first, then vacuum seal, or vaccum seal first, then wrap in butcher paper?

[DeKuma]

WIth the heavy Mil of the bags, I do not even use butcher paper at all.  Just seal it, write on the package what it is and a date, and off to the freezer.

[robodad]

For burger what I do is put about a pound or so in a flap top sandwich baggie and fold the flap in and then squish out the burger so it fills the whole bag, it should be like a square about 1 1/2" thick then I flip it end for end and put it in another flap top sandwich bag and then freeze, this is great cause it lasts for a long long time and no freezer burn plus it stacks really well and thaws out fast when you need it for dinner !!! 

Don't care too much for the vacuum sealer, seals don't hold up too well from my experience unless you have one of the really good commercial ones !! 

[DeKuma]

I agree they can be a pain.  Trick is to keep the moisture content as low as possible and to make sure the seal edge is flat and clean.  Also, do not use bargain bags as they do not seem to work as good.

I have been using the sealer for about 6 years or so.  The cheaper ones do not last as long, and you work them pretty hard when doing a deer.  I have had some that did not seal well in the beginning, but have gotten it down pretty well now.  When we do one, we set it aside and before they go into the freezer we examine them all.  It will show signs of leaking air rather quickly.  When we find one leaking, we either start it over or put that bag inside another and reseal it.  I have not lost any meat due to freezer burn in a very long time!
As I said, ate meet from 04 the other night, and had Halibut from 3 years ago coule nights ago.  All of it was near perfect!

If you go the Vacuum route, do not skimp on the machine or the bags.  Buy the best you can and you will not be disappointed.

[Houndhunter]

i got one and it can be a pain, just have to get the hang of it. mainy used it on smoked fish, cause it makes it look better, but since my smoker broke its not getting used much anymore. i sure wouldnt want to vacuum seal a deer, not even if i had a nice comercial one, might take a bit longer than you think

[DeKuma]

It can take a while, but after som many years doing it, it goes pretty quick and at least with me, the results are well worth it.

[Bean Counter]

I agree they can be a pain.  Trick is to keep the moisture content as low as possible and to make sure the seal edge is flat and clean.  Also, do not use bargain bags as they do not seem to work as good.

....

If you go the Vacuum route, do not skimp on the machine or the bags.  Buy the best you can and you will not be disappointed.

I guess I'll just have to trust Costo's reason to switch from Food Saver to this other brand.  They have a liberal return policy so I wont be out of luck if the machine sucks, but only time will tell if the bags are good quality.  By the time I find out, it would mean bad news for $$$ worth of venison if they do suck. 

[robodad]

They have a liberal return policy so I wont be out of luck if the machine sucks,

I can assure you, they will not take it back if it sucks !!!  Only if it doesn't suck !!  

[Bean Counter]

I can assure you, they will not take it back if it sucks !!!  Only if it doesn't suck !!  

What makes you say that?  They have a return policy like Nordstrom. 

[robodad]

OH Boy......Your right, Sorry I brought it up !! My bad !!  Just being a

[DeKuma]

I have had good luck on the bags from Costco.  Walmart has good ones on sale quite often too.

[BC CHASER]

Kind of getting off the main subject but I have a few comments to make.  First off I use the dog snot out of my vaccum sealer (Food Saver brand).  I use it for all sorts of things.  I vac my game bags,  makes them a lot smaller.  I take my t.p. and re-roll it to get rid of the card board and split the roll in two, then vac it.  I vac all of our dry foods we use.  I vac socks and any other smaller item that I use.  I will make individual snack packs so I don't have a loose bag of stuff in my pack.  There are endless things you can do with it.  All of the above are for our pack in trips.  They are very useful for all kinds of things.  Our bags are waterproof but it never hurts to take some extra precautions,  Dry socks are the most important thing when you are in the back country.  Any other ideas that anyone else has I would like to hear. 

[Kanooper]

I've used a FoodSaver for probably 4 or 5 years.  Sealed up deer, duck, goose, fish, etc.  The key when sealing meat is to make sure it is dry.  What I try to do is lay the meat flat on paper towel and pat dry.  Then I put the meat in a sealer bag but do not seal it.  Lay it flat on a baking sheet and toss it in the freezer for a half hour or so.  Then bring it out and seal it.  You can also put a piece of paper towel in the bag with the meat and seal it up as well.

Some other things I have sealed:

I like to buy bulk food at Costco or wherever (Chicken, Cheese, pork chops, etc.) and seal up into smaller packages.

Peanuts, rice, popcorn, matches for the hunting pack, butt wipe, socks, anything else that I don't want to get wet.

[cohoho]

Used several types for years...  The best thing no matter what machine (Even the best $2,700 machine) is minimize the moisture as much as possible, hard to do with fresh Halibut and Salmon, but wipe inside of bag with a paper towel or put a small folded towel inside to catch excessive mositure, it will seal and you'll have food that last a long time, 6-9 months to be on the safe side, course never had anything that lasted longer anyhow..................  It was eaten before it could go bad...

[rasbo]

a hint on sealing fish,cut up your fish,lay on a plate or platter whatever,put in the freezer till it sets take it out then seal it,no water or moisture to worry about.I do soups and stews in a bowl just enough for me, freeze ,take out of the bowl and vacume seal.works great for camp.come back heat it up.still gotta have that big thick ribeye rare over a fire and some chili at camp.Dam im hungry now later!

[Antlershed]

I've been having problems with my FoodSaver lately. If I am trying to do fresh fish, it does not get all the air out initially. The seal across the bag is good, but there is air bubbles in the bag. If I freeze it first, then I can take it out and vacuum seal it, but I am going through a ton of ziplocs doing it that way in order to freeze it first. It is the FoodSaver Professional II. Maybe its time to buy a new one.

[buckhorn2]

I set my my meat in and try not to let any moisture get around the seal or I wipe it with paper towel. I don;t put dates on my packages only type of meat after reading something about it not being legal to keep meat after a certain date or you have to notify the wdf or something and get a permit or something. Maybe someone else read this but I read it somewhere.

[robb92]

i've used a food saver for 4 years now and had no problems. if you are worried about it not sealing right, just move the bad down a bit and re-seal the bag. When I use it for ground burger I place them in a zip lock bag, squeze the air out and then seal it in a vaccum bag.