Vacuum Pack Question

[huntinnewbie]

We have a vacuum pack machine, the kind that takes the rolls that you cut to size.
problem is when trying to pack meat the vacuum wnats to suck the moisture out of the meat and we end up with liquid in the machine and it not sealihng properly.
How on earth do people seal bags of chili or stew with out the machine simply sucking it all out of the bag?

[ElkMasterC]

For fish and meat I air dry it, and/or pat dry with a paper towel so there's no juice. Sometimes for fish, like halibut, the juice keeps coming out and ruining the seal.
For that FREEZE the meat or fish first, and it will seal nicely, with no run-off.

For soups and stews, I use Freezer grade Ziplocs, and put a measured amount in, and seal it, so that when you lay it flat on the counter, it's about 3/4" thick.
I then FREEZE the ziplock flat, so it looks like a big fat card.
The cards get labeled, and stacked in a tote in the freezer like index cards.
When you want to eat, just flip thru the cards, and pick your meal.
Plus, with the large surface area, they thaw quickly in the sink.

[.330 Dakota]

Elkmaster!!!! Why is there no bullseye on that Avatar pic?

[moosinaround]

Oh yah and freeze muffins before vacuum sealing them. They turn into cookies if you seal them before freezing!! Ask me how I learned this!!!! Moosin

[.330 Dakota]

huntinewbie...I have the same machine, if you make the bag a little longer and set the machine to moist and fast it will fix the problem.
If it still persists then as per the instructions that came with mine....roll a paper towel and insert into the top of the back with the food and it will act as a barrier.

[ElkMasterC]

Elkmaster!!!! Why is there no bullseye on that Avatar pic?

The Grizz will take of that.
No lead poisoning will be required. :P

[OOBuck]

I make the bags a a little longer and that seems help..

[.330 Dakota]

Perfect, Make It A Sow With 3 Grown Cubs Please. I would like to think you are thorough.

[Kody94]

For soups and stews, I use Freezer grade Ziplocs, and put a measured amount in, and seal it, so that when you lay it flat on the counter, it's about 3/4" thick.
I then FREEZE the ziplock flat, so it looks like a big fat card.
The cards get labeled, and stacked in a tote in the freezer like index cards.
When you want to eat, just flip thru the cards, and pick your meal.
Plus, with the large surface area, they thaw quickly in the sink.

Now that right there is a helluva good tip. Thanks. :)

[phoenix]

Rolled up paper towel in after the meat or what ever works really well and for soups/stews I use the containers not bags. If you do use bags I freeze them first, then vacuum.
Kim

[ElkMasterC]

Now that right there is a helluva good tip. Thanks. :)

Yeah, it was one of those "Eureka" moments I stumbled on by accident.
I ran out of tupperware and other tubs, and only had 10" square Ziplocs, so it was like "I guess I'll use these."
Each one held about 1.5-2 litres.
When I filled and burped them, I thought "Man, these are just gonna be big ugly lumps in my deep freeze full of other big ugly lumps and bags of fur."
When I put them on the counter, a couple of them naturally rolled themselves flat, and I stared at them.
I looked at the stove, the stew, the bag, over and over.
After about six hours of staring, my eyes dried out and I had one of those "Lightbulb-Over-The-Head" moments.
"I need some dang Visine!" I said to myself.
After re-wetting my eyes, and two more hours of staring, I had the "Index-Card-Meal" idea, and my shirt was covered with drool.
And I had two free lightbulbs, so it all worked out.

The trick is to put the open, empty bag in a canister, or similar tall bowl (blender jug works well), and turn the top down around the outside, like a garbage can liner, so you don't get any food on the zipper (sealing surfaces).
Add chili, soup, stew, whatever, and then place on counter 3/4 zipped up, and gently squeeze all the air out, and finish, and double-check the seal.
Then lay flay on a cookie sheet and freeze.
Tip**Best to label dry clean bags with a Sharpie before filling. It's hard to write on Jello.
Don't axe me how I know this.

[wolverine]

We have a vacuum pack machine, the kind that takes the rolls that you cut to size.
problem is when trying to pack meat the vacuum wnats to suck the moisture out of the meat and we end up with liquid in the machine and it not sealihng properly.
How on earth do people seal bags of chili or stew with out the machine simply sucking it all out of the bag?



Cut the bag bigger than normal and use a "manifold" to catch the juice. A couple of paper towels folded in quarters or eighths just below the seal line will soak up the juice before it gets to the sealer. Also place the bag over the edge of the counter so it's hanging perpindicular to the sealer. Gravity works and makes it more difficult for the sealer to suck up the juice. I do it all the time.

[MIL720]

freeze it a little first, then vaccum seal it....

[Ddog]

i have the same kind of machine, as said before freeze it in ziplocks first (flat), i then either keep it in the ziplocks or rip them open and vacuum pack it, just depends on how much i have of the product, if its going to be used up in a month or two then i leave it, longer than that then vacuum it.

[Doe]

I dont understand the papertowel inside thing......so it sits inside with the food till you eat it? Would that not make the food inside too dry or filled with chunks of paper when you go to eat it? or it is fine?

[phoenix]

Right after you seal it you freeze it so the paper towel freezes also. When I go to thaw I just cut the bag open and remove the frozen towel right away. I leave a little gap between the meat and the towel so it isn't touching and when the bag vacuums down it holds the towel in place. You usually only use this method for meat and fish. If I am bagging stew, chili or such I freeze the food in the open bag then vacuum. To do this I fill the bag leaving a few inches at the top, squeeze out as much air as I can, roll the top over a couple of times and use those potato chip bag clamps to hold it closed ( on the wider bags use two) and lay on it's side in the freezer. When it is firm vacuum it down, label and return to freezer. We just had some chili from over a year ago and it was perfect. Just make sure that you are not bashing the frozen bags together as they will get holes and lose their vacuum.
Kim

[winchester284]

I hit the stop button on the vacuum sealer before the juices reach the vacuum sealer.

For stews and chili you don't need to pull out 100% of the air. For meat, slightly freeze it on a cookie sheet then vacuum pack it.

[BiG Boar]

Do you not have a moist food button you can select on your machine? Thats what mine does.

[phoenix]

I have also placed stews, soups and the such in corel bowls then freeze them. Put them in a couple of inches of warm water for a few seconds and the frozen whatever pops right out of the bowl. I then vacuum and freeze the bowl shaped chunks. When you want to eat it you just put it back in the bowl and thaw and heat in the microwave. Works really well.
Kim

[303Brit]

For meat, fish and other such things that aren't too liquidy. I find as long as your vacuum sealer is a little bit higher then the item being vac packed, your fine. I only have the el cheapo Foodsaver, I cut my vac bags a little long and sit it on my cutting block. This makes it a couple inches off the counter, and the resulting tilt to the bag seems to leave the juices at the bottom until all the air is gone. So by the time the juices or what have you make it up the bag is being sealed. It is very seldom that I ever end up with and liquid in the fluid tray of my machine.

Hope this makes sense

303