Vacuum Sealers

[BBQ Grail]

Let's see if you go through one foodsaver every two years the return on investment on those is just shy of 25 years...

Doesn't seem like the invest ment I'd make.

[milehigh]

Try partially freezing the fish then vac sealing. That will solve the liquid problem.

That what i would suggest.......or you could catch and release

Paul

[Divemaster]

Originally Posted by HB-BBQ

That method works great for a lot of food. I make up a bunch of hamburgers at a time and pre-freeze them so they wont crush when I vacu-suck them individually. Anytime we want a quick burger I just take out what we need and toss them on the grill frozen (less the bag of course) works great.

I do that with ABT's for my customers... I do 5 pounds of peppers at once... Clean the peppers, stuff, wrap, and place on a 1/2 sheet pan and put in the freezer over night... They are hard as a rock and then I cryo-suck them... I actually package them 24 to a bag so when I'm having people over just grab a bag or two and I'm ready to rock!

[Jorge]

I ended up getting the Cabela's model that's similar to Jay's. I picked it up in the Bargain Cave for $199, and it's a workhorse.

[spicewine]

As posted before, I love mine and the 15" bag will do a whole pork butt or brisket. There are a few things that I pre- freeze to keep the juices at bay. It's the best sealer that you can buy, without going with a full blown sealed meat business. I buy the 500' 15" rolls and make my own size bags. For smaller items, I use the Food Saver rolls from Sam's Club. Alot of folks don't know that meat or anything else will last for a year and a half in the vaccume seal bags as opposed to 10 months in standard freezer paper. I buy alot of fresh produce from the local Amish. Last year the green beans were great and a good price. Unfortunately something came up and I couldn't can them as I would usually do. I didn't want to waste them , so I sealed them in the vaccume bag. 8 Months later, I thawed them ( not expecting much) , but they were as fresh as the day I snapped them.

[BobF]

My Foodsaver is 15 years old and still going strong. I probably don't use it as much as you, but I have yet to burn up anything.
Mine says made in Italy on the bottom. I wonder if the new ones are from China?
Maybe look for a refurb of an old one. I saw a site that sells them the other day in Google.

[mick]

I've done the math and that's why I keep going back to the foodsaver. The ROI is still better than 25 years. You save at least 24 cents per bag so that means your savings is $240 per 1000 bags. I have at least several hundred bags in the freezer right now. Besides the fish and game meat I also buy in bulk and break it down for my family of 3 (me+wife+7 year old).

With the quality of fishing this year I'm really going through bags. I'll thaw some of my catch and fire up the smoker and then have to seal it up again. I go through some bags.

Originally Posted by keend

Try partially freezing the fish then vac sealing. That will solve the liquid problem.

Now there's a great idea! I love it. It takes hours to clean and cut up a bunch of tuna. Last trip we had 20 fish. I could pre-freeze some of the meat while I'm chopping up the rest. I love the cookie sheet idea. Great suggestion. Looks like it's another foodsaver.

I'll post pictures when I get to smoking the fish

Originally Posted by milehigh

That what i would suggest.......or you could catch and release

Paul

When I visit Montana I release all I catch. Down here, I usually keep a limit then release what I can. The problem with Tuna is they often get hooked deep. Plus when you stick a gaff in them, they don't swim too well after that. Now if you can get Brodin to make a C&R net that will handle a thrashing 40 lb. Bluefin, I'd be willing to do the Beta testing...

mick

[yelonutz]

Mick, the one I use is a little different than the foodsaver. It is a snorkel vac and is available at www.sorbentsystems.com
It uses the cheaper bags like you are looking for and the sealer is about 100.00. I have used mine for a few years and no problems so far. I make lots of bacon and sausage and keep them frozen. Works great.

NUTZ

[ThomEmery]

Originally Posted by Jorge

I ended up getting the Cabela's model that's similar to Jay's. I picked it up in the Bargain Cave for $199, and it's a workhorse.

I have the Cabelas Kick A$$ crush a soda can vacuum

[mick]

I took a look at Jay's post. I like that machine and the idea of a better and more powerful vacuum. I know they make bags that are already sealed at the bottom and the price per 1000 is much cheaper than Costco's price for the foodsaver bags. If that unit will handle that kind of bag then it's worth the extra money. I love to save a buck and maybe I can take some cash and look into an All American Pressure Canner. I'd love to smoke up some tuna and then can it. Maybe add a little Jalapeño and some salsa. Yum...

I have to tell you that I'm amazed at the number of responses to my post. You guys are serious. I love it. Thanks to all and I really appreciate the input.

mick

[BobF]

Just had to try this after seeing Jay's post.

[ThomEmery]

The can is empty
LOL

[boatnut]

mick,
others have given some good suggestions. I do know from experience that vacuuming fish is hard on them. partially freezing is a good solutioin. Here is how I do my walleye fillets. I first rinse them several times then lay on several layers of paper towels. more paper towels on top of the fillets and pat good go remove any excess moisture. I then wrap 2 servings (usually 6-8 pieces) in plastic wrap. Then I will vac seal about 4 of these wrapped packages in one bag. The "blotting" with paper towel as well as wrapping portions with plastic, virtually eliminates any moisture problems for me. I simply slice open bag, remove one portion, then re-seal it. The plastic wrap also adds another layer of protection in case you have a bag that leaks or seal is broken.
Hope this helps.

[BBQ_MAFIA]

I have and old food saver and it's just lost it suck.

I need to get a new one also.

[mick]

Originally Posted by boatnut

mick,
others have given some good suggestions. I do know from experience that vacuuming fish is hard on them. partially freezing is a good solutioin. Here is how I do my walleye fillets. I first rinse them several times then lay on several layers of paper towels. more paper towels on top of the fillets and pat good go remove any excess moisture. I then wrap 2 servings (usually 6-8 pieces) in plastic wrap. Then I will vac seal about 4 of these wrapped packages in one bag. The "blotting" with paper towel as well as wrapping portions with plastic, virtually eliminates any moisture problems for me. I simply slice open bag, remove one portion, then re-seal it. The plastic wrap also adds another layer of protection in case you have a bag that leaks or seal is broken.
Hope this helps.

Walleye fillets????? I'd love to trade you some nice thick Yellowfin steaks for some of that walleye... I'm guessing we're not geographically close. That's some fine eating.

Thanks for the idea. My problem is quantity. When the fishing is this good, My fishing partner and I can bring home 20 fish (20-40lb) and if we fish U.S. waters the limit on Albacore is 10 and it doesn't count against your 20 fish limit (you can also catch other tuna, Yellowtail and Dorado). So after an all day trip and 100 plus miles on the water, you get home and have all that fish and the boat to clean. I clean everything, shower and then collapse. The next day I take the fillets, start cutting and start packaging.

The death of my foodsaver is really from my lack of patience. It really wasn't designed to handle that kind of job and because there is so much to do, I often don't get it dry enough. It's my bad. That's why I was looking for something more commercial.

So let me know when you're ready to make that walleye trade. The last batch of fish I smoked, brined itand then rolled it in my BBQ rub. After smoking it had a nice tasty bark.

Thanks for the ideas

mick