Pre-Comp meat trimming, how do you repackage?

[Buckshot Malone]

I usually trim all my meat on location at the comp. For those guys/gals that trim at home prior to comp, how do you "repackge" the meat (if you don't have a food saver/sealer)? What do you use? I'm going to try get more done at home and looking for suggestions.

Thanks.

JH
_______________________
Buckshot Malone's Pig Shack
www.GodsofSmoke.com
Nashville, Tennessee

 

[K-Train]

Just got a food saver, but in the past big zip lock bags.

 

[ITBFQ]

Thighs and ribs fit well in these. They fit right into the cooler I use for meat. We happen to have these at home, so that is what I use. I'm just an amateur comp guy, though.

 

[Kave Dweller]

Food Saver.

 

[cpw]

Big ole ziplocs work fine if you don't have a vac sealer.

 

[MikeJ65]

Chicken I normally vac seal with the foam tray and I wrap the skins in layers of plastic wrap. The other meats I just wrap in several layers of wide plastic wrap. It is cheap and quick and more than adequate to hold them in the fridge a day or two. Once it is wrapped it goes into lined hotel pans and into my second (commercial) fridge. I transport in the cambro with ice packs and ziplock bags of ice, so I never have to worry about it getting water logged. If you are going to throw it in a cooler on loose ice, you might want to vac seal.

 

[bruno994]

2 1/2 gallon Ziplocks...

 

[Untraceable]

Big ole ziplocs work fine if you don't have a vac sealer.

I would get a little worked up and buy the XXL ziplocks. pretty sure 10 packers will fit in one!

 

[Smokin Mike]

I like using 2 1/2 gallon ziplocks found at "select" wal-marts. I don't go to wally world much but if I see them, I'll buy as much I can.

 

[J&B'sBBQ]

We buy the large or XL ziplock storage bags that you can find in the storage/organization isles of Lowes/HD or Walmart. They are the large blue ones. The XL will fit my butts, and briskets just fine. The LG fits ribs and is overkill for chicken but saves time for using something different.

If you are willing to splurge on a foodsaver, I would get one .

 

[New Pal Frank]

I trim chicken, ribs and briskets at home and use food saver to seal them. That way no chance of water getting to the meat in the cooler. Butts I do on site in 15 - 20 minutes.

 

[Vindii]

Chicken gets put in a zip lock. Pork, rib, and brisket get wrapped in plastic wrap. Then those get put in alum pans in the coolerso they are not swimming in water from ice melting.

 

[HarleyGirl14226]

Food saver for chicken and ribs, ginormous ziplocs for the butts and brisket.

 

[Stark-O-Rama]

We sell food grade bags that are easier than zip-locks. Throw your meat in, squeeze the air out, twist, and tie it up - easy.

 

[Buckshot Malone]

For those that transport in cambros, they are equally good as coolers? They hold cold temps well? Safe? I've heard bag of ice in tray on top shelf, meat below and it's cold and as a cooler. Thoughts?

Thanks.

JH

Chicken I normally vac seal with the foam tray and I wrap the skins in layers of plastic wrap. The other meats I just wrap in several layers of wide plastic wrap. It is cheap and quick and more than adequate to hold them in the fridge a day or two. Once it is wrapped it goes into lined hotel pans and into my second (commercial) fridge. I transport in the cambro with ice packs and ziplock bags of ice, so I never have to worry about it getting water logged. If you are going to throw it in a cooler on loose ice, you might want to vac seal.

 

[Untraceable]

Cambros are more efficient than any cooler I own. I often use mine as a fridge for overnight at home on meats. Pan of ice and I rarely see much melting of the ice. They do make gel filled inserts for Cambros called the cam chiller

 

[MikeJ65]

For those that transport in cambros, they are equally good as coolers? They hold cold temps well? Safe? I've heard bag of ice in tray on top shelf, meat below and it's cold and as a cooler. Thoughts?

Thanks.

JH

They will keep meat safely cold. It will not be as cold as burying it in ice, but that is not how meat is normally stored anyway. I usually put a gallon ziplock of ice or a couple of gel packs in each pan, but I am looking at using the cam chillers for convenience. I like not having to pulling dripping bags out of the cooler and there is no reason to take another cooler and leave the cambro empty.

 

[rtboswell]

Cambros are more efficient than any cooler I own. I often use mine as a fridge for overnight at home on meats. Pan of ice and I rarely see much melting of the ice. They do make gel filled inserts for Cambros called the cam chiller

I second this and often do the same thing.

As for storage, I vacuum seal my smaller meats at home and use 2.5 Gallon zips for the butts and the huge XL zips for one or two briskets. You can also inject the brisket in that bag and save yourself from getting squirted in the face.

 

[BasicPatrick]

I trim all 4 meats at home and vac seal via foodsaver (11 inch 50' roll via amazon). Sometimes the Pork is an issue so I have used the blue xl ziplock bags but 90% of the time it is trimmed and vac sealed. I use a Cambro 400 so all the vac sealed pkgs go on trays and I make ice blocks to sit in an aluminum pan in the bottom. My only issue is if the frozen meats are not completely defrosted thus I have to check as they do not defrost while in the Cambro. Trim at home is a great tip I wish I knew my first year.