Good morning everybody.  We are heading off on a little trip to the Flinders at the end of this week and just starting to get our stuff together.

We have a new Sunbeam vacuum packaging machine and want to know if it's ok to repackage meat that has already been cryovaced.  We have a whole rump and a rib fillet and want to cut slices off and vacuum pack them.  Is it OK to do this, we dont't want to poison ourselves.    Thanks Gecko

gecko wrote on Jul 25^th, 2010 at 7:28am:


We just got one too Gecko. A no-name brand of ebay but seems to work great though.
Keen to organise a trip now to give it a good try out. Mine will live in the van so we can also  seal leftovers for easy meals.

Robbo

Hi Gecko,

some very good advise there from Rastas, we have been using a vacuum machine for years with no problems.
The only thing we do different to Rastas is we don't freeze the meat it is only refrigerated and will easily last 3-4 weeks like that. The only reason we do that is I don't want to run the fridges as freezers. I have one in the Patrol & one in the Kimberley, they use much less power on refrigerate than freeze, unless you want ice-cream I see no real need for a freezer,

You may need to freeze up if you catch a nice Barra like Mikel did and want to bring some home. But if you seal your fish it will last for at least a week but I don't really know how long it will keep (it should be in the manual)
Use dehydrated veggies and the job is done ( I dehydrate my own for any trips,peas,corn,beans,carrots,cauli,you name it)

A few tips for you.

1. If you buy meat from the Supermarket keep the little grey trays it comes on and package your meat onto these before sealing,it keeps the meat flatter and takes up less room in the fridge

2. Don't buy your bags from the appliance store the Sunbeam bags will break the bank real quick. If you are interested PM me and I will let you know a good spot & extremely cheap

3. Take your machine with you (they take up no room) and if you pass a butcher in your travels & meat and perishables are a bit low, buy some and plug into the inverter and seal it all up again replenishing your supplies.

4. If you make some stews before leaving home freeze them partially before sealing & that stops the juice from being sucked into the machine and buggering up the seal.(they will last 10 days easily)

5. If you cook rice it seals up very well and sucks down to a very small package and lasts for weeks.

6. If you want something like a leg of lamb or any meat with a bone, either bone it out first and put it into some butchers string sock or ask the butcher to do it for you, even Coles & Woolies will do this for you.
This will stop the bone from piercing the bag and loosing your seal (if that happens you will revert to the meats normal shelf life of 3 or 4 days) you won't lose it though just cook up a roast feed in the Camp Oven.
If you prefer to keep the bones in just place some paper towel folded over & over again on itself and put this over the sharp bone first before sealing.

7. Because you are removing all of the air from the bag the meat will eventually change colour and take on a greyish look, this is not because it has gone off but because there is no air. If you open the pack well before cooking the meat will reabsorb the air and will return to a more eye pleasing red colour.

8. Again if packing meat drain it well first as any excess blood can take on a strange smell& if you haven't smelt this before can be mistaken as the meat on the turn, just wipe that off with & little water with vinegar added. It make no difference at all.

9. You can seal many things other than food. On my boat I have sealed the spare fuel filter & the spare spark plugs.


All the best
Skip

A bit off topic. But a bit topical.

I have just finished my "Food Safety Supervisors" Course. A newish thing ALL Food Business have to have, here in QLD anyway...(Someone/Staff trained as a Food Safety Supervisor onsite).

The part that stuck out for me was the "Quick Cooling" Section. I have just about always overlooked this. Such as leaving a big camp oven full of stew next to the fire all night and hooking into it in the morning. Never been sick from it though.

(The stew would have to hit 75 degrees and then maintain 60 degrees or above overnight if it was to be eaten in the morning) Otherwise it needs to be cooled as in the process below.

Thanks everyone for the info, we'll get into some vacuum packing today as I think we are leaving tomorrow. Whoo  Hooo  Cheers Gecko