Vacupack for chicken.

[oakridgewi]

So, our first 50 meat birds are approaching "that time".

We are wanting to buy a "heavy-duty", but not commercial vacumm packer.
Have been researching it extensively, and the one that keeps catching our eye is the VacuPack original. It advertises being able to handle wet stuff.
Problem is, I can't seem to find anyone who has actually used one!

Anybody, anybody out there have any experience with this machine?

We need to make this purchase soon and don't want to waste money on something that's not gonna do the trick.

Thanks, sy

[rancher1913]

we use 2 gallon ziplocks. the kids use a straw to pull as much air out as they can and then finish zipping it shut. we use the birds up inside of 6 months so true vacumm packers are a waste for us to use. we process the birds ourselfs and dip them in hydrogen peroxide just before the freezer to kill any "problems"

[stamphappy]

Sorry, no infomation about the VacuPack but I can tell you that we have the original FoodSaver. It's 18 years old and still going strong and we use it with wet product (raw meat). We purchase lots of items in bulk, seal them, and to the freezer they go. I did find a roast in the bottom of the freezer that was 15 months old; the seal had held, there was no freezer burn and it tasted fine.

We've tried the cannisters that you can purchase as accessories and they have a difficult time keeping a seal. It seems like when we put in them in the 'frig or the freezer after they're sealed, any little jostling breaks the seal.

[sammyd]

we have been very happy with the food saver as well. Did a few pigs and lots of chickens over the years and it still works well.

[trbizwiz]

I have been looking at this one. It's a little pricey but it looks like it would do the trick. Cabelas has a video of it crushing a can in a bag.

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewi...id=29481257236

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Tom VH]

We were using a "Food Saver" but if we were to quick, the sealer strip would over heat and we'd have to wait, so we bought a "Vacuseal original", it was offal, multiple problems so we are back to a "Food Saver" it's faster and more reliable. Offer us a Vacuseal for free and the answer is no. I wish we could get a commercial unit but for the price our Food Saver has been a good work horse.

[oakridgewi]

Thanks for all the replies so far, did not mean to sound like this is our first 50 birds ever.
We've raised 100 the last few years and have 200 ordered this year, (that may go up!)
We've done the straw and ziplock, (I absolutely hate ziplocks). We've been buying bags for poultry, from a poultry supplier, they are much easier to evacuate the air, but we still get frostys.

So, anyway, with 200-300 birds to do this year we're thinking we really want a vac-sealer.

Has ANYBODY used the VacuPack Original or Vacupack Elite?

Has anybody vac-sealed this many chickens with any other and had braggable results?

sy

[gilberte]

We've got a Vacupak and we love it! One of the great things about it is that the operator controls the different phases such as vacuum and then seal. It isn't done by a computer board.

Yes, you can seal a wet bag, however I don't like to and have had failures because of the wet seal. We either freeze the contents and then seal, or seal just when the juices start to move up the bag.

Another great thing about the Vacupak is that you can repair it, it's a very simple machine. Not so with the others, once they don't work, you have to buy a new one.

One thing we didn't like was the bags that came with the Vacupak, the foodsaver bags are superior. Good Luck!

[suzyhomemaker09]

When I processed birds with my neighbors she'd purchased the bags you put the bird into and dunk in a pot of hot water to shrink wrap around the birds..they are sealed with a ring tool. Other than the color they come out looking like any whole bird bought on a market.

[oakridgewi]

gilberte,
Thanks for the review, that's what I was hoping to hear from someone that's used it!

suzy,
That is an excellent idea, I'm just a little peaved that I hadn't thought of it myself!
Do you know where one might find the "ring tool"? It must be kinda like a hog ringer?

sy

[suzyhomemaker09]

This place at a quick glance sells it all...

http://www.cornerstone-farm.com/equi...ing/shrink-bag

It'll give you an idea and if you like you can research from there. She sells her processed frozen chicken so it leads me to think it's a decent investment for if you continually raise and process birds.

[used2bcool13]

Suzyhomemaker09,

I really like that site, the shrink wrap process looks infinitely easier and quicker, and you could do it outdoors and not muck up the kitchen.

Thanks for sharing.

[suzyhomemaker09]

We did...

Had a large pot sitting on a propane burner..like a turkey fryer.

[JDog1222]

I have an older style vacupack that I can make the seal when “I” want! I LOVE it! Mine will seal when wet, but I don’t like the juice getting sucked into the pump. So, I just take a paper towel and fold it several times, stick it inside the bag just below the seal; when the juices come up and fills the towel, I hit the seal button. The paper towel is sealed in with the meat but when you open it it just comes right out. For the price, this is IMO, one of the best machines you can buy. It gives a really nice tight seal! Whole fish and sometimes my rabbits give me problems with the bag though. If there are any sharp bones they will puncture the bag and you will lose seal. I wrap wax paper and aluminum foil over the sharp parts if need be. I think y’ll like the machine.

[LadyJane]

Vacupack is the brand we are planning on purchasing this year, too. I use to always use the Ziploc/straw method for everything and then this year a huge amount of my Ziplcoc bags would not hold a seal. This was over the course of the whole canning/freezing season so it wasn't just a "batch" of them that failed. I was very disappointed due to all the work and now the items are not going to last as long - most of them already have started to ice inside.

[KPWELSE]

We us any plastic bag...for 1 chicken......1 tsp salt.......fill with water...seal...........no freezer burn after 3 years..Bob & Linda