Thread: Vacume packed meat

How long does venison last after been vac packed ? Freezer ? And fridge ? . Also will it age(improve) if packed and placed in fridge ?

Easy a year if done well so there is little/no air gaps left in the packet, I guess it will still age in the fridge?

Vac packed well is bloody ages and very good money saver. Bog standard vac packer from briscoes, get it in the sale which is easy enough, get extra rolls of bags in the sale and start packing. Seriously well worth it and can be used for keeping a hell of a lot of food fresher for longer.

Fridge should be good for 12 weeks as long as seal intact, yes it will improve with age allows emzyme action to break down connective tissue.
Freezer will be fine for a year,air is the main reason meat doesn't last in freezer (freezer burn )

Originally Posted by 6mm ackley

Fridge should be good for 12 weeks as long as seal intact, yes it will improve with age allows emzyme action to break down connective tissue.
Freezer will be fine for a year,air is the main reason meat doesn't last in freezer (freezer burn )

How do you tell if its going to far? not like you can smell if its going off.

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

How do you tell if its going to far? not like you can smell if its going off.

It starts with small air bubbles in the vac pack which is actually gases being created by the meat be aged too long, if it has only a few bubbles usually you can open product an let it breathe so to speak for a few minutes and the gas or smell goes away, I have cut up vac pack meat that has packed for up to 18 weeks but that was vacked on professional equipment.
The more kitchen style models I would say are good for 4-6 week they have smaller pumps to extract air and the bags are not as thick as normal processing bags.

Thanks heaps

I have customers who are successfully Aging venison in the fridge for around 14 weeks. There are a few variable to consider. The age of the meat prior to vacuum packing, the fridge temperature and the quality of the vacuum seal. the finished product that you can achieve with a decent domestic type vacuum sealer is almost identical to what you achieve in a commercial chamber unit, when the job is done correctly. Probably the 2 biggest mistakes I see people make are.
1: sucking blood up into the seal area which compromises the seal, this then leaks and you no longer have a vacuum.
2: creating air locks in the vacuum bag by placing the meat hard up against the side of the bag, an air lock is then formed in the bottom of the bag. This has the same end effect, you do not have a proper vacuum.
6mm Ackley is quite correct when he says that air starts to form in the bag when it is time to use the meat. One important thing also to understand is that because the meat has been completely sealed during the aging process, when the bag is opened there will be a quite strong meat smell. This does not mean that the meat has gone off, this soon goes away after opening.

Originally Posted by zeropak

I have customers who are successfully Aging venison in the fridge for around 14 weeks. There are a few variable to consider. The age of the meat prior to vacuum packing, the fridge temperature and the quality of the vacuum seal. the finished product that you can achieve with a decent domestic type vacuum sealer is almost identical to what you achieve in a commercial chamber unit, when the job is done correctly. Probably the 2 biggest mistakes I see people make are.
1: sucking blood up into the seal area which compromises the seal, this then leaks and you no longer have a vacuum.
2: creating air locks in the vacuum bag by placing the meat hard up against the side of the bag, an air lock is then formed in the bottom of the bag. This has the same end effect, you do not have a proper vacuum.
6mm Ackley is quite correct when he says that air starts to form in the bag when it is time to use the meat. One important thing also to understand is that because the meat has been completely sealed during the aging process, when the bag is opened there will be a quite strong meat smell. This does not mean that the meat has gone off, this soon goes away after opening.

Welcome to the forum.

How about a forum bulk buy type deal on rolls of the plastic stuff ?

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Welcome to the forum.

How about a forum bulk buy type deal on rolls of the plastic stuff ?

Yes!!!

Hell yeah I need more rolls aswell

@zeropak your initiation awaits you

Thanks for the tips zeropak. I always do a double seal at each end because I don't trust the sealer.
Count me in on a bulk buy of bags

Hi There,
Yes that can be arranged. I am currently setting up a commercial sub forum. I will be posting some exclusive to the forum deals on this sub forum so your request is noted.

Cheers, Craig

I knew a bloke that would leave vacuum packed venny in a cool place in his shearing shed for weeks. Reckons it was perfect eating. I try to hang for 10+days in chiller but have never tried aging in a vacuum pack. Might give it a go after reading above.