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Would generic vacuum sealer do the job?

I had a food saver sealer that was a cheaper model (https://www.walmart.com/ip/FoodSave...83841?fulfillmentIntent=In-store&athbdg=L1100) that worked well until I broke the latching mechanism, I replaced it with this one https://www.walmart.com/ip/FoodSave...58277?fulfillmentIntent=In-store&athbdg=L1100 however, I don't like how high the vacuuming portion sits on it, the bags have to be extra long to allow it to seal correctly.

I have some bulk bag rolls from amazon, that I can't find on there now, that have worked well for me. The thing to remember with vacuum sealed items is that the bags get brittle when cold so shuffling through the freezer is a bad idea, you want to pick them up and set them down.

As far as grinders go most grinders will handle lean meat just fine as long as it's nice and frosty. I've been running a cheap one for a few years and it's okay for the way my wife wants the meat trimmed, that is meat only. You can certainly spend up front and save money in the long run but I don't know where the cutoff is for you.

If you are trying to be cost effective for now, the poly bags for ground meat work well and stack nice in the freezer. And a few tight layers of saran wrap and a layer of freezer paper will keep your steaks and roasts fresh for a year also.
 
I got one of the food saver value packs at Costco or one of those type stores a few years back, it's packaged 3 deer and a number of other things over the years. It seems to me that the cheaper ones can still pull decent vacuum (sometimes it just takes a bit) but they don't seal so well, particularly if you're sealing something wet. To counteract this I've just been sealing each bag t, run the machine, after it seals, shift the bag 1/4 inch and run it again. This confirms the first seal was good (vacuum should ramp up almost immediately) and backs it up. Seems to be working so far, but does feel like it's about time to replace this guy, it's starting to struggle
 
I’ve had good luck with the cabelas branded bags and use the foodsaver rolls for larger meats.

Both work good for camping


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