Desiccant is a good idea to remove moisture and you could use it along with an Oxygen absorber.
Desiccant is a good idea to remove moisture and you could use it along with an Oxygen absorber.
I'm heavily considering packing my own MRE's with some mylar pouches, for emergency prep but more likely to be consumed on hiking/camping trips. Anyone do it very much? I'm thinking the cost savings could be worth it (particularly for a family which adds up quick!) especially with adding more variety like the foreign military rations do. I gather the oxygen absorbers are useful for this. What's your experience with this?
Last edited by yellowfin; 04-29-20 at 20:34.
So I have been using the Food Saver brand seal-a-meal and absolutely love it. After hitting Costco, we will repackage the large packs of meat into more manageable packages. We have made ice packs as well especially for the bottom of a cooler. Works really well and can throw it back in the freezer afterward. It probably lasted a year before it got nicked up and had to be thrown away. As far as building your own MREs/Backpacking meals, it works great for that as well. You can add whatever ingredients you want and control the amount of protein to vegetable to sodium ratio. The Food Saver bags are fairly sturdy and pack well. Then you could either put the bag in hot water and boil the contents or more likely, you will pour the contents into a cup/bowl and then add water and stir. The resealing can be a bit tricky, but definitely doable. Great cost savings compared to buying the backpacking meals but does require some planning.
I've had a food saver for over a decade primarily used for freezing leftovers when I use the smoker. Instead of smoking 1 rack of ribs, I fill the smoker up and smoke 6 racks. Cut the leftover 4-5 into portions, vacuum seal and freeze with a date on them. Just add to a pot of water, bring to boil, wait 5 minutes and ribs come out like they are just off the smoker. Beer can chicken, brisket, pulled pork all the same, smoke a ton, freeze the leftovers for quick meals for the next couple months.
That is a great idea. I just recently got into the smoker world and was wondering about leftovers storage and reheating. Perfect, I'm definitely going to put that tip to use. It would be a great way to take leftovers camping as well. Thanks!
Just so you know I thought it was complete nonsense when my buddy told me about it years ago when we lived in Texas. I figured $30 flavor sealer, what the hell, I've wasted more than $30 on other stuff before. Tried brisket frozen for 2 weeks and it was AMAZING just like off the smoker. The bags have a space to use permanent marker for the date you freeze so you will never say "I wonder when I made this?". Good luck.
One follow up question, do you recommend or have you seen a difference whether you cut/pull/slice, etc the meat you are freezing. I would think it might defrost faster if it was already prepped for serving and you are just reheating via the boil method. Or is it better to leave it intact? Or does it even matter?
It would make sense that vacuum sealing would extend the shelf life of things, particularly if I have mylar bags which additionally block out light. Any idea as to how much more longevity it adds to stuff like crackers and cured meats like salami or summer sausage? If it's worth it I might even vacuum pack my own biltong to add more protein and flavor.
Last edited by yellowfin; 05-01-20 at 15:19.
I'm not sure how much longevity it would add, but I agree I think it would have to. Less air, less light, etc.
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