Plastic free meat packing

[<cascadehunter>]

I process all of my own stuff from start to finish. Most of it ends up as grind that gets stuffed in 1.5lb chubs. Anything other than grind is vac sealed.
Lately I have been trying to purge some of the plastics from my life. I have no delusions of being 100% plastic free, but I am wanting to hit some low hanging fruit and the highest impact items.
Those plastic chubs seem like a good candidate. Anyone have a good solution? Obviously I could wrap in paper by hand but I’d need to commit several weeks of my life to it. Something that can still be used with a stuffer would be excellent. Does such a thing exist?

 

[Poser]

The closest thing I can think of to a drop-in solution that still utilizes your stuffer is switching from plastic sleeves to large-diameter fibrous (cellulose) or collagen casings, then wrapping the finished product in freezer paper. You should be able to source the casings from any butcher supply retailer.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

BPA free vacuum seal bags.

 

[SDHNTR]

Even freezer paper is plastic lined.

 

[bm-55]

The risk seems way overblown but I’m going to follow along, interested in learning. The type of plastic you’re using, amount/type of contact, etc. probably matter more too. Glass jars, silicon resealable bags, etc. would also be reusable but hard to beat vac sealing or chub bags.

We use stashers for kid snacks and stuff, they work fine and can go in the dishwasher. Haven’t put meat in them. https://www.consumerreports.org/hea.../best-silicone-food-storage-bags-a9831141508/

I am sure we’ll find out how bad silicon is too in a few more years.

 

[1000yards]

I'm looking forward to this discussion. I don't have a specific answer to your question, but I've taken a couple steps to limiting plastics in my process:
-wrapping meat in parchment paper before vacuum sealing.
-using all stainless parts in the grinder.
-wooden cutting boards.