Vacuum sealing burger bags

[Spoony]

I was successful on my once and a lifetime bison hunt and now need to process an extraordinary amount of meat. I have typically vacuum sealed my grind, with great results, but am looking to speed up the process using burger bags. I want to keep the grind a maximum of 2 years without any hint of freezer burn. I have never used burger bags and am skeptical.

Has anyone vacuum sealed burger bags? Or will the grind last 2 years in a burger bag using hog rings or tape seal rather than a heat seal?

Thanks!

 

[NRA4LIFE]

I vacuum seal all my burger. It will keep quite a while, at least 2 years. Just don't add any pork, beef is fine.

 

[cnelk]

I don’t think those thin burger bags are as durable as vacuum sealed bags

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Why mess with things like that? use regular chamber sealer bags. If you don't have a chamber sealer....good luck bro.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

I used Burger bags sometimes but I prefer flat 8x10 chamber vac bags. When frozen they stack really well and they're about perfect for a pound of ground.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

I used Burger bags sometimes but I prefer flat 8x10 chamber vac bags. When frozen they stack really well and they're about perfect for a pound of ground.

This is Gospel. 8X10, 5 mil bags flattened out and frozen. They stack perfectly in the right sized Amazon box.

Edit for a correction. The bags I use are 8X12. Just did 50 of them today. Burger, breakfast sausage and beef cube steaks.

 

[knehrke]

I usually vacuum seal my burger, but I had a processor put some bacon burger into his own bags rather than giving it to me in bulk, so I actually sealed the tubes themselves using a large bag. Overkill? Probably. Bacon burger doesn't last too long anyway...

 

[ScreamingPotato]

This is Gospel. 8X10, 5 mil bags flattend out and frozen. They stack perfectly in the right sized Amazon box.

Lol that's exactly what I do, find the perfect Amazon box then stack them vertically in there. Also works great for Chorizo.

 

[fishslap]

I vac seal my burger with pork fat mixed in in either 20 or 40 pound batches (1# bags using 8” roll of material to make the bags). I flatten the bags after sealing. I only grind a batch during butchering if I’m almost out of burger. Otherwise, I vac seal the well trimmed and cubed chunks in 5-8# bags for future grind, or whatever size you want. I get the larger vac bag rolls for this. Then, I periodically partially thaw these out and grind with pork fat to make my next batch.

I started doing this because i got tired of grinding after I already hunted, field dressed, packed out, and butchered a whole elk, etc. alone. I also didn’t always have the high quality pork fat on hand at the time (game changer on my burger). I use a regular LEM vac sealer. Burgers are great and spreads the labor out. Never had an issue.

 

[butcherboy]

Your burger will last a long time in the plastic hb bags. I add bacon to my wild game burger and finished some up recently from 2017. Don’t use the hog ring method. Use the tape machine and squeeze the air out, twist the bag tight, tape it. I’ve done hb this way for myself and commercially for 3 decades.

 

[Boarmaster]

I started using the bags after decades of using vac pak bags. I use the tape sealer. I have kept burger for years. Once froze you have to be careful tossing them around as they are thinner than vac bags. I have never had any spoilage but I am careful to get all the air out of the bag. I have no intention of going back to vac paking grind and bulk sausage I make as well. Just to easy to fill the bags with my grinder , twist them up and tape them.

 

[strousek]

This is Gospel. 8X10, 5 mil bags flattend out and frozen. They stack perfectly in the right sized Amazon box.

This right here could not be more true! 8x10 bags in your chamber sealer. You can load them however full you want up to 2 lbs. of burger. Flatten them out after you seal them. They stack great in the freezer on the shelves or like NRA mentioned fit in boxes inside regular sized boxes so they don't slide around after freezing. Another huge pro is they thaw fast and evenly when you want to pull some out last minute. I do all my bulk sausage this way as well anymore.

For those of you here that don't have a vacuum chamber sealer yet... don't ever wait on that purchase. Best tool for processing there is.

 

[cnelk]

You can even get resealable vacuum bags

 

[KsRancher]

Put me in the camp of the regular ground meat bags. No problems with burger being just fine for 2yrs. It's just too cheap and fast to do for me to try another way

 

[MuleyFever]

We use the round bags and tape and they have kept just fine for 2 years. My wife stacks them in a box and puts it in the freezer. Easy and cheap.

 

[dirtshooter]

I always found those burger bags leak..... but maybe my cheap ass bought some junk bags. They are weston tho

 

[GSPHUNTER]

I first wrap mine in Saran Wrap, then vacuum seal. I have found this to be the best at home method.

 

[kuhn4]

Burger bags will prevent freezer burn for several years if you squeeze the air out while filling them. Stack vertically in a box with the taped end up to prevent leaking before the contents freeze. The bags can be purchased in bulk for a low cost. November 2021 I bought 1000 1-pound bags for $40 on Amazon. Today they are ~$45-55.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

i have a chamber sealer, but for ground meat it just goes straight into the burger bag, squeeze air out, twist and tape shut. quick, easy, effective for at least a couple of years.

 

[LeftyWilbury]

we've never had a problem with stuffing vac seal bags with sausage as long as the seal is good. being able to buy a 200 ct pack of prepped bags off amazon makes it easy. i stuff a ball of ground sausage in a bag, start the vacuum and hold the corners so it can evacuate all the air and seal. then i smash it down flat.

burger bags may be less expensive. might be easier. as long as all the air is out and stays out, either method will work for years. i chose vac sealing.