Posted 2009-01-05 8:18 AM (#96942) Subject: at home butchering
Member
Posts: 38 Location: Teutopolis, IL
We butcher our own meat... hogs, cows, deer... and when we make ground hamburger or sausage we stuff them 2 lb. plastic bags. Like the ones you can get from Cabela's or a locker that say either venision, beef, pork etc..
But I want to know if anyone else uses them and how you close the end. We've used 2 different methods and neither one I like.
First I bought a little machine that is used for these bags and it uses a tape. But half the time it doesn't work well. I thinkg 'cause the bag gets a little greasy. Then we tries a a metal clip. Kinda like a hog ringer, which is OK but if I need to thaw the meat in a pinch (microwave) I have to cut off the metal clip which can be hard to do.
Just wondering if anyone has ever seen or used plastic clips? Where can I get them? Or maybe you have another home remedy.
Thanks for reading. Sorry it's so long.
Posted 2009-01-05 12:24 PM (#96961 - in reply to #96942) Subject: RE: at home butchering
Elite Veteran
Posts: 824 Location: Kansas
I know it's more expensive, but any reason you can't use the ziploc freezer bags? They have a spot for writing what is inside. We repackage meat we buy in bulk this way and it works fine and seems to keep just as long as locker beef we've bought in the past.
Posted 2009-01-05 2:26 PM (#96967 - in reply to #96942) Subject: RE: at home butchering
Member
Posts: 38 Location: Teutopolis, IL
That would be too expensive. When our family butchers we do 4-5 hogs at a time. Which is 500-700 pounds of meat. Oh well, I'll just keep using what we have in the past. It works, just thought I'd see if anyone else had any good ideas. Thanks for your input.
Posted 2009-01-05 4:34 PM (#96980 - in reply to #96942) Subject: RE: at home butchering
Elite Veteran
Posts: 824 Location: Kansas
We did 100 chickens at a time, so nothing to compare with what you are doing. Have you checked with local lockers to see if they would cut you a deal on supplies?
Posted 2009-01-05 5:19 PM (#96981 - in reply to #96942) Subject: RE: at home butchering
Elite Veteran
Posts: 954 Location: Hagerstown, MD
It's been a while, but I'll give it a try. I have used rubber bands in the past, but there is a trick to it. It's sort of like a girl putting in a double ponytail with long hair. Twist the bag shut and loop a few wraps of the rubber band around the twist. Then fold the open end of the bag along side the filled part of the bag and loop the rest of the rubber band until it's tight. My aunt and grandmother did this with every plastic bag that went in the freezer, from cut corn, to deer meat. Worked fine for them, but I could never master the art........I guess it's a girl thing?
Posted 2009-01-05 5:40 PM (#96983 - in reply to #96942) Subject: RE: at home butchering
Regular
Posts: 99 Location: New Mexico
What about using zip ties on the packages. Get the smallest size and they can be purchased in bulk. Its good to hear that other people actually process their own meat. We do our own turkeys, chickens, but for steers I would rather have someone else do the beef. We did do a buffalo once and that was alot of work, but oh so good tasting. As with turkeys if anyone has ideas where to get super large bags to put them in let me know. The largest bird dressed out weight out 38 lbs. On averages the toms weigh 33lbs and hens 22lbs. Try to figure out how to get that into an oven. I've been using trash bags from new rolls.
Posted 2009-01-05 6:30 PM (#96986 - in reply to #96942) Subject: RE: at home butchering
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 522 Location: Tucumcari NM
Have you tried a heat sealer? They work great! It is a simple electric machine with two metal strips which get hot and melt the two sides of the bag together. I got mine on ebay for 11 dollars.
Posted 2009-01-05 9:11 PM (#97008 - in reply to #96942) Subject: RE: at home butchering
Expert
Posts: 2453 Location: Northern Utah
What about the casterator bands. I use them to hold two socks together before I put them in the wash, Just put a band on the pair when I take them off, When they come out of the wash, I don't have to sort. If they stand up to a washing machine and ryer, I'll bet the small bands would hold the plastic shut in the freezer.
I cut up deer and elk each fall. We just wrap in plastic and then wrap in butcher paper and tape shut.
Posted 2009-01-05 9:19 PM (#97010 - in reply to #96942) Subject: RE: at home butchering
Elite Veteran
Posts: 681 Location: Corpus Christi, Texas
When we get our game done, they use some type of red tape that they wrap arount the twisted up end and (I guess) heat sealed together.. Or maybe it's just sticky sides together.
Posted 2009-01-05 9:38 PM (#97012 - in reply to #96942) Subject: RE: at home butchering
Member
Posts: 38 Location: Teutopolis, IL
Thanks for all your ideas!! I may have to do some expirementing (sp) We live on a dairy farm so we butcher often. My husband and his 4 brothers all dairy so when I make dinner for the guys, I cook a bunch. And I like the fact I know where the meat came from, what the animal was fed, etc... Plus it's alot cheaper! I haven't bought meat (except chicken) for a long, long time!
Thanks again for all your ideas! I knew this would be the site to ask!
Posted 2009-01-06 11:44 AM (#97049 - in reply to #96942) Subject: RE: at home butchering
Expert
Posts: 1205 Location: Arkansas
We are avid hunters, and do our own processing. We use a vacuum sealer with rolls of bagging .../ works very well and pretty quick. I write on the bags a quick note, like " GR DR 07" which means ground deer meat, killed & processed in 2007. Helps that hubby is a highly trained meat cutter, altho he has his living as a racetrack farrier for decades, his family has a slaughterhouse business since 1940's, so have access to a lot of skills, we show up with game and on occasion have family help so it goes quickly, and everyone enjoys eating the game! The main things are clean fresh meat, and store it with no air in the wrapping or container or whatever. Theirs are wrapped in plastic, sealed, then double paper wrapped and fully taped for their commercial custom clients.
Posted 2009-01-08 8:27 AM (#97144 - in reply to #96942) Subject: RE: at home butchering
Veteran
Posts: 212 Location: novinger, mo
I second the recommendation for a vacuum sealer. It will preserve the meat much longer in your freezer with no freezer burn. Food Saver is one brand. There are quite a variety of them in different price ranges.
Posted 2009-01-08 10:03 PM (#97181 - in reply to #96942) Subject: RE: at home butchering
Expert
Posts: 1877 Location: NY
wow that all sound ( reads) real nice, I have not had deer meat in a long time. my friend use to bring me Venice and we would ground up some and mix it with beef for the fat wow that was a hamburger
Posted 2009-01-10 1:29 PM (#97255 - in reply to #96942) Subject: RE: at home butchering
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 522 Location: Tucumcari NM
One thing I always hated when I was a kid was helping my mother butcher chickens. We would have to do 100 or more each time. I swore that if I ever got old enough to tell my mama no I would never butcher another chicken. The smell of poultry entrails sends my stomach flip-flopping to this day!
Posted 2009-01-13 4:40 PM (#97444 - in reply to #96942) Subject: RE: at home butchering
Member
Posts: 32 Location: chatfield mn
We also package alot of burger from beef, deer and hogs. I have used the bags you are talking about with the little machine that puts the tape on without any problems. You just have to give the bag a couple of spins to twist the bag before running it through the taping machine. We have packaged over 3,000 bags with it over the last 3 years. The bags are much cheaper than the foodsaver type bags, about 4cents each. Havent had any problem with freezer burn as there is no air in the bag. Make sure you have someone with clean hands handle the bags so the tape will stick good.
at home butchering
