Freezing pulled pork- Are ziplock's ok or do I need a Foodsaver?


 
J

Jim W.

TVWBB Fan
Being a California boy I have never experienced pulled pork until I made it myself a few weeks ago (Mr. Brown). Like to have died and gone to heaven

In addition to the great taste and texture, it's dirt cheap compared to my previous bbq favorite- baby backs.

Now I'm thinking that if one butt is easy, might as well cook 2 or 4 at a time.

Which leaves us to storage. For a month or three freezer time are ziplocks with the air squeezed out good enough or do I need a vacuum sealer like the Foodsaver? I can squish out most of the air from pulled pork by hand when using ziplocks if that's the important thing.

Thanks.
 
Jim

For a few weeks, I would agree the zip-locks are ok. For 1 to 3 months, I would be concerned with drying out and freezer burn. The Foodsaver is ideal for this type storage.

Paul
 
Ziplock makes a freezer bag, I'd use that before I'd use a regular Ziplock bag. Like Paul said, if you go more than a couple of months you'll wanna Foodsaver.
 
In lieu of a Foodsaver, you might have success using those heavier Ziplock Freezer bags. I think you might be able to get most of the air out acceptably due to the nature of the pulled meat, but the larger issue is keeping the meat from drying out-- it takes a good heavy barrier to prevent that.
 
How about double bagging with ziplocks? I'd rather my wife see me going though a lot of ziplocks before I broach the subject of another gadget.
 
Squish as much air out of the freezer bag, close then wrap with a double layer of foil. The foil will help ward off freezer burn for a bit longer then just ziplock bags.

HOwever, If you're goig to do this reqularly, and it sound lije you will, why not invest $80-100 in a Foodsaver?
 
I actually suck the air out of my ziplocks (you know, zip it mostly closed, then suck it out of the corner that's open, and seal it shut).

I do the same thing with loaves of bread!
 
Jim W,

I have kept pulled pork for about 3 months in the zip lock freezer bags, wrapped in foil with little harm. However, I got a foodsaver for Christmas and absolutely love the thing. After a summer of storing meat in zip locks, your wife will see the seriousness of the situation and you can beg for a Foodsaver for Christmas (ask her to get other family to pitch in if that helps).
 
Using a straw inserted into the bag to suck out the air would probably help some; but I would defer to Susan Z's experience in this regard.
icon_smile.gif


Paul
 
the straw method works very well... as far as Zip Lock bags go. I do it all the time.

but like others have mentioned, zip locks - even the freezer kind - aren't completely air proof, and even with getting all the air out, there is deterioration over time of the quality of the meat. I'm in the same dilemma. I don't have a foodsaver, nor do I have the $$ or space. So I'm resigned to Zip Locks. But better than the alternative - throwing it out in the trash.
 
If you lay out a long piece of Saran wrap (or several depending on how much you're freezing) you can pile a large portion of pork at one end and roll it up like a log, folding over one of the loose end as you go and squeezing out the air. Fold over the other loose end a few turns before your 'log' is rolled. Put in a large (I like the 2 gal size) freezer bag. Repeat, adding the logs to the bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible (or use a straw) from the freezer bag; seal it; freeze. Then you just need to remove as many of the log portions as you need. Just make sure your meat is completely cool first.
 
We have the Foodsaver and use it sometimes. I wrap in suran wrap, then ziplock, squeeze the air out. Works great. I don't worry about it lasting over a month, it never stays frozen that long anyway before it get's used. I vote for not needed, but nice to have. I remember my parents getting 1/2's of beef and wrapping it in Suran wrap, then freezer paper and it was never a problem. Kind of like cell phones, people that have them can't see how people survived without them before lol. (Nope, don't have a cell phone)
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Susan Z:
I actually suck the air out of my ziplocks (you know, zip it mostly closed, then suck it out of the corner that's open, and seal it shut).

I do the same thing with loaves of bread! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Susan, I thought I was the only one!
icon_biggrin.gif
 
Maybe it depends on how many people are in your family. For me it's just me and the old lady, so when I Q for just us a pork butt or brisket can last quite a while. And though I love Q, I don't want it every night. So my foodsaver comes in handy.

Plus, sometimes things get lost in the freezer! I know every one has done this. Stick something in the freezer and forget you have it. Then 8 months later you find it and it's ruined. Used to happen to me a lot, but not since I got the foodsaver. My scedule contributes to that also though. I work on the road all the time. I like to cook starting from the basics, I grind my own burger, make my own sausage, roast and smoke large cuts of meat. The problem is I never know when I'm gonna be home, and sometimes I buy some big cuts of meat and then end up leaving before I can use them, so the foodsaver saves me lots of $$$ when I can't get to the meat I just bought.

Another good thing is saving money when meat goes on sale. When a great bargain comes along (recently I got top sirloin on sale for half price) I can buy lots of it, vac pack it, and it lasts in the freezer for a year or better (even though it usually don't last that long, unless I forget I have it!)

The foodsaver has already saved me lots of cash on wasted meat and look forward to much more savings to come.

Forgot to add. Right now I have over $300 dollars worth of beef, that's right, just beef that I purchase for under $150 bucks. Plus cubed pork ready to make sasuage the next time I'me home, and tons of chicken legs and thighs I got for half price. I am stocked up fo sho!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jim W.:
snip
squeezed out good enough or do I need a vacuum sealer like the Foodsaver? snip
Thanks. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

On Alt.food.barbecue there was a disscussoin about the Sinbo sealer that uses a snorkle to draw air out, the benefit of a Sinbo was that it could use any type of plastic bag you can get your hands on, therefore the aftercost goes way down if you do a lot.

Regards, Mike Willsey
 
I've put my leftover brisket, pulled pork, and chicken in zip lock bags and then put them in a bigger freezer bag. My leftovers are usually gone in a few weeks so I can't say how this method works for long term storage, but I've had good luck with it staying moist when thawed and reheated.
 
oh... one other thing about using a straw to suck out the air in a ziplock bag: only do this to cooked meat.

*gross alert... beware*

I learned this the hard way. Not thinking (all too common), I tried doing this with some uncooked chicken breast I was going to freeze... I ended up accidentally sucking up some raw chicken juice. Totally gross. Luckily, I didn't get sick.

Anyhow, not that I would assume anyone is as dumb as I am, but just in case you have a lapse in common sense... beware.
 
As Mike referred to, I have a Sinbo sealer ... and a growing number of Q lovers are getting 'em instead of Foodsavers, mainly because you can buy bags for them at as little as 2 cents (small bag) to 4 cents (medium bag) each. What do Foodsaver bags cost ... 40 cents each and up? Sinbos cost about $75 on Ebay, but will pay for themselves in bag savings if you plan to use it a lot. For all the details, see a discussion of it on the Cookshack forum , including where to get the best prices on bags.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top