my first try, how does this look so far?

[Ron Pratt]

Tom, it is HIGHLY unlikely that you ruined the meat. Keep in mind some people age their raw meat just resting on a shelf in the refrig while others use cheese cloth which is even more prone to subjecting the raw meat to bacteria. You should be fine, but if you can extract more of that air you would be better off, plus that allows the bag to be tight against the meat surface to form the bond you are wanting to achieve. Ron