First project and no vacuum mouse??? Do I need?

[Paul]

I have had the sampler kit for almost a year now and yet to try it out. I just bagged up a prime rib for hopes of some NYE steaks or roasts and I have no vacuum mouse. I was not able to get my foodsaver to suck the air out- Help!

Do I need the mouse pads? Is there a substitute? Would a paper towel work?

I hate to pay almost four bucks shipping on a four dollar item.

Thanks- allsid

[thomas duncan]

Did you try wrinkling up the open end real good then insert into your vacuum unit.

[Ron Pratt]

Paul,

Welcome aboard! Here’s a trick I came up with years ago before the VacMouse was “invented”.

Ron

[Paul]

thanks- it was plenty wrinkled

[Ron Pratt]

Paul, actually there are other tricks as well that don’t even require a vacuum sealer. For instance insert the meat in a bag, squish out as much air as you can compressing the bag onto the meat and then “bunch up” the open end and insert a drinking straw. Suck the air out as best you can and then quickly extract the straw and seal the bag tightly using a simple bread twisty. Ron

[Paul]

Thanks again for the insight Ron- you are a great source of information. It has been over a week and although the bag is tight against the main flats of the meat, the area around the bone has released and does not have a tight seal. Can I go on this way? I am thinking of decanting the air out and resealing but am afraid if i got a pinhole in the bag it may allow water inside which I am guessing is no good-

Does anyone have any insight?

Thanks- allsid

[Ron Pratt]

You are welcome, Paul. It is not unusual at all for the bag to not adhere to the exposed bones. Unless there are puffs of air which I doubt you should be fine, but if you can post a picture that would help. Bottomline I agree I would not run the risk of trying to decant the air for fear of creating a tear. Ron

[Paul]

Here is my attempt at adding a pic. Upon further review, the bag was just wide open and not sealed. Sides were snug, bone areas had lots of open air and that really could have benefitted from being removed.

Bone area is pink. No visible mold. Flesh is firm in some areas, less firm in others. I ended up doing the water dip, but I think the bag is still a little too snug in some areas and way too loose in others. Kind of like my pants.

Any red flags here?

[Ron Pratt]

Gosh…one of the first things in the future is to check the aging meat very early on to see if the bag was tight against meat. Do that for the first week. OTOH you may have had a good seal at first but in aging a bone-in piece care needs to be taken that the bones don’t puncture the bag. Based on how you described the meat I would not be overly concerned but suggest you extract as much air as you can with as many hands as you have in the house OR insert a drinking straw in one hole and suck the air out. Then quickly seal with a bread twisty. Ron

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