Pantyhose question

[Anonymous]

As many of us have seen, getting good Drybag adhesion to the meat is the key to success here. We are always concerned with air trapped inside the bag, and the experience of others has shown that it’s not as much of a problem as some might think. There have been some great “inventions” along the way to help with the sealing process, notably the Straw, the Clip, the ORB (very elegant approach, Hawk) and the scrubbing pad looks intersting as well. But yesterday, I utilized the pantyhose method after sealing and what a difference it makes. I had 2 top sirloins going in, about 14 lbs each, and even with the large brisket sized bags, it was a stretch to get them in (literally). In any case the pantyhose did the final job for me. But here’s my question.

How long should the pantyhose remain on the bags? I’m guessing about 3 days is right – just until adhesion begins? Certainly the hose is stretched out and air flow can take place, but I would welcome thoughts regarding this.

Incidentally, here in the NYC area Pathmark last week had USDA Choice whole sirloin at 2.99/lb in the cryovac. 2 weeks ago, Fairway Markets had USDA PRIME Sirloin at 4.29/lb and that was cut to order! So I probably could have gotten the whole items for less than that! Just didn’t get there in time.

[Anonymous]

Some people will say that the pantyhose should come off immediately. IMHO, its fine to leave it on there for a few days. Like you said, the stuff does breath, so the process isn’t completly stopped. But I’d think it would be slowed down, so getting it off sooner rather than later is better. I’d suggest cutting it off without moving the meat when the time comes…no reason to disturb the meat uncessarily.

A tip…I’ve found that I get MUCH better adhesion and sucess if I orient the meat in the bag such that there is excess width. I’ve had problems with sealing and air pockets twice now, and both times the meat occupied the entire width of the bag.

[Ron Pratt]

I believe the length of time is a personal matter, but to my way of thinking you just use the hose to help extract the air so you can form a good vacuum. Therefore, once properly sealed the hose is of no further use so why leave it on? It would seem logical to me that the hose would slow the moisture loss and I’d rather have the bag bonding to the meat immediately and in it’s most effective way…without the hose.

As for sideways or length wise I have always place my primals in so the excess bag material is on the side – the other way there’s too much chance of trapping air – as you have experienced.

[Author]

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