Pre-made Meals for Hunt Problems

[blackdawg]

We watched the Youtube episode with the pre-made meals for hunting camp. Looked great for simplicity, toss it in the boiling water and shortly a home-cooked meal. We made a large supply of the standards, beef stew,chili, lasagna,spaghetti, etc. using our Foodsaver and the bags that came with it. Our problem became apparent when we heated the bags, the seals would open and allow the contents to spill out into the water. Do you have a solution to this or could you reveal a few tips for this type of meal preparation? Thanks

 

[Speeddmn]

I always use the heavy grade bags and double or triple seal the sides/ends. Havent had any problems with bags opening.

 

[Bhill552]

I used ziplock bags and didnt have much for problems. I simmer the bag not a rolling boil. And kept the top out ofbthe water best i could.

 

[Big Fin]

I always use the heavy grade bags and double or triple seal the sides/ends. Havent had any problems with bags opening.

This ^^^^

In fifteen years of doing it and hundreds of meals served, never a single failure.

 

[Bukwild3]

Had that problem with the food saver. Have a cabelas brand now and you have no choice but to cut it open. Not sure if you are getting liquid where the seal is when packaging, but I have had problems when that happens. I froze my meals in a tupper ware then vacuum sealed. Just remember to scrape the edges at the top after you freeze. It makes a sharp edge at the top that can cause a bag to fail in transit to your hunt.

 

[406LIFE]

Gotta say BigFin this is one the better take aways I've had from your show. Thanks.

 

[Bukwild3]

Gotta say BigFin this is one the better take aways I've had from your show. Thanks.

Agreed!!

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

We've been doing this on backpack hunts. I'm happy to pack extra weight to avoid mountain house explosive diarrhea in the middle of nowhere.
Took a little tweaking to get the portion sizes right, but not much better than a hot meal that wasn't made in a mexican meth lab.

 

[sigpros]

How do I find the you tube video? I'm not very tech savvy. Thanks

 

[Big Fin]

How do I find the you tube video? I'm not very tech savvy. Thanks

[video=youtube_share;d74uWTs1rbc]https://youtu.be/d74uWTs1rbc[/video]

 

[utahminer]

How do I find the you tube video? I'm not very tech savvy. Thanks

Use the The Google and search "Youtube Randy Newberg Hunter hunting food". I will the 4th option, i believe.

https://lmgtfy.com/?q=youtube+randy+newberg+hunter+hunting+food

 

[utahminer]

[video=youtube_share;d74uWTs1rbc]https://youtu.be/d74uWTs1rbc[/video]

dagnabbid Big Fin you beat me to it.

 

[Gunner46]

Had it happen to me in Hawaii with some prepared venison, peppers, rice meals from the wife of a local. Eating boiled plastic is kind'a disheartening. #1, as is in all meal preparation....control the heat !!!!!

 

[blackdawg]

Thanks for the replies, we will look into changing our process, grade of bags and perhaps brand of vacuum sealer. Could be the perfect time for getting an extra gift under the tree you know. We thought this was a great idea for simple preparation of some great meals in camp.

 

[bigeasygator]

This method is hands-down the best way to eat in hunting camp. The first elk-hunt I went on was a backcountry drop camp hunt where we had a few frozen meals (stews, soups, etc) and the rest were mountain house. Not only did MH get old very quickly from a palate standpoint, the physical and emotional pick-me up that the homemade frozen meals provided was palpable -- particularly after a few days in the elements. From that trip on, I've always tried to utilize the pre-made meal method!

 

[Bambistew]

I usually just heat a big pot of water, remove from the heat and drop in the food to warm. Haven't had any issues with it. The meals were thawed out during the day.

 

[sigpros]

Thanks guys. I was trying to find it on the tv. It's really great that Randy puts all his shows on you tube for all us poor people to watch.

 

[jryoung]

Food saver bags are fine, the food saver seal is not, you need to double or triple seal it.

I use a Weston now and the ~1/4" seal strip has yet to fail me in a variety of "water baths" from a reheat to a several hours sous vide.

When reheating/unfreezing don't let the boil role, a gentle simmer is all that's necessary. Otherwise the metal of the pot could be too hot and melt/damage the bag and or seal.