Commercial grade vac sealers

[Admin]

I need to start shopping for a commercial grade vac sealer for my jerky business. Does anybody on here have any experience with a commercial grade sealer? There's tons of them online and I don't know where to start. any suggestions? I know woodsman416 has a bunch of cool meat processing equipment so if anyone on here has on it's probably him.

Looking for suggestions if anyone has any.

[woodsman416]

I have the Cabelas CG-15.


It's not made by Cabelas so you can buy a slightly different model online from Weston. The Weston brand is a little cheaper but doesn't have all the function of the Cabelas. I bought my vacuum sealer and my 1 hp meat grinder as reconditioned units. HUGE savings! I've been using them both for four years. The only problem I had with the vac sealer is the lower Teflon strip burned through but they give you an extra one when you buy the unit so it's good to go. The only maintenance parts are the Teflon strips and the oval vac chamber seals. Cabelas sells a repair kit for about $30.00. You can order these cheaper elsewhere online. The heat strips can also be replaced if needed.
I use my vac sealer all year long. I use it for fish, blanched vegetables, game jerky & meats. I also buy things in bulk, repackage and freeze. Over four years it's gotten quite a workout. The Cabelas brand bags are pretty expensive. I tried Tilia and store brands but they're not as heavy and I had poor sealing sometimes. I buy the rolls of bags that you cut as needed. I buy them online when they are on sale. With the postcard coupons I get in the mail and my Cabelas points I usually pay about half price for them.
Altogether I give the CG-15 two thumbs up! ;D ;D

[woodsman416]

Oh yeah...It's what I use for my jerky too.

[cam]

Woodsman got all the cool toys!

I've been wanting one of these things too. Id heard that some of them crap out after water and blood get sucked into them. Maybe just the cheaper units. This is something that I wouldn't mind paying good loot for, as long as it did what it was supposed to.

Cam

[Admin]

Dec 5, 2010 19:47:29 GMT -5 downhome said:

I dont really have a answer for ya Jc but seems a lot of jerky is bagged with out vacing it just a desiccant to absorb any moisture.

Yes you are right about that and that is the way we sell it. At shows I have a glass display case for my beef sticks and jerky and just slip them into a glycene bag and hand it to the customer. I also sell it loose in 3oz packs but heat sealing is the best way to retain freshness for shipping long distances where the product may go through tempature changes. Too many temp changes creates moisture and causes it to salt out. It doesn't spoil by this but changes the flavor and appearance.

Woodsman,
On average, how much does each bag cost you and how long does it take to vac seal a bag?

I knew you'd have one of these.

[woodsman416]

JC, It takes about 10 to 15 seconds per bag depending on the size. Cost per bag is going to depend on the size of each package. I'll estimate a six inch bag at retail price. A box of 6 rolls 11" X20' long goes for $50.00. At six inches that comes out to 40 bags per roll, 240 bags per box, $0.2083 per bag. Obviously, buying the bags on sale and making smaller packages drops the cost per bag significantly.

Cam, The vac sealer I have has two raised vacuum ports inside the vacuum chamber. Sometimes I do get a little water or blood inside the chamber but because the ports are raised it doesn't get into the pump.

[ninedeer]

Thanks guys I was just wondering about vac.sealers my self.I lov the Swamp