Foodsaver ABTs

chuckls

I prepared two dozen ABTs last night, and since I'm leaving for Hawaii for a week * :-) * I thought I'd try my new Foodsaver out so I can get my ABT fix as soon as I get back.[p]
First, the ABTs ready to come off the grill:

[p]
Then to prep for the Foodsaver, I froze them on a cookie sheet (this is after they are frozen):[p]

[p]
Finally, after bagging and ready for the freezer:

[p]Anyone else using the Foodsaver? I think it's nearly as cool as my egg.[p]Chuck[p]

UnConundrum

chuckls,
I've been using one for years... and I agree, they're great. Not only for meat, fish, and leftovers, but I store my spices/herbs in ball jars with the jar attachment, and they stay nice and fresh...[p]Also, the pizza sauce I like makes too much for one sitting, so I put that in a ball jar as well. It's not a cooked sauce, so it doesn't last that long in the fridge, but with the foodsaver, it will last at least a month if refridgerated... [p]Last tip... I go to a restaurant food supplier and by provolone and mozarella by the piece at usually less than half what the local grocery store charges. I cut it into chunks and vacuum pack it... These too will last at least a month and I always have cheese on hand for that impusle pizza. Of course, had to go buy a 2nd refridgerator

RRP

chuckls, oh, there are many Food Saver users on this board. Oftentime the key to prepping meats is the freezing first to avoid loss of natural juices and/or compressing the food stuff to road kill appearance.
Only concern I would have about your ABTs is how well the cream cheese will hold up in a frozen state. Some cheeses don't take too well to that. BTW I found some really nice jalenpos yesterday and am fixing them today myself.

GrillMeister

chuckls,[p]They look great! I just finished preparing 3 dozen on the half shell myself. I detoured from the recipe on the web and added minced garlic on top of the cheese then sprinkled a chipotle rub on before topping with a cocktail sausage and bacon. They're waiting in the fridge on a Brinkman smoker basket till 1 hour before the guests arrive for today's brisket (been on the egg since 11 last night).[p]Let us know how they taste in Hawaii![p]Aloha!

chuckls

RRP,[p]I mixed in a good portion of pepper jack cheese with the softened cream cheese, perhaps that will help it hold up in the freezer...[p]Chuck

Coleslaw

chuckls,
Have you, or anyone else for that matter, tried using a FoodSaver for marinading purposes? I am not quite sure how to do liquids in a bag.
The Kenmore version went for $30 off yesterday, so we bought one.

disabledFlyfish

coleslaw,[p]I have used the food saver to marinade. Actually used one of their containers. Worked OK. However I really believe that if you use 1 gal or 2 gal ziploc bags that works just as good. Time is the major factor. the magazine "Cooks Illustrated had an article not long ago and their tests said about the same thing. The longer you marinade the better. Vacum packing does not do much good

chuckls

coleslaw,[p]I haven't tried marinade yet. Their instruction tape says to use a container, not a bag, and that the vacuum "opens the pores" of the food and allows the marinade to enter. You can buy a rectangular container that's OK for marinade. It looked kind of small to me.[p]I vacuum sealed some ground beef yesterday that had alot of juice and it sucked right into the drip channel - it seems to me if there was a lot of marinade it would suck right into the machine. I guess that's why they suggest using the containers.[p]Chuck