Cryovacing Stats

Sadly this is not true. They normally need some reason to purchase the machine. Many butchers in tourist areas (Broome, Katherine, Weipa etc) provide this sort of service because the demand is there. Butchers in the city who either travel themselves or cater for those who do have the equipment. Otherwise if they manufacture smallgoods they tend to have the gear as well.

When we started travelling about 7 years ago I rang about 20 butchers in Adelaide with no luck. I then ran into a butcher by accident who had just opened his own shop and had all the gear about 5 minutes drive from home.

Cost is another matter. A lot of them have two rates. The right now rate and the order rate. Often it is 20c or free if you give them notice and 50c for right now. If you have just forked out $150 for meat a few extra dollars is not much in the mix.

Steve

I take it plastic-suck sucks and is not cryo-vaccing by definition?

I think agsmky is well aware of the definitions, as stated, not being politically correct.

Several things,
1. When my dad was alive he owned seven butcher shops in Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and the Hunter Valley areas. None of them had shrink packaging equipment. He could get it done but had no call for the expensive, high maintenance equipment. This may be what you will find in a lot of areas, especially cities.
2. This type of equipment is more prevalent in large wholesale meat packing premises.
3. Cryovac is actually a tradmark of Sealed Air much the same as Glad Wrap is synonymous with cling type plastic wrap. So only they can Cryovac but anyone can vacuum pack.

See the site link above for explanations of the process used for vacuum packaging.

Geoff.

Before I read the thread I thought vacume sealing was common. I asked our local butcher who did not blink and eye when I asked for it. He just reqested we ring the order through the day before. The great thing was being able to mix things up, having steak and sausages in the same bag. We did meal bags in the right quantities. It made is so much easier our last trip, you just pulled out a pack and it was all there ready, did not need to worry about water getting at the meat. Highly recomended. However it did cost us $1 a bag.

Final reminder on cryovacing ... if the bags are pierced the value of the cryovacing is totally lost - treat them with kid gloves. Don't throw them around. Make sure they are protected from piercing, especially if freezing.

Ciao for now
Andrew.

Thanks for your help everyone.

goodday all
if you want to do a lot of vac packing you can buy a unit for about $300 i think sunbeam have a unit and they sell them at the caravan and camping shows the bcomes a DIY job

steve
if you are going to freeze the meat why vac pack ????????

goodday geoff
fair call i have had an electric fridge for yonks and forget what its like with a car fridge although i shouldnt because we always used a car fridge when the kids were growing up and we went camping (drain the water every morning check the ice at night try and get a good fridge so ice doesnt melt as quick these days some car fridges the ice will last 4-7 days
.vac sealing is a good idea though

steve

Ive bought a sunbeam vacumn sealer, about $150 from big W. Great bit of gear saves the blood and muck leaking into the fridge, not just for camping, I pakage up fish after a trip . Good for preparing meals like stew and spagitti bog etc, just boil it in the billy, still in the bag for about 10 mins and then cut open the bag , simple no mess or washing up.