Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

Nice.

The PulseVac feature is super handy for dealing with liquidy stuff, let's you pull just the vacuum you want.

FYI -- watch FoodSaver's website. They periodically have BOGO sales of various sorts on the bags/rolls.

The "portion pouch" rolls are super handy for sealing lunch size portions of leftovers.

 

Are their sales better than the prices at places like Sams Club? I’ve never bought from their site since every time I had looked their prices were way higher.

 

I just bought a pack of rolls and bags from Costco the other day for like $30. But I’ll check their site when I start getting lower on supplies.

 

The Costco bundle deal for $30 is about as good as it gets. But I have enough rolls now and the quart size bags are the ones that I use the most and need. I buy the

$28 Weston Vacuum Sealer Bags for Food, 2 Ply 3mm Thick, for NutriFresh, FoodSaver & Other Heat-Seal Systems, for Meal Prep and Sous Vide, BPA Free, 8" x 12" (Quart), 100 count, Clear

Weston 8x12 bags. My vac sealer is a Weston Pro 1100 but the bags will work in either sealer. In addition the Weston bags can be boiled where the FoodSaver bags are only supposed to used in a hot water simmer.

Walton's has the 16 1/4" x 5 1/4" 2 panel grillgrates on sale right now for $40. Not sure how much shipping is for you something to watch for before you check out. Normally they are decent, I like Walton's and buy from there a fair bit. And doesn't look like it includes the grate tool that GrillGrate includes with their 2 panel set. But that set is $53 I don't use the grate tool so much for grilling as scraping out the valley between the ridges, it is handy. The 2 panel set would work well with your 22" kettle. Not full coverage like the kit made for it but that is also $105 plus shipping.

 

I gotta put you on my ignore list. You make me want to spend way too much money!

 

Every time he quotes me it seems he’s listing 2-4 items that’s I now find myself needing!

 

Let’s all watch the bottom of the page. Maybe they’ll throw us a bone with a deal or two.

 

The $30 box of bags/rolls is usually $40. It's a pretty solid deal. Two 11" rolls, one 8" roll, bunch of quart bags (8"x12").

Thing is, I found that I use 8" wide rolls much more than 11" wide rolls, and I usually use about 7-8" length on an 8" roll for much of my vacuum sealing (usually 1# portions of smoked meats to freeze). So I was wasting a bunch of every quart precut bag, and ran through the single 8" roll having barely touched the 11" roll.

Your usage pattern may be different. Box deal just didn't fit mine.

 

I've pretty much just seen the box deals on rolls/bags at Sams or Costco. See above - while a good deal the product mix doesn't match up to my usage. Also haven't seen the portion-pack rolls at either store.

Last couple buys I've done from FS website was buy-one-get-one type, worked out to make the rolls pretty cheap. It's been a few months though and I'm starting to watch the site again as it's time to resupply.

 

I can already see what’s you’re saying. Just off the few things I did yesterday with the 11” roll, I can see it not being as useful. Just too wide but not wide enough either if that makes sense haha. We’ll see how this first batch of the box goes and then I’ll figure out what exactly I need to get the next time

 

Honestly the 11” are the ones we use the most. The 8” sits around until I have no choice but to use it.

 

Guess I'll find out in the coming months what gets used! I was holding off on a brisket cuz I knew me and the girl couldn't eat one fast enough and I didn't want to just throw leftovers in ziplock bags for the freezer. So hopefully soon I can do a brisket... maybe this weekend. Hmmm need to go find brisket.

 

Sous vide is the best way to bring it back to life and not dry it out.

You should go order one now.

 

That's what I've heard...

Ha! Yaaa I know. The butcher I went to last week has them but they're kinda pricy at $9/lb. None of my local Costco's have had briskets lately, they keep just putting out the flats, I wonder if I call and ask if they can do a whole packer for me. My local sprouts almost never gets brisket in either, nor does my local Vons. I think the Stater Bros might have them, but I just don't think their meat is ever that great, but it may be my only choice for on demand brisket.

 

Worst case man ask your local Walmart. I ended up getting one from there a couple cooks back and it was pretty darn good. Amazing how expensive this cheap cut of meat has gotten.

 

They do have one of those "Neighborhood" WallyWorlds right down the street from me, I'll go check it out at lunch today. There's another full WallyWorld on the way to the brewery I frequent as well so I'll stop in there my next time as well! Didn't even think about there, I don't think I've ever bought meat from there before haha.

No shit about the price! For something that's not supposed to be a "good" cut sure is damn pricy

 

I usually don’t buy meat from them but I hadn’t been able to find em lately. So one day we were in there and boom they had one. I was also told if you don’t see it then ask them as they might have em in the back.

 

Cool. Thanks for the recommendation. Hopefully I can find one so I can put one on this weekend.... Which also remind me I am almost out of pellets again. Time to call the local Que shop and see if they got any competition blend in right now.

 

Whole foods has some damn good briskets. They are NOT cheap normally, so id hate to see what they're at now. Dammit now i have to check.