Vent: dropped $400 on a vacuum sealer for my counter and went back to butcher paper in 3 weeks
Sealed 40 pounds of pork shoulder in those bags and every single one leaked juice in the cooler by day two, so now the sealer sits in my garage and I want to know if anyone actually gets a good seal on wet meat or if we all just gave up and went back to paper and tape.
That part about every single bag leaking juice by day two is exactly why I stopped messing with wet meat in those bags. The trick people swear by is to pre-freeze the meat for an hour or two so the surface firms up, then seal it, since the sealer pulls a vacuum on solid meat way better than on sloppy raw stuff. Still, doing that adds a whole extra step and a freezer tray, so for a 40 pound batch I get why you just grabbed the paper and tape.