I usually buy my ribs at BJ's when they are on sale. I buy the pkg's with two racks in a package. On average I buy 3 or 4 pkg's. I then cut the ribs in half so I can vacume seal them and freeze them. My question is...does anybody cook 3 or 4 racks, then vacume seal them and freeze them? Curious if the flavor etc. is still good after doing it this way. Thanks in advance for your replies.
I have a couple of times and they have turned out great. My wife likes the ribs sauced, so I just smoke all the racks then sauce them on the smoker. After we are finished dining, I toss the leftovers in vacuum bags and then into the freezer. A few days later we just pop them into the microwave for a minute or two and we have ribs just like they came off of the smoker.
Late fall I will smoke several racks, some Butts, some brisket and vacume seal meals for the nasty cold, you know like a squirel. Throw the vacume bagged meals in boiling water for about 30 min and you have a nice fresh tasting meal.
> Weber Genesis EP-330
> Grilla Grills Original Grilla (OG) pellet smoker with Alpha/Connect
> Pit Barrel Cooker (gone to a new home)
> WeberQ 2000 (on "loan" to a relative (I'll never see it again))
> Old Smokey Electric (for chickens mostly - when it's too nasty out
to fiddle with a more capable cooker)
> Luhr Jensen Little Chief Electric - Top Loader circa 1990 (smoked fish & jerky)
> Thermoworks Smoke
> 3 Thermoworks Chef Alarms
> Thermoworks Thermapen One
> Thermoworks Thermapen Classic
> Thermoworks Thermopop
> Thermoworks IR-GUN-S
> Anova sous vide circulator
> Searzall torch
> BBQ Guru Rib Ring
> WÃœSTHOF, Dalstrong, and Buck knives
> Paprika App on Mac and iOS
I do it routinely. Vac seal, freeze, then thaw and heat while still in the bag in the SV hot tub. Lately, I've been deboning them before bagging and freezing ... mainly to save space in the freezer.
I buy the BJ's double pack as well. This time of the year in the Northeast is a tough time to be smoking every weekend. I usually smoke up 4 full racks, my wife and I eat one of them and I then vacuum seal the rest, cut up into 1/4 rib size, 2 to a vacuum bag. As MBMorgan said, not quite a good as off the grill - but after a 30 min soak in 211.9 degree water, a quick broil to firm up - still great. Especially watching the snow swirl around ;-)
I would say that after the KBQ, my vacuum sealer is my second favorite device. Can't imagine being without one.
I vac seal cooked ribs all the time. I bring thawed packages to tailgate parties. Put a little sauce on the ribs and heat them up over direct flame on my portable gasser. Guests are amazed how good they are.
Hi Larry,
I usually do the same...cutting the racks into halves snd into the foodsaver bags hey go. If any sauce is still moist on the outside, I just put them in a baking or bread pan and freeze them just before sealing 'em to keep the sauce from running out of the bag, but that doesn't take long. I also put about a double shot of water in the microwave and reneat at 50% ppwer for twice as lpng. The water absorbs some of the microwave energy and helps keep the ribs from heating as unevenly. Works when thawing at low temps with most slabs ( ribs, bacon, brisket etc.). Ribs usually make me want to "slab my mama"!
I just bought a vacuum sealer today at Costco, when you vac seal do you let the meat come down in the fridge? Room temp? Or vac seal while hot then straight into the freezer? Thanks everyone!
My experience is if the food is too hot and still out-gassing water vapor, you don't get a great vacuum and ice crystals will form within the bag upon freezing. Going to cool everything now before vac-sealing.
Comment