ZipLock Canning?

[DrHenley]

OK here's my idea.

Cook some stew in a pressure cooker to make sure all the germs are dead. (100% lean meat)
Pack in a Heavy Duty Ziplock bag and get all the air out.
Boil the bags of stew to make sure any germs that happened to get in there during packing are killed.
Freeze the bags and store in the deep freeze.
So far, no problem...

But, what if the power goes out indefinitely?
If I can't keep the freezer going, how long do you think I can keep the thawed stew at room temperature in the ZipLock bags? Am I wrong in thinking that it is essentially canned stew?

 

[Zankota]

Just get a bag out and see what happens. If you see air forming in the bag it's a bad sign. 7-14 days should answer your question. I've frozen raw milk before in those same bags. I didn't go through any sterilization process or anything, but the biggest problem I have is about 1/2 of the bags get holes in them at the seams or corners. I think boiling the bags would weaken them some also.

 

[Gazrok]

Forget the Ziploc. Go with a vacuum sealed option. No freezer burn then. Will keep MUCH longer. We do this will all our meats, as soon as we get them home from the store (take them out of the store pack, and into vacuum sealed bags). Get a good middle-priced option for the bag sealer. The cheap ones don't seal well, and the expensive ones are just way overpriced.

If I can't keep the freezer going, how long do you think I can keep the thawed stew at room temperature in the ZipLock bags?

I wouldn't trust it more than a couple days in a Ziploc. Even in a vacuum bag, I'd be suspect of it after a week or two without refrigeration.

Am I wrong in thinking that it is essentially canned stew?

Yes. Canning meat is much more than just boiling. Involves pressure cooking.

Bacterial growth is hindered by the acid in food, and meat is very low in acid. Worse yet, certain harmful bacteria thrive where natural acidity is low, and these cannot readily be destroyed at the boiling point of 212°F. To can meat, therefore, you must superheat it to 240°F, which means it must always be processed by pressure canning, not with boiling water baths, which are fine for preserving such high-acid foods as sauerkraut.

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/canning-meat-the-right-way-zmaz83sozshe.aspx#ixzz2wt4vWnUg

While you mentioned doing this initially, your storage of it after (in the bag) kind of invites the problem again.

 

[Gazrok]

Just to illustrate the point of the vacuum sealing. Freezer life of most meats in the store pack = about six months (same for Ziploc bag). Freezer life for meats in a vacuum sealed bag = 2-3 years.