If I've said I hunt for meat once I've said it 100 times.  With that, I often go ahead and do the butchering and packaging myself.  With the advent of the home vacuum packer years ago preserving your kill has gotten much easier and better.  For years I've used a fairly cheap sealer that could be picked up at your local Walmart.  For years I also struggled with poor sealing, multiple attempts, and if you ask my wife a vacuum sealer that sounded like a chainsaw in our kitchen.  No more.  I went big time and finally picked up a Weston Pro-2300 vacuum sealer and won't be looking back anytime soon.  

Initial Thoughts

Out of the box, the Pro-2300 was stout and stainless.  Just looking at it on the kitchen counter made me feel like was working in a commercial butcher shop.  My only problem was I needed some time to package!  Fortunately, the wild hog population in Texas is ample and allowed me to bring home a nice cache of pork. At first, I was worried because I didn't have any special Weston vacuum bags but fortunately, the standard issue ones I previously had were all that was required.  Other than the ribs (which I ate immediately) I ground the whole hog up into burger. 

Now it was time to test the sealer.

Operation

The controls were extremely simple and with a little training, my 3-year-old was able to hit the green and blue buttons on command to assist in the operation.  I use the rolls of sealer bags so to seal the bottom of the bag all you have to do is hit the green start button and then immediately hit the blue manual seal button.  That's it. Now that I had an actual bag I weighed out the burger in one-pound quantities and stuffed it in.  Placing the open end of the bag into the packer, closing the lid, then hitting the green start button set the process in motion.  After a short duration you could hear the lid release and voila vacuumed sealed pork burger was at hand.

Performance

If I had envisioned how a vacuum packer should work, 2300 would have been it. 

I make my own bags from rolls and the sealing process went off without a hitch.  I've had problems in the past with other packers sealing meat that had moisture (blood) in it but had no issues with the Weston.  As a matter of fact, this was the first time I even attempted ground meat and the vacuum and seal were flawless. I can't say enough about how well it performed.

Specifications

• 2-Year Manufacturer's Warranty

• Commercial-grade vacuum sealer with an extra large bar for sealing bags up to 15” wide

• Double piston vacuum pump delivers 28” HG vacuum strength with 935 watts of power

• Easy to use, bright LED lights let you monitor the stages of the sealing process

• Automatic Mode has a simple one-touch vacuum-to-seal operation

• Manual Seal Mode lets you control the amount of vacuum pressure for sealing soft foods, photos, valuables or delicate objects

• Fan-cooled motor

• See-thru acrylic vacuum lid for perfect bag alignment while sealing

• Stainless steel construction

• Detachable power cord with convenient cord storage compartment

Final Thoughts

If you've been using a standard run-of-the-mill vacuum packer you've got to try the Weston.  It's night and day difference.  2300 was a beast and more than adequate for putting up multiple animals each year.  I will also use this Thanksgiving to store leftover turkey for pot pies and the jerky I just made up this weekend so I can enjoy it for the rest of the year.  If you've never processed your own animal you may want to consider it.  With a little investment, you'll know exactly where all your meat is coming from.

Disclaimer:  I received this vacuum packer at no charge in return for a fair and honest review.  I have delivered this to the best of my abilities and really was impressed with the Weston 2300.  I do not get any additional compensation if you chose to purchase one.  As a matter of fact knowing what I know now I would have bought one years ago.