Best Vacuum Sealer for BBQ: Foodsaver V2244 Review

A vacuum sealer is an important tool in the arsenal of any skilled chef – bbq, backyard, and even professional. They come in incredibly handy. With proper usage, a vacuum sealer will pay for itself within its first year.

Here are some of my favorite uses:

Planned BBQ Leftovers – Everytime I fire up the smoker, I load it up as full as possible (no matter how big or small the meal). I vacuum seal and freeze the leftovers. They’ll stay fresh in the freezer for more than 6 months. When reheated, they literally taste like they just came off the smoker. AMAZING.

Big Batches of Rubs – I love making my own rubs, even if it does get crazy expensive sometimes. With a Foodsaver handy, I can make giant batches of rubs and vacuum seal the bulk of it to keep it fresh. I’ve tried keeping it in jars or ziplocks – none of them work as good as vacuum sealer.

Sous Vide – Vacuum sealing pork chops, chicken parts, steaks, ribs, etc and cooking them sous vide is a fantastic culinary adventure. Everything can be marinated and pre-seasoned in bulk. Vacuum seal individual cuts and freeze them until you’re ready to sous vide. Cheaper AND better than any frozen concoction you’ll find at the grocery store

FoodSaver V2244 Review

When I originally set out to acquire a vacuum sealer, I aimed high and planned to purchase a higher end Foodsaver. Thankfully a friend stepped in and loaned me his higher end unit. Aside from having more buttons, it also had features like a bag roll storage compartment and a bag cutter. After a 2 weeks of using it, I realized all of these whizbang features pretty much sucked. I didn’t want to leave the unit on my countertop ALL the time, so the bag storage/cutting features were useless (actually more of an inconvenience for actually storing the unit)

I decided simpler is better and purchased the FoodSaver V2244. It has everything I need. Manual mode works best so you can control the vacuum level if needed (when sealing liquidy foods).

I’ve had my V2244 for 4 years now, according to Amazon. It still works great. I purchased it with 3 rolls of bag material as well as some assorted bags. I’ve since bought replacement rolls from ebay (they work just as well).

I also purchased a Foodsaver Quick Marinator. I really like this contraption as well. You put your meats in it along with the marinade. The lid seals and has a valve that you hook up to the V2244 (the hose comes with the V2244). Vacuuming the air from the container allows the marinate to go deeper into the meat without waiting hours and hours. Perfect for the procrastinator like me!