Vacuum sealer exclusively for canning jars

This works by increasing the porousness of the meat inside the bag. When a vacuum is created, there is a natural tendency for matter to occupy that space. It does this by increasing the amount of space between particles, otherwise known as density. This increases the size of the microscopic holes in the meat, and thus effectively increases the surface area in which the marinade can contact the meat. More surface area means by marinade sticks to your food.

If you'd like to see the effects of vacuum pressure on foods greatly exagerrated, put a marshmallow in a vacuum seal bag and see what happens. :-)

Before filling the jars, you should do the following:

• Place the jars (right-side-up) on a rack inside a boiling-water canner
• Fill the canner and jars with water to one inch above the jars
• Boil for 10 min (or more for higher elevations)
• Remove and drain the jars, one at a time

I toss the lids and rings in there as well, since the lids seal best when the rubbery-stuff is softened first anyway.

I have read that some people use their dishwasher's "sanitize" cycle instead, but you should contact the manufacturer (or check the user's guide) to see if it really gets hot enough. I don't know much about using the dishwasher for this purpose; perhaps someone else can elaborate.

If you're looking for great canning instructions, check out the National Center for Home Food Preservation. They will explain how to can safely, botulism-death-free.