tony b

Nice, MacKenzie. That's how I've done my pastrami in the past - buy a pre-brined corned beef, rinse it, season it and then smoke it. I didn't wash mine as much as you, but I wanted to retain a touch of the original flavor. Are you planning to smoke yours after the SV is done?

Just curious as to which brand you bought that you had trouble with? And, what did you replace it with? I have one of the original Anova's, with the latest version (Nano) on order. I also own a Primo Eats model that has become my everyday one (smaller) - https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MTV4EQ7. The original Anova is mostly used in my homebrewing to heat my sparge water to the exact temperature that I need. The new Anova on order will be used in the kitchen, as it's nice to have 2 machines for doing different temperature cooks (like having 2 KKs). I've not had any problems with either of my units so far. I bought this model for my nephew for his birthday, as he was interested in learning about SV cooking and it was on-sale on cyber Monday last year. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M6AZ8CL Once he got the hang of it, he's not had any problems with his either and is falling in love with SV cooks.

Yeah, Bruce, it doesn't take much to flavor a dish. I typically only put 2 or 3 dashes in whatever I'm making.

Yeah, your price on Amazon was way higher than ours. But, at least you can get it.

Yeah, rub it in, Aussie. Nice looking steaks nonetheless.

You need a wine with a lot of residual sugar to help boost the fermentation. These batches were done with a cheap Chenin Blanc. I've used Riesling in the past. I've not used it, but have been told that Pinot Grigio works, too. It's critical to monitor it so that any mold isn't overly pervasive and influence the flavor. By the end of fermentation and after you add the vinegar, the pH drops to around 3.5, so there's not much that can live in that environment.

It's one of the things that you monitor for - if you see some starting on the top layer, then just scrap it off and add a bit more salt to the mix. I hopefully won't have an issue, since I went a tad heavy on the salt to start with (I rounded up to the next gram when measuring it out) and tried to make sure that there was a good layer of wine on top of the mash.

Finally got around to mashing up my peppers from this years crop. Now to let Mother Nature do her thing and ferment them out. Left to Right: Dragon (Red), Aji (Yellow), and Chocolate Ghost (Brown). Once they are done fermenting in 4 - 6 weeks, then you puree and strain the mash and add whatever variety of vinegar you'd like to finish up the sauce. Then into the bottles.

If you're in a hurry and don't have time to marinate the steak yourself, Trader Joe's sells a pre-marinaded Carne Asada that's pretty good. https://www.traderjoes.com/FearlessFlyer/Article/3722

@Bruce Pearson - get the good stuff. There an incredible balance of flavors when done well. Very Umami. Cheaper stuff is very salty. https://smile.amazon.com/Red-Boat-Premium-Fish-Sauce/dp/B00B617XK2

And, there's always Purple Crack!

You caught my interest when I saw "fish sauce." Interesting addition.

Gorgeous looking steak cook, Shuley! Yeah, SRF is a "special occasion" source, as they are definitely pricey!!

Next time, use the flat for your temperature monitoring and put the point back on for burnt ends after the flat is done. Just sayin'.

Thanks, MacKenzie!

An almost perfect butt! The LAST tomato that I got off my plants before the frost hit. I just couldn't resist posting this!

@Bruce Pearson - did you get your Meater? Just stab that sucker in the breast and program the app and off to the races!

Missed it. But, Yes, on a plate is a good place for a beet!

Uncle, Uncle, Uncle! Today's lunch - Perfect Butt sandwich! I even threw in the zip bag, just for MacKenzie -

Nice, Mackenzie, but where's the Purple Crack?

Says the man who never posts pictures! Sorry, Robert, but I gave up trying to compete with the likes of Charles and MacKenzie ages ago when it comes to food photography. I only post pics if it's critical to the discussion. In this case, it's just another pork butt. Sorry, MacKenzie, it's all pulled and into zip bags in the freezer - except for one small bag I'm eating out of, like for breakfast this morning with 2 fried eggs on top - excellent. I struggled for a while, too, Aussie, since I'm not a baker and not used to working with dough. But, with practice, I finally got it down pretty well. One thing that I did learn is that it doesn't take as much water as you think it should, but make sure that you mix it well so you don't have pockets of dry flour. Just keep plugging away at it - practice makes perfect, as they say.

Fess up, MacKenzie - you ate more than one piece of bacon!!