tony b

Good deal, CC. I've owned my Anova for some time now and can give you some tips. But, it's almost foolproof. Here's the book that I bought as a guide, but mainly use it now for the charts in the back of suggested time/temp for various foods. http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Sous-Vide-Temperature-Techniques/dp/1456336975/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1424202346&sr=1-9&keywords=sous+vide+cooking I did a sous vide T-bone on Sunday, as it was too f-ing cold to fire up the KK. Almost didn't need the reverse sear (cast iron skillet on the stove). Damned tasty!

Dave, I use mitts that come up to my elbows, so I've never had a concern with dumping out the coals in the chimney. I bought a cheap, small grill grate that fits on top of the charcoal basket handles and I set the chimney on top of that. The deepness of the KK is actually helpful in that you don't worry about a stray coal exiting the grill and landing on your deck/patio/foot/dog/kid, etc. I hear yah, Robert. That's why I only fill the chimney about 1/4 full for a lo & slo, up to about 1/2 if it's for a high temp steak cook. The only time that I've gone over 1/2 full was when I was trying the "cook the steak on top of the chimney" trick to not waste a lot of charcoal on a very short cook. But, now that I have the basket splitter, don't need to do that anymore. Plus, I follow this tip from Dennis, the chimney is a good way to use up the smalls in the charcoal bag and save the medium to large chunks for filling the basket (better airflow).

Super looking tri-tip. As you are probably aware, there's no harm in going longer in a sous vide cook; but, I'm not sure that you're going to see much difference in texture with the extra 2 hours, as there's not a lot of collagen and fat to break down in a tri-tip. If you think that it's a bit on the tough side, consider using a quick marinade with papaya to help break down the proteins a bit more. Be careful, if you marinade it too long (or put it inside your sous vide pouch), it might break down too much and get mushy. I'd start with 30 minutes to an hour. Almost forgot, don't put it in the fridge, the papain reaction doesn't happen at low temps. Here's some info from one of my favorite sources - AmazingRibs.com Fresh pineapple, papaya, and ginger have enzymes that tenderize meat. Papain, the enzyme in papaya, is an enzyme in papaya and the main tenderizing ingredient in Adolph’s Meat Tenderizer. These enzymes work fast. Within 30 to 60 minutes the meat is ready for the grill. Alas, pineapple and papaya add very little flavor to the meat in such a short time. Some people like the softer meat, others feel it is mushy. You decide. The enzymes are destroyed by the canning and bottling process, so be sure to use fresh pineapple, papaya, and ginger if you want the tenderizing. A bit more info: http://www.indiacurry.com/faqhints/papayatenderizemeathow.htm Also, pineapple and kiwi fruits also contain enzymes that tenderize meats. Again, be wary of too long contact or risk the mushy meat syndrome!

I use a standard Weber chimney. Never had any problems with the handles fitting.

Not in my book anyway. We all have to learn sometime.

Cool.

Noticed the double posts. Here's a tip. If you look at the note after submitting/posting it, you will see a EDIT option near the bottom next to the buttons for Quote, etc. It will let you change just about anything, including uploading a picture. Trust me, I use it a LOT!

My longest sous vide cook to date was a corned beef brisket. I think it was like 2 days (maybe 3, it's been a while). Will seriously consider this technique the next time I do beef ribs. Might also try the 3-2-1 method and compare them.

Sorry, wish I could help, but I only upload pics to the Forum using my PC. Even if I take the pic with the phone, I'll email it to myself, download it and then upload it here. Convoluted perhaps, but it works well for me.

Thanks for the tip. I do have a sous vide immersion circulator (ANOVA). Sort of like doing steaks.

You're not the first person to suggest that!

Yes, celery powder or celery juice is used to cure bacon that's labeled "uncured" or "nitrate free." It's seriously misleading marketing. Another bogus health claim (pink salt/sodium nitrate) causes cancer. No, it prevents botulism. To get to the levels of nitrate that those rats were subjected to in the cancer study, you'd have to eat pounds of the stuff, not teaspoons! Similar to all that frackus about MSG!

To quote Slim Pickens from Blazing Saddles, "You use your tongue prettier than a $20 whore!"

I'm betting on the latter!

Because inquiring minds like ours would like to know? Why the bright blue cover on a bronze/dark brown grill?

I actually had an icicle dripping below my lower draft door during a cook when it was below freezing here!

These were boneless ribs, so basically 1/2" - 3/4" thick slabs about 2" x 8" (pre-cooked). I've tried several different cooking regimes, varying cooking temperatures/time, marinades, but haven't found the "sweet spot" yet. This attempt (low & slow) came out better than the last one, which was 325F for 3 hours. Those were both dry and tough. Like I said before, I'm not a fan of foiling pork ribs (3-2-1 method), but I may give it a try with these boneless beef ribs to see if that gives better results.

I agree, completely unnecessary. Moisture retention is the best part of KK cooking. I swear it makes better roast chicken than any standard oven.

Did another set of boneless beef ribs today. 6 1/2 hours @ 250F, with pecan, bourbon, and cherry woods, indirect on main grill, with Guru. Dry rubs only, no marinade. Foiled after taking off the grill and rested for 30 minutes. Man, this is harder than brisket. Great flavor, serious crust, good texture, but a bit on the dry side internally. They are so thin, that it's difficult to cook them long enough to break down the collagen, without drying out the meat. Maybe the answer is to foil them mid-way through, similar to a 3-2-1 on pork ribs. Any suggestions?

He ain't paying for 'em, so why should he care? He's just pimping their product.

I never use my deflector stone anymore. I mostly use the drip pan (I have the old round style) or like others have mentioned, aluminum foil, especially if I only want to cover half the grate to be able to do both direct and indirect cooking. I think that the basket splitter is most useful for doing seriously high temp searing. Like Dennis points out, using the half basket forces all the air through the side with the charcoal, which "turbocharges" it. Even if you're doing a bunch of steaks (not just a couple), it still makes sense, because even if you have to break the cook into smaller batches to sear first, you're still ahead when it comes to how much charcoal you burn through (vice a whole basket raging at 900F) and you aren't really extending the cooking time all that much, since you're only going to sear each steak for 3 - 4 minutes total before setting them off to the side to roast to desired doneness.

Well, I did get that reprieve in the weather (high was in the 40s today and no precipitation - woo, hoo!), so fired up the KK to roast a whole chicken - one of my all time favorites! Injected with Butcher BBQ Bird Booster w/Herbs, interior dusted with Plowboy's Yardbird, and the exterior was rubbed with smoked herb salt, fresh ground pepper, and some powdered garlic. Rested overnight in the fridge to tighten up the skin. On the KK for 2 hours @ 250F, indirect on the top rack, with hickory and peach woods. Finished the last 45 minutes ramped up to 400F. This was an experiment with doing chicken "Low & Slow." I usually cook birds at 350F for an hour, then 15-20 minutes at 400 - 425F. Have to say that I'm loving it! Bird has good crispy skin (like parchment paper) and was a tad juicier than my normal method (which is still damned juicy!) But, the crazy thing was - I had a smoke ring on the dark meat. Never before with a chicken. And now for the food porn - Money shots for Dennis. Supper's Ready!

Yeah, he was the more entertaining of the 2 and he like to cook on charcoal, while Flay was the gas burner! Kinda told yah the whole story right there!

Not a single moment of buyer's remorse! You'll be like a 5 year old 2 weeks before Christmas; so excited that you think you're going to explode and the time will drag until it arrives, and when it does, you'll want to rip into the package with both hands to get to your new toy!

And to think that back in the day, I used to watch Grillin' & Chillin' religiously! Now, he's more a cult of personality than chef (IMO).