Sid Post

No apologies needed! Maybe just a bit of "lost in translation" of the written word. I'm coming from a "stick burner" smoker background in Texas where I enjoy the smell of nice clean smoke wafting across my beverage of choice on a nice day! If I am there watching the brisket cook, it will "stall" and new folks will up the temps to "push through" the stall and miss an important aspect of getting a good "chew" and flavor profile on their brisket. I don't like tough brisket and absolutely hate overly soft or mushy brisket, which is a 'crime' in most of "real Texas" 😉 and is what is normally served at most mainline restaurants. If a Pitmaster does that with his stick burner at a BBQ joint, he is apt to be "run out of town!". In terms of Flat versus Point, new folks tend to overcook the flats and undercook the points. Myself, I am "point guy" as a nice piece of meat with properly rendered fat and good smoke penetration is true joy on a plate for me! Coffee, like Scotch and Bourbon, or any number of other options are largely a personal preference thing IMHO. After my time in Italy, I got a Pasquini Espresso machine and used Illy coffee and never saw the need for the most part to grind my own beans as Illy hit my "sweet spot" for Espresso. My time in Belgium and the Netherlands mainly, had me well satisfied with Douwe Egbert coffee as well. Though, those 100% Columbian "imports" from my father or my friend coming back from South America were really nice too! In terms of rubs for a brisket, super premium beans are a waste IMHO. Yes, you need good coffee to start with, but the subtleties of the beans and the grind itself will be lost in the 12hr~16hr cook time and the other common things used in a good brisket rub. Like "roasting" your own premium beans to get the exact flavor profile you want is basically what I am talking about with briskets, rubs, and general cooking of briskets in an oven or preferably over lump charcoal or actual "sticks"! I have never used an oven to cook a brisket as it just seems WRONG to me with a smoker and really good seasoned wood outside the front door of my house! Heck, it has been >20 years since I did that with a chicken or turkey as well since I have a Weber Smoky Mountain for them and that awesome smoke flavor that comes from wood, not out of a store bought bottle of "smoke"! Smoked cheese is awesome too but that is a different topic for a different day!

Only if you cook it WRONG! 😜 Long, low, and slow on the smoker will break down the tissues with awesome Umami! Avoid the tendency to up the temperature on your smoker at the "stall" and wait it out as that is where the "MAGIC" happens! I suspect this is what happens in your Sous Vide treatment of your Corned Beef. Hmm ... maybe it's time for me to start looking for a Corned Beef brine for this coming weekend. 😋

Texan here where Briskets rule most "real" BBQs! Generally, the "POINT" will be fattier than the "FLAT". When you get to the smoker to get your order, the Pitmaster will ask if you want Moist or Lean, which is Point versus Flat. By "moist", it will have more rendered fat for that unctuous flavor so many people love! Fat really carries the smoke flavor well from a place with a great PITMASTER! Corned beef generally only comes from the grocery store's deli counter around here so I can't help much with the brining process. HOWEVER, if you want to talk about rubs with coffee, various peppers, various mustards, etc. I'm ready!

Specialty Coffee Association “Golden Cup” brewers are what you want to look for when selecting a premium top grade coffee maker.

Tell me more! I got some SPAM yesterday and need something like that and some seaweed before I go Hawaiian and do a SPAM rice bowl!

How is A4Box customer service? I bought one in the 2nd week of December and it still hasn't shipped. I have emailed a couple of times and haven't gotten a response. I checked my order on their website after seeing a question message about not shipping to a PO Box and my account details clearly show a street address. PayPal does default to PO Box though.

I'm still waiting on mine to arrive. Date Payment Status Fulfillment Status December 4, 2024 Paid Unfulfilled

Considering the Blow Out Price for the cooker, they may be wrapping up sales and future production.

This has me looking forward to getting mine!

I want a low simmer and a high simmer, no boiling. Lentils seem work better for me on a low simmer while out and about so they don't overcook and turn to mush or simply disappear in the water and I don't want to "drink" my lentils! 😉 A little below boiling works better for my Pinto beans as they seem a lot more tolerant of being left on the Crock Pot a bit longer than optimal and it will reduce cooking time. I have used Pressure Cookers in the past for a 'fast' bean cook but, cleaning the safety features and pan in general is a bit tedious and something I prefer to avoid with a little planning before I leave the house. And, a good crock pot has a bit of nostalgia for me with memories of my deceased mother using one a lot during Winter for dinners after grade school. 🥰

The Digital Nesco 4qt version has a 'high" setting with two timer options and the other dial is a "low" setting with two timer settings. It was slightly more expensive than the non-digital version but, the timer function seemed worthwhile. Thanks again Smithy/Nancy! Super helpful as usual. 🥰

Can someone measure the cooking plate on their A4 for approximate dimensions? It looks like the accessory pan set will be sold out for a good while with the holiday sales of the cookers so, I'm looking at things that can "rest" on the cooking or heating surface to do beans and casseroles. The Detroit Pizza pans that are ~2.5" tall look like they may work for my modest needs and, I have been meaning to try a Detroit Pizza at home during this cool weather for something a bit hardier than normal.

Maybe a "She shed"or "Man cave" is in order for your appliance collection! 🤣🤣🤣

True in the general sense, induction only heats the "pan". However, my time in Europe clearly proved to me that it was significantly more even heating since the entire structure was warmed so, cold "dead spots" in whatever I was cooking were minimized. The AEG induction cooktop I used was significantly better than anything I have used in the USA. In terms of energy efficiency for cooking, it is hard to argue against quality induction cooktop options, as commonly found in Europe. The net effect was sort of like a Convection Oven in my experience, though not exactly the same. My thick French Antique Copper saucepan essentially heats the same with a low to moderate heat setting as well for anything appropriate for it. All provide a very similar end result using drastically different heating techniques. I'll skip adding a cast iron Dutch Oven from Lodge to the mix ... 🤣

🤣 😋 I was looking at the accessory plate set that is sold out and spoke with my friend about a press-brake to fold some plate steel for a different product and EUREKA! 💡 If I cannot get the factory accessory plates, a thin steel sheet folded up on the sides to provide a deeper pan should be a good match with smooth welds (or welds that can be smoothed with a Dremel). Being induction, the steel should 'assist' with the even heating. I will also look at Chicago Metallic options for something a little deeper to slow simmer beans and similar things once I have good dimensions of the cooking plate from the A4Box.

Nancy, aka "Smithy", nailed it as an enabler! 🤣 That 4qt version seems to offer a temperature range selector in addition to the other settings but, the Nesco website is lacking a lot of detail and some decent pictures. While the Insta-Pot Superior Cooker is rather large for me at 7.5qt, it sure does look good. It also seems rather flexible for varied usage.

I am looking for a good crock pot that isn't super expensive and is a modest capacity of ~4qts. I have tried various random versions found at the common big box stores and found most of them let beans cook dry due to no moisture sealing or simply scorched things like Pinto beans or stew due to very uneven heating. I guess these have been superseded by other cookers today but, the simplicity of putting some ham and beans on a slow cooker while out for the day is nice! What is good today and where are the better places to find them? TIA, Sid

How does the Ninja Possible Cooker work for you? I have been looking for a good or great classic "Crock Pot" and have been really disappointed generally with the ones I have tried, even from well-reviewed and respected brand options. To the A4 Box owners, will it do a pot of PInto bean or, Red Beans and Rice well and similar Crock Pot classics? I am pre-disposed to look for a 2qt~4qt "round" crock pot but, I wonder if it would now be redundant with my new purchase.

Scored one! 😲

Product image Description Quantity Price 1 Noon WhiteWhite ANNxxxxxxxxx (-$299.00) 1 $299.00 Free Scroll for more items Cost summary Description Price TotalIncluding $0.00 in taxes USD $39.99 TOTAL SAVINGS $299.00 Subtotal $0.00 Shipping $39.99

I get mine from Zwilling dot com for less. Slight Imperfections are often really cheap too. Amazon has a lot of markups for me so free shipping isn't isn't really free either. I often buy things locally for less than what Amazon charges for an identical order.

For $1100 I'm getting a full-size LG with the 6.4ft^2 air frying oven and easy self-clean along with steam self-cleaning. Sure, on a hot day it will heat the up the kitchen but, it also has a lot of nice features that will free up counter space for a ~$100 toaster oven that will work really well for small tasks like toast or reheating a slice of pizza or a piece of fried chicken from the fridge.

I personally wouldn't want an indoor smoker in my residence. Good quality pellet smokers for your patio cost less and work well. I should note, I also have two stick burners in my barn!

That's the same price as my local Walmart.

That looks like a winner to me! THANKS!