BillyBon

Jerry, how fortunate for you. I wish I could join you. Be sure to get pointers on making porchetta di testa.

Paul and others, Thank you for the input. So far I have tried both pressure cooking and SV cooking on the ears. Pressure cooking for 1.5 hours produced a wonderful result. The ears were tender and felt like picking up a jellyfish. I cut one up into squares and ate it as such. It was quite good. I then covered some pieces in a little flour and deep fried. When tasted hot it did stick more to the teeth. The stickiness was actually a good thing. Neither sample produced a real crispy exterior. I put a heavy coating of flour on the remaining ears and stacked them between plastic wrap for storage in the refrigerator. I revisited the chilled ears after 2 days. The flour had now formed a dense coating and the ears had firmed up again. No longer being soft and floppy, they cut nicely into thin strips. The strip were fried up and provided yet a third texture and flavor sensation. This sample was nice and crisp and was less sticky to the teeth. The SV ears were cooked for 36 hours at 185F. I did not try them fresh from the water bath. After three days in the refrigerator, I fried some pieces with and without flour. Those without flour fried nicely (lots of spitting as usual) and had a good mouth feel. However, the cartilage was not broken down as much as with the pressure cooker. The flavor was good but I would have preferred a softer core. The floured pieces were fried as well and produced quite a mess in the oil. I did not use a binding agent to assure the flour would adhear. That was a mistake in that the flour came off and foiled the oil. I like the convenience of the SV method but preferred the results of PC method. Perhaps I will try SV cooking for a longer time period.

Paul, Can you give a report on how successful you were with the sous vide pigs ears? What time and temperature did you use? Were you happy with the results? I ask because I have to prepare about 100 ears next week. I would like to sous vide in advance and then fry on location. Bill

I believe it is 5.0 degrees C as the initial core temp. ,not the final temp.

Am I the only member to have ordered through Barnes and Noble? Nathan, any idea when B&N will get their first shipment?

A superhot pan will work if the surface of the meat is perfectly flat.But irregular surfaces like those on short ribs will not get evenly seared. This is not the case with the chimney method. A glowing hot chimney will sear every bit of the surface.

Kerry, I also have a Green Egg but I prefer to use a charcoal chimney starter to sear small quantities of SV meat. You can set the grid shown in you photo right on top of the chimney can. The chimney also works well for seared tuna.

I don't use a stove top smoker but I do cold smoke brisket in the Green Egg. I trim a packer, separate the point from the flat, and put both pieces in the Egg before applying any seasoning. For smoke I use a mixture of hickory and cherry. After smoking for about 4 hours the two brisket pieces are seasoned and vacuum packed. Next the bags go into the SV bath at 64c for 48 to 72 hours. When finished the brisket is chilled in an ice bath. Both cuts are eventually returned to the egg before serving. The point is cut up and cooked further as "burnt ends" and the flat is seared. The flat will not have a traditional bark.

Rico, I cold smoked brisket in the Green Egg. I have used both the A-Maze-N and the Pro-Q smoked generators but I prefer the A-Maze-N. I trim a packer, separate the point from the flat, and put both pieces in the Egg before applying any seasoning. For smoke I use a mixture of hickory and cherry. The A-Maze-N will generate smoke for 5 hours but I usually remove the brisket after 4 hours. After smoking, each piece is seasoned and independently vacuum packed. Next the bags go into the SV bath at 64c for 48 to 72 hours. When finished the brisket is chilled in an ice bath. Both cuts are eventually returned to the egg before serving. The point is cut up and cooked further as "burnt ends" and the flat is seared. The flat will not have a traditional bark but you wont have any complaints.