Steve Hiller

Have any of you had problems with the texture of the purée being almost grainy? I haven't been sending it though a tamis because I don't have one but I find it to have a grainy mouthfeel. It's probably because I'm skipping that step but thought I would bounce it off all of you.

You had me at Where do you source all your ingredients from? You always seem to have great stuff!

I don't know anything about it but wanted to say I do feel bad for the bear they have all packed up!

How did you do the fried onion cream? Sounds great!

Just a heads up for those that preordered through Amazon, I received an email (without contacting them) saying they are crediting me for the difference between today's price and the original $140. Amazon comes through once again!

That's exactly what it is. If you open it right away you can end up with what is essentially a backdraft. I've never seen anything that major but it is real. Please note this is only a concern at high temperatures. This site has a good description of it: http://www.nakedwhiz.com/flash.htm

I was in the same boat as you. I own a Bradley as well as a Weber kettle. I received a large BGE as an early wedding present and since then I haven't fired up either the Bradley or the Weber. The BGE is pretty amazing in terms of it's versatility. I quoted the 250F for 16 hour comment because it can be done but I would argue not without the help of a DigiQ or some other controller. The BGE does hold it's heat very well and is pretty easy to keep fairly stable but with the DigiQ you can literally get it to temperature and not worry about it. It really does amaze me every time I use it. I had a PID for my Bradley but it had the problem of heat retention after the door was opened. The temperature recovery time for the Bradley is poor unless you do modifications to the chamber. No worries about that with the Egg. In fact, if you go way over in temperature with the Egg you will have trouble getting the temp back down because the ceramic holds the heat so well. The grill size is limited versus other smokers as bigbump mentioned. You only have the one level to play with unless you get some aftermarket pieces. It's plenty big enough to do 4+ racks of ribs on a vertical rack or a pork butt and has plenty of space for normal direct grilling. You have a Bradley so this isn't a huge concern. If you are cooking multiple pork butts or briskets for a party you have ample space in there. It holds moisture very, very well and seals nicely when closed. Again, someone mentioned the burping. This is necessary because it's sealed so well that when the cover is down there is no flames being produced. When the cover is opened, a large rush of air runs in and the flames come up VERY fast. It's cool and a bit scary at the same time. For indirect cooking and smoking you should invest in the plate setter. It raises the rack and blocks all direct heat. It works very nicely. I'm still working on getting a great pizza out of it but I know it's possible. It's pretty easy to push the temp up to 600F-700F. High enough to break a cheap pizza stone after only one use. I don't think you will regret your purchase for a second!

Would anyone happen to know what the pump is in an Orved 315VM8? I've been looking for a while to get a machine that has something better than a DVP pump in it and thought this might fit the bill. If not I might have to revert back to thinking about a MVS31x or a VP215.

It's time for me to pull the trigger on the purchase of a chamber vacuum sealer. I'd love to get a couple opinions on the ones all of you have purchased. For me, it's coming down to about four models. The VacMaster VP210, VP215, VP112, and the Minipack MVS31X. I'm leaning towards the VP210 or VP215. 1) For those of you with a VP112, do you ever wish you had a bigger unit? 2) Is the oil pump of the VP215 worth it for home use or would the VP210 work just as well for the light use it will get? 3) What's the advantage of stepping up to something more expensive like a Minipack or a similar chamber? Keep in mind, this is all for home use, primarily for sous vide and freezing meats and stocks. Thanks, Steve