jzemlin

Made MC Mac-n-cheese with some 3 year gouda and sharp cheddar. Outstanding. Any suggestions on improvising this recipe for fondue? Ski season is over but I am thinking about next year's apre ski.

Work got busy and I just realized I have had my short ribs curing in the MC pastrami brine for over 5 days. Is there any issues with over curing your meat?

Is a mole hill being turned into a mountain? Is it a big deal really? My wife complained about the smell which escalated into "what are all these gadgets and chemicals anyways." So yes, it is being a mole hill being turned into a mountain. ;-)

I also get a little color with smoke - in other words the water turns a slightly brownish tint. Anyone have a recommendation for top quality bags to minimize this effect?

I'm seeing this now with the pastrami. After about 18 hours the water has become slightly brown and there is a very obvious odor of smoke in the whole room where the rig is. It is baffling as my vacuum is still fine on the bags... Exactly! Could this be something to do with the quality of the Sousvide bags? I have a MVS31x chamber vacuum sealer which seems in perfect working condition so I don't get how it could be the seal. We had several posts about this in the SV thread. It is pretty normal as far as I can tell. The bags are waterproof, but they seem to not be -here comes a very scentific term- "flavoring compound proof". When I cook bacon SV, I get the mild smell of bacon in the air and water where I have my IC in plus the water turns very slightly yellowish. When I cooked the beef tongue with vinegar sauce a couple of weeks ago I could smell the vinegar as well.... It seems to only happen with long cooks. I had this issue with Momofuku short ribs too. A mild aroma which was actually pretty nice. The smoke smell permeating our kitchen was not as nice. It would be great to have a solution here otherwise the ribs will be cooked SV in the garage from now on. Glad to hear I am not the only one here. Does everyone experience this?

I'm seeing this now with the pastrami. After about 18 hours the water has become slightly brown and there is a very obvious odor of smoke in the whole room where the rig is. It is baffling as my vacuum is still fine on the bags... Exactly! Could this be something to do with the quality of the Sousvide bags? I have a MVS31x chamber vacuum sealer which seems in perfect working condition so I don't get how it could be the seal.

Had the MC ribs this weekend. 7 hours in a Bradley Digital smoker. I filled the bottom pan of the smoker with water to keep the humidity up and that seemed to do the trick. As mentioned before, the water in my Sous Vide bath got a little "smokey" after 24 hrs. I actually can't figure this out. I double bagged them once I saw it for the last 24 hours and it seemed to be fine but I really don't see how the seal was bad. It is almost as if the smoke permeated through the bags. Baffling. I did one traditional rub and one Indian fusion rub with a tamarind glaze for my in laws. Both were very well received. I browned one set of ribs on the grill and one under a rocket hot infra red broiler and although there wasn't a huge difference I think the broiler method worked better. In particular I like the broiler because the ribs are so tender it was easier to handle them under the broiler. One other note. When we were cleaning up I didn't notice my mother in law bagging up the left over ribs and putting them in the freezer. When I went to reheat some for lunch the next day I freaked out. I took them out and thawed them in the fridge and am happy to say they reheated extremely well. I suspect that these ribs would be just fine if you shocked them after the sous vide step and froze them for later. Not perfect, but I was really surprised at how well they reheated after being frozen. I would love to hear how others are saving or freezing their MC recipes. I have a small family that entertains often and like to freeze meals into individual portions so that we can reheat them later when we are busy.

I am making the MC chicken tikka masala - 3.204 and want to add some smoke to the mix. Does anyone have suggestions on how to smoke the chicken prior to cooking sousvide. I am going off the table in the same volume to smoke at 170 F for 2-4 hours then cook sous vide. Anyone have any other suggestion here on time and temp? Does hot smoking prior to cooking sousvide do anything to the moisture or succulence of the chicken? Also, I plan on scaling the recipe up. Anyone have experience doing that? Thanks.

Total rookie question here: Cooking MC ribs and had a small bag leak last night in one of the bags. I couldn't figure out which bag because the leak was so small and the bags all looked in tact. I added a double bag on each and put them back in a fresh water bath. Is this going to pose any kind of risk or ruin the results?

I would be interested in participating in something like this.

Now that I am cooking with the Modernist Cuisine I realize I need a more accurate kitchen scale. Any recommendations?

You were spot on about the homebrew tip: http://www.rebelbrewer.com/shoppingcart/products/Lactic-Acid-%252d-4-oz.html Lactic acid is on its way. Will let you know if the Dosa are a significant step up from my traditional method. Hope to post pulled pork eggs benedict photos soon.

Thanks Chris - so you are putting the rub on before smoking and after sous vide? I'll let you know when I source the lactic acid - good tip.

A couple of quick questions for anyone: The recipe for Dosa on MC 3 - 355 calls for Lactic Acid. Does anyone know where I can source this? I have made dosa before and was wondering if this step will make a big difference. Also: In the American BBQ section - 5-68 the side note states "Dry rubs are usually put on 12 hours before cooking. However, we also use them a a spice mix added at the end." Does this imply you are to put a dry rub on for the BBQ recipes before smoking even though it is not called for in the recipe themselves. It is a little confusing. Jim

The recipe for Dosa on MC 3 - 355 calls for Lactic Acid. Does anyone know where I can source this? I have made dosa before and was wondering if this step will make a big difference. Also: In the American BBQ section - 5-68 the side note states "Dry rubs are usually put on 12 hours before cooking. However, we also use them a a spice mix added at the end." Does this imply you are to put a dry rub on for the BBQ recipes before smoking even though it is not called for in the recipe themselves. It is a little confusing.