Hello everyone,
My name is Jeremy and I'm newly 'smoke-curious.' ;)
I like to build, and try new things, and this proclivity led me here.
I'm in my early 30's and never really did a whole lot of cooking. My wife usually handles most of the cooking.
Last year I became very interested in sous vide cooking. I've always liked steak, but the result was so variable that it was 50-50 disappointing.
Wifey thought it would be a waste of money, but I had done enough reading so that when I saw a water circulator on sale (for sous vide cooking) I bought it up.
Also purchased a food saver vacuum sealer, bags, and a small cooler.
I drilled a hole in the cooler, dropped the circulator in, and viola!
Purchased some steaks, prepared them, cooked the steaks for two hours @ 142ºf in a water bath, and did a sear on a cast iron pan using a patio stove I'd purchased for beer brewing.
Best steaks of my life! Better even so because my wife had to go back, but not grudgingly, and say how good they are. :p
Now I'm the steak maker, and it feels great. Friends all say they're the best. I feel like I've got the magic formula down for great steak.
I've tried steak, chicken, fish, eggs, etc. sous vide - all came out pretty good, though the eggs are still kind of iffy in my opinion.
Daydreams led me to consider other things sous vide, bigger challenges. Some people do beef briskets!
So I got a 12lb full packer beef brisket. Separated the point from the flat. Prepared and cooked them both at 155ºf for 30 hours, then smoked for three hours at 225º-250º (depended on how the wind was blowing haha).
I don't have an actual smoker, just a 4 burner grill. Did the trick where I put wood chips on one side over two active burners, and the meat on the opposite side so it gets indirect heat.
The brisket actually turned out pretty good, but I wish I would have cooked lower when doing sous vide .. like 145º or so for a little bit longer.
But I don't want good, I want great!
This is where you, the patrons of smokingmeatforums comes in - I need advice.
I've done some research, and have my eye on a propane smoker - the Cuisinart COS-244
Talk me out of buying this thing. :)
Anyone with experience using it? An alternate propane smoker you think is better?
Thanks for any suggestions or information!
My name is Jeremy and I'm newly 'smoke-curious.' ;)
I like to build, and try new things, and this proclivity led me here.
I'm in my early 30's and never really did a whole lot of cooking. My wife usually handles most of the cooking.
Last year I became very interested in sous vide cooking. I've always liked steak, but the result was so variable that it was 50-50 disappointing.
Wifey thought it would be a waste of money, but I had done enough reading so that when I saw a water circulator on sale (for sous vide cooking) I bought it up.
Also purchased a food saver vacuum sealer, bags, and a small cooler.
I drilled a hole in the cooler, dropped the circulator in, and viola!
Purchased some steaks, prepared them, cooked the steaks for two hours @ 142ºf in a water bath, and did a sear on a cast iron pan using a patio stove I'd purchased for beer brewing.
Best steaks of my life! Better even so because my wife had to go back, but not grudgingly, and say how good they are. :p
Now I'm the steak maker, and it feels great. Friends all say they're the best. I feel like I've got the magic formula down for great steak.
I've tried steak, chicken, fish, eggs, etc. sous vide - all came out pretty good, though the eggs are still kind of iffy in my opinion.
Daydreams led me to consider other things sous vide, bigger challenges. Some people do beef briskets!
So I got a 12lb full packer beef brisket. Separated the point from the flat. Prepared and cooked them both at 155ºf for 30 hours, then smoked for three hours at 225º-250º (depended on how the wind was blowing haha).
I don't have an actual smoker, just a 4 burner grill. Did the trick where I put wood chips on one side over two active burners, and the meat on the opposite side so it gets indirect heat.
The brisket actually turned out pretty good, but I wish I would have cooked lower when doing sous vide .. like 145º or so for a little bit longer.
But I don't want good, I want great!
This is where you, the patrons of smokingmeatforums comes in - I need advice.
I've done some research, and have my eye on a propane smoker - the Cuisinart COS-244
Talk me out of buying this thing. :)
Anyone with experience using it? An alternate propane smoker you think is better?
Thanks for any suggestions or information!
