Simon

I'm going to brine some tonight for supper tomorrow; was planning on cooking them at a shade over 140. What temps did you guys use that left you underwhelmed?

Thanks for all the feedback, gents. The heating issue was weird; when it got up in the 175-180 range is would go up a couple degree and drop back one, then go up two and drop back one. But once I put some foil over and got it to 185, it stayed there with no problems. Maybe the Anova was working out some kinks with its first use, maybe I was blocking some flow in an inconveniently thin stock pot, who knows. My guess was it was me being a dumbass rookie. I've got a topround/londonbroil and some fat pork chops coming around next. Anybody ever actually stuff a pork chop before doing it sous vide? Wondering if it will make a gooey mess or turn out great........

When I first saw this thread I was actually going to mention Steep Canyon. If you're not familiar with them, they are a really skilled outfit and put on great shows, particularly when Martin is on the road with them. For my part I wouldn't pay a thin dime to watch two guys sit around in chairs yapping, but I'd always be pumped to catch a Rangers show. You won't be spending an evening listening to a crew of self-indulgent billygoats whining about long lost loves, these guys are legitimate world-class pickers and like to keep things jumping with Martin cracking jokes all the while; you'll probably catch good stuff like a grassed-up version of King Tut, a hymn about how atheists don't have hymns, etc. Keep one eye on the fiddle player; he's a piece of work. I'll be surprised if you don't have a good time. Here's the Rangers with the great Sam Bush

Of all the firings and hirings in the NFL that take place every year, the fact that you can only come up with two examples of a brother who got a second chance while us crackers are regularly getting 2nd and 3rd opportunities every single year only supports my theory that if Lynn doesn't succeed he's not likely to get another shot. Apologies for linking to ESPN (which is so bad I no longer even have it bookmarked) but here is a well-researched article from last offseason about how minority hires have reverted to what they were 20 yeas ago. It's an interesting article worth checking out, imo. The Rooney Rule in Reverse P.S. Before any of you hyper-sensitive politicos try making hay out of this, I just want to clarify that I am speculating as to why Lynn in particular might be moving very cautiously right now. If anybody wants to debate the merits of the Rooney Rule or the state of minority hiring, please feel free to start another thread where folks can go into in more depth instead of hijacking this one.

That's a bingo! Results from the first go round were disappointing. Carrots were slightly undercooked, but that is certainly user error resulting from my own bumbling about. Chicken was very juicy with a nice sear but was very bland; I had to put some remoulade on the side. I can figure out the carrots but I could use some destructive criticism on the chicken: I rubbed the thighs (the chicken thighs, you pigs) with some Montreal chicken seasoning, vacuum sealed them and dunked them within the hour. 165 for about an hour, then a quick sear in oliveoil&butter when they came out. Should I have left them in the vac bag overnight before cooking them? Should I add more seasoning after drying them and before searing them? Also, when I initially took them out of the vac bag after cooking there was probably about 2-3oz of liquid in each of the two bags (3 thighs per bag). They were already fully thawed when I sealed them up so I question whether that should have happened and wonder whether I need a better vacuum sealer?

While this is true, he's also got to be smart enough to consider the long-term ramifications, not just the upcoming year. As a black man, chances are that he is going to get exactly one shot as a head coach in this league. If he picks poorly and cannot succeed in that first gig, it is not likely he will ever get another opportunity to be a head coach in the NFL. That's just cold, hard reality and you can bet he is well enough aware of it to take it into consideration.

Don't be too quick to discount this draft; yeah they focused on guys that Rex thought he could work with but Lawson, Washington and Ragland should all be able to play well in a 4-3. Who knows what we'll see from Cardale, but if he pans out this draft could be a whale(y) of a haul.

I did put some foil over it and that helped in very short order. I got a bad vac seal on the carrots the first time and ended up resealing with water displacement, then switching to a bigger pot and fussing around like a rookie; I'm guessing maybe that dropped my temp and created a seat of the pants situation that it took a while to fully recover from. Live and learn..... Thanks for the tip!

In the interest of fairness 2013 was the first draft he's ever run , if not necessarily in name and title. He may not have had Monos and friends to help him out but he scouted every guy they drafted. It's probably six of one and half-dozen of the other, cuz either way he's picking NFL quality players at around a 90-95% clip.

Working on my maiden voyage right now. Trying to keep it simple and doing a batch of carrots at 185 for an hour but am having trouble maintaining that temp with real consistency. (Anova in a 2/3 full stock pot) Will be following that up shortly with a batch of of chicken thighs at 165 for an hour cuz I figure even I can't foul fowl up chicken thighs. Any tips on how to keep that temp up in my current configuration?

Damn, I really nailed this one, eh?

Tim Graham's idiocy is among the stupidest standards anybody could have come up with to judge Whaley's work. The Bills have a 50+ man roster and Whaley has only had the opportunity to draft 28 guys. In order to meet the standard many of you keep referring to, then approximately 40 out of Whaley's 28 picks should still be in Buffalo.

Thanks for a realistic perspective amidst the unbearable sea of stupidity into which this board has devolved. fwiw, since 2013 Whaley has drafted 28 players for the Buffalo Bills; 25 of those guys are currently on NFL rosters for a hit rate of approximately 90%. Then you can factor in trade/FA acquisitions such as Shady McCoy, Jerry Hughes, The Lorax, Richie Incognito, Charles Clay, Zach Brown and Corey Graham. But yeah, he sucks, the NFL is overrun with other GM's who are drafting so much better and we should run him out of town because he gives more of a sheet about football than he does about press conferences and clueless, crybaby columnists.

Actually he is one of the smartest, most honest and hardest working men you'd ever have the pleasure to meet; a total class act who earns the ungrudging respect of everybody who gets to know him. You have my condolences for whatever happened in your life that turned you from one of the board's more reliable posters into the miserable, bitter jerkhole you've become. Hope things get better for you in the future

For about the 20th time in the last two weeks, you once again have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. By making up stuff up and presenting it as fact you are accomplishing nothing but embarrassing yourself in front of people who know better. But please continue in the same manner because it makes it so much easier for other people to decide who to put on their ignore list.

Thank you for reminding me why I finally cancelled my subscription to that gawdawful rag a couple yeas ago.

C'mon now, David. Tim Graham vs K-9? Brother, it's not even remotely close.......

Do you all realize that the self-important tool who writes that uninformed garbage has virtually no idea what is actually happening on a football field? I have literally coached middle school kids who have a superior understanding of this game than that guy does. In addition he also has no real idea what is going on in the front office because nobody there has any respect for him as a writer or as a person. This board will likely have 100+ posts written this week that are more knowledgeable and insightful than anything you'll ever read from that clueless self-promoting blowhard.

I can't comment on the sous vide yet, but I can offer a prep suggestion if you've got a great big fat beef tenderloin. The day before you're going to cook it and after you've cut off all that silvery connective tissue, put waaaaay more dry rub on it than you think would typically be appropriate and massage it in there like a Chargers security guard.Then do it again so there is twice as much as waaaaay more than you would normally put on a piece of beef. (The last time I did a tenderloin I went with a creole rub and then served it with a remoulade sauce) Then put it in the fridge uncovered overnight and don't take it out until a little while before you're going to put a sear on it (you want it nice and dry when you sear it). And then send me your address so I can come over on Sunday and make sure you did it right!

Don't be too quick on that assumption. It was not all Rex's doing; that was definitely a two man operation to get the Pegulas to sign off on it

Yeah, snagging a hummer is more along the lines of an impeachable offense

Not only are you are flat out wrong and clearly have no clue what you're talking about, but you should be embarrassed for yourself making up ignorant crap like that.

I was attempting to use the word "fortunes" in two different ways to point up a difference; that clearly went over like a lead zeppelin. Anyhoo, I question your chosen example of what constitutes lunacy, To me the lunacy is the regularly cavalier dismissal of anything that can't be quantified and the marginalization of any person or idea which doesn't adhere to the idea that personal enrichment is the central tenet of our nation As evidenced by the wonderful condition in which we find our country and culture after 30+ years of naked greed and unchecked self-interest? Spare me that canard, it's nothing more than a way to justify limitless avarice. Just the fact that you even need such a bullshlt rationalization to legitimize that type of self-serving gluttony should be enough in itself to expose the complete lack of virtue in that attitude. And I'm not talking about government mandates as much as I am about personal priorities (although I do think the financial industry is one of about four areas that should be firmly regulated). Over the last several decades this nation has turned away from any sense of civic duty or personal responsibility it may have once had, and it's no coincidence that this attitude shift has coincided with a time where our financial institutions and business leaders have been viewing our economy as a zero sum game which exists for no other purpose than to gather as much as they possibly can unto themselves and do so by any means of which they can contrive. It doesn't make our nation stronger or wiser, it doesn't advance the cause of humanity and it sure as shlt hasn't lead to a better outcome for the collective. The fact that it's about to get worse is very, very bad news; and when the whole thing comes crashing down around our ears at some point down the road, not only are the folks that have been gorging themselves at the trough going to be the ones responsible but you guys that have been bending over backwards trying to justify it are going to be right there beside them. But I'm sure your gangsters won't worry themselves too much over it since it's become clear that being the cause of a problem no longer means you'll bear the responsibility for it's outcome.

I just can't think of anything more reliable than the august wisdom and steadfast strength of 23 year olds.......