A quick dinner in a pinch (SV and grilled duck breast)

20stone

We are still moving into the new place, and had not cooked in the kitchen since the painters left (the inside, at least.  the outside is underway).  However, two of our boys and one of their girlfriends had time, so we threw together a pretty good dinner (sadly, no plate pic):
- duck breast with fried shallots (SV then sear) - http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/09/sous-vide-101-duck-breast-recipe.html
- carrots (SV then saute)
- spinach with garlic (sauteed garlic then wilted spinach)
- a nice (sadly purchased) boule of sourdough

We have had great luck using our MM for quick sears after SV, and it gets going like a charcoal chimney in no time.


It turns out that duck fat is pretty flammable, but I managed to get the skin crispy and brown without torching them (or me, or catching the truck on fire, or burning down the house.... all concerns at the time)

I had the duck laying around for making duck proscuitto, but used most of it for the dinner.  The rest is in the Short Bus now with the pig bits (pictured below)

bgebrent

Very nice brother stone!  Curious though, did the duck fat render well with the SV then quick sear.  Clearly some was getting to the coals but like to know.  And when you slice all of that cured-dried goodness feel free to send me some for safety testing!

Photo Egg

Very cool...
Using your Flame Boss to monitor temps in your chest?

20stone

bgebrent said:

Very nice brother stone!  Curious though, did the duck fat render well with the SV then quick sear.  ..

The fat cooked a bit in the SV but did not fully render.  The breasts had about a 1/4" layer on there, but the texture was yummy.  The skin crisped up very well with the fire (some of which was fueled by the duck).

bgebrent said:

...And when you slice all of that cured-dried goodness feel free to send me some for safety testing!

None of it will be ready for Salado, but the whole cuts are looking good for one of the later fests.

Photo Egg said:

Very cool...
Using your Flame Boss to monitor temps in your chest?

Nope.  It is just there for the fan right now until I can find a better (cheaper) 5 CFM fan to keep the air moving inside.

caliking

Nice and nice.

What about a cheap computer fan to circulate the air? I'm sure Amazon has them.

And I think Old Gregg is lurking in the Short Bus... 

20stone

caliking said:

What about a cheap computer fan to circulate the air? I'm sure Amazon has them. 

They do, but I actually want a 110 plug to fit into all the controllers, and I haven't come across one with as low an airflow as I'd like (5 CFM).

caliking said:

And I think Old Gregg is lurking in the Short Bus... 

Old Gregg has definitely brought the funk, but I have been keeping it at bay with ACV, applied weekly during the weighing and cleanup.  The curing aromas are now much more pleasant.

Little Steven

20stone said:

caliking said:

What about a cheap computer fan to circulate the air? I'm sure Amazon has them. 

They do, but I actually want a 110 plug to fit into all the controllers, and I haven't come across one with as low an airflow as I'd like (5 CFM).

caliking said:

And I think Old Gregg is lurking in the Short Bus... 

Old Gregg has definitely brought the funk, but I have been keeping it at bay with ACV, applied weekly during the weighing and cleanup.  The curing aromas are now much more pleasant.

You can get a fan speed controller pretty cheap at the big box stores. If you have an electronics distributor nearby there's quite a variety of feather fans out there. They're used for cooling enclosures. I have a couple in my egg holding unit and they're hooked up on a digi-q

http://www.rotron.com/fans/index.aspx