Emooze

The variable speed is nice because it means you don't have stuff shooting out the top. I'm not sure what the difference in speeds are in the 2-speed but I like the variable to be able to throw it on low to break up big chunks and then slowly bring it up to top speed. A refurb variable looks to be about $330 fyi.

For those interested, Bean Box does subscription to some of Seattle's local roasters: https://beanbox.co/ I've been getting it for a few months now and just about everything I have gotten was not just tasty, but dang fresh. Usually only a few days after the roast date it arrived on my doorstep (Seattle to Ohio). I may have a one coupon code for 15% off for those interested.

I'm not even sure what would be the point. So, yeah, bring it.

Oh yes and boy, does it smell good.

Duck and asparagus gratin

RIP Joe, breaking out my first good pair of cans, the SR-80s

I also have the V2244. It's good for most things. I also removed the safety cutoff so it pulls a harder vacuum. This is about the only good DIY chamber sealer I've seen: http://www.fishyfish.com/bobbruce/vacuum_bagger.html

I grew up on one of the country's best NPR stations, WGBH, and my parent's love for Steely Dan and the like. The transition to HiFi and DIY came when I went to college for EE and had to share a dorm with two other guys. Cool though they were, headphones were the preferable choice. When I started digging and realized I needed an amp, I looked around and thought: "Hey, I can build that!" Went to a meet the next year, got praise on my build, hosted the next two meets after that, and now here I am. Edit: why is my post always the first on the second page?

Thanks guys, especially nearly-the-same-birthday Uncle Absorbine. And of course, a happy birthday to very-nearly-the-same-birthday Dom!

Yes Jacob, the Searzall is quite nice when it's 12F out and I don't feel like starting up the grill. Gene, my love is discreet and often silent, but still present. Or did you want some pork? Not sure how to fax a tenderloin.

Dr. Gonzo's Uncommon Condiments: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/therkoproject/gimme-my-gonzos If you like all sorts of spicy stuff, I cannot recommend Dr. Gonzo's enough. His shop used to be down the street from my apartment in college. The mustards are superb, the hot sauces are delicious (I can and have done shots of one it was so good), and the mashes are like salsa made exclusively with peppers and are good just by the spoon-full. The garlicmash is like garlic cubed, good spread thinly on toast. He also used to host jam sessions in his shop on Thursday nights. I have the house band's first album, aptly titled "Roadkill Orchestra, Greatest Hits Vol. III"

Pork tenderloin a la Dr. Gonzo. Cooked at 60C for a few hours then finished with the Searzall:

So after some searching around for ideas, I came across the fact that the meat glue enzyme isn't a huge fan of salt. I was using salt cured bacon which would explain the disappointing bond. Last night I glued together the remaining two chicken breasts with a piece of cheese in between them (had I had ham, it would have been cordon bleu) and when I pulled it out of the bag just now, it was seriously like one piece of meat. I couldn't even get a fingernail in the seam to try and pull it apart. Lesson learned, too much salt means a bad bond. Also experimenting so far has been delicious.

Put some meat glue between bacon and chicken The bond was not as strong as I was expecting. Still damn delicious though. Edit: was finished with the Searzall too. I love that thing purely for the fire and the fact that it sounds like a small rocket.

Beer brined pork chops and sides.

Read somewhere about using a 50/50 beer/water brine for meats. So I am trying it with the winter Magic Hat and pork chops tonight.

For those who homebrew and get growlers from the local brewery: The uKeg

Nice to hear your thoughts on the 849, Ari. It's been on my hit list for a bit, and I still might by one based on your comments. The F-701 is still a pen I keep on permanent use though. Thursday, I got my Karas Kustoms Ink and I'm still a little mixed on my opinions of it. The machining is clearly beautiful but the fit and finish is a little lacking in terms of what I got vs. what I paid. Not super happy with it at the moment.

Making Japanese curry and I'm 3 beers deep so I didn't forget anything this time.

I baked some bread and fucked it up. I learned two lessons: 1) Don't forget the salt when making bread, tastes terrible. 2) Don't bake sober, you are more likely to be confident and forget things.

I like this idea a lot. Dryer lint works as a readily available substitute for wood shavings. Kept dry in a ziploc, lint works fine as tinder by itself.

My site uses WordPress and I'm using BlueHost for hosting. BlueHost is a bit more expensive but it comes with a plethora of additional services, such as email, subdomains and support specifically for WordPress. My few interactions with the support staff have all been pleasant. My one gripe is that they ask you to pay for however many years of service in one payment. For me, it meant a ~$200 payment, but on the flipside, I don't have anything to worry about for 3 years. WordPress can give you a pre-fab template that looks great and then what I did is poke around here and there in the code to get my site looking the way I wanted it. If you ever get really ambitious, there are guides floating around for building a WP template from scratch. Alternatively, a good friend uses Laughing Squid for hosting and is a big supporter of them. My site if you are so inclined: http://sexyparkas.com/

Ribeye

I have organized meets before and I am ashamed by your superior quantity and quality of both gear and food. I wish I could have been there.