re: 48 hour sous vide pork shanks - just went in the water.

I'm anxious to hear the results as well. I don't think I've ever cooked pork at a temp over 140. Those vegetables probably won't cook properly at 150. This from Douglas Baldwin:

quote:

---

aromatics (such as carrots, onions, celery, bell peppers, etc.) will not soften or flavor the dish as they do in conventional cooking methods because the temperature is too low to soften the starches and cell walls. Indeed, most vegetables require much higher temperatures than meats and so must be cooked separately.

---

LINK

Perhaps a better choice would to have sauteed the mirepoix (pushing it through a strainer is an option), then putting it into a bag upright in the freezer until frozen, then into the bag with the protein.

He also continues on...

quote:

---

only wine presents any significant problems when cooking sous vide. If the alcohol is not cooked off before marinating, some of it will change phase from liquid to vapor while in the bag and cause the meat to cook unevenly. Simply cooking off the alcohol before marinating easily solves this problem.

---

I've also read from the experts that butter should never be used in a period over four hours. I can't remember why, but I hope it doesn't ruin your two day cook.

Sounds like this may be a live and learn experience which we all go through.

The link I provided above has some very thorough information which should enlighten you. My only knock on Baldwin is that in general, his cooking times seem to be unnecessarily long.

Where did you find the Ossobuco?

ETA: I couldn't find my reference to not use butter for more than four hours, but here's an interesting read on not using fat at all...

quote:

---

I've seen recipes that recommend adding fat to the bag, though none that offer plausible reasons for doing so. I decided to test whether or not it adds anything to the process by cooking three steaks side by side: one with nothing added to the bag, one with olive oil, and one with butter. I also repeated the test with some thyme sprigs and garlic added to each bag. Intuitively you may think that adding a flavorful fat like butter or olive oil will in turn help create a more flavorful steak, but in fact it turns out that you achieves the opposite goal: it dilutes flavor. Fat-soluble flavor compounds dissolve in the melted butter or oil and end up going down the drain later. Similarly, flavors extracted from aromatics end up diluted. For best results, place your seasoned steak in a bag with no added fats.

---