TIL my new immersion circulator died after 3 uses in Dallas last Sunday

I picked up a budget circulator from a restaurant supply spot for about $80. Mid-service on a 48-hour pork belly confit, it just stopped heating and threw an error code. No backup circulator meant I had to pull the belly and finish it in a 200 degree oven, which messed up the texture completely. Anyone else had a cheap circulator fail on them during a big cook?

3 comments

3 Comments

danielr992d ago

Well, I've had luck finishing a stalled cook in a water bath on the stovetop with a thermometer watching the temp, just to get through. It takes some fussing but beats ruining the whole batch.

amyh122d ago

135 with a water bath can mess up your bark more than just letting it ride in the smoker.

laura_black2d ago

Dude, that's brutal. I had a cheap $60 one die on me in the middle of a 48-hour short rib bath. It just started flashing an error code and wouldn't hold temp. Had to toss the whole bag and start over with a different method. @amyh12 mentioned bark on a water bath, and I swear my pork butts always get a weird soft crust when I try to finish them that way.