This last weekend I made 10 lbs. of snack sticks using both of my Masterbuilt 40 electric smokers. My snack sticks went into a stall and took over 13 hours to get up to 160 internal temp. So I am looking a getting a Sous Vide and trying to speed up the process. I have been reading and if I vacuum seal my sticks when I put them in the Sous Vide how will I know when the I.T. is over 160? If I don’t vacuum seal, will that hurt the taste or the texture of the final product? What would be the recommended wattage? I have seen both 750 and 1000 watts. Thanks in advance for helping an old man understand!

DO NOT get the Vac-Vida VS301! I bought one through Amazon in January 2020 because supposedly the company would stand behind their product. That’s a lie! Mine started giving me trouble in Dec. 2020. It would go through the vacuum cycle, try to seal, then repeat the vacuum cycle. I couldn’t get it to stop other than turning the machine off. After turning it off, the vacuum would eventually leak down enough so that I could open the machine > This usually took about 12 hours. I tried contacting the company but my phone calls and e-mails went unanswered. I finally bought another one from Ultra-Source. They are pricy, but I believe well worth the extra money especially if you want to package something delicate as they have the gas capabilities.

twilliams I did it per the Walton’s recommendations. I started a 125 for 1 hr, 140 for 1 hr, 155 for 2 hrs., then at 170 till I.T. was 160. I have no idea why I had such a long stall. I do know I had fat out but I didn’t use a binder but that little problem will be solved as soon as my next Walton’s order gets here.

Thanks to all who replied. As soon as I can find one in a brick and morter store I will own a Sous Vide machine. Thanks again!