For Thanksgiving

133°F for

Aiming for ~3 pounds

Small piece at 133 for ~17 hours turned out better than I expected. It was fantastic. Tender and flavorful. With the connective tissue melted down.

Update 2015.12.25: I did the other piece from Thanksgiving that was in the freezer for a month. It was in the bath for closer to 21 hours. It was dryer than I want. The extra time had a negative effect on the texture. I want to try 15 hours next and maybe 131 degrees.

Frozen salmon individually wrapped.

From freezer to pot.

122F

30-40 minutes cook time targeted if thawed.

Over an hour because it is still frozen.

Update: 2015.12.19 I did salmon properly this time. Thawed and rebagged the fish. 122°F for 40 mins. Amazingly moist and intense salmon flavor.

Brining: Soaking the fish in salt water seems to be the key to keeping it pretty. I have seen various times and percentages. I will try 10% for 10 minutes first. Then probably up to 30 minutes. I see many instructions for doing this in icy water.

So to get that 10% solution, I will try one tablespoon of salt per scant (a bit less than) cup of water. I will try fridge cold water maybe with a few ice cubes and put the water in the fridge. 10 minutes, then increases in time by 5 or 10 minutes until I like the results. 122°F for up to 40 mins.

For chicken salad

144F for 2 hours
Salt and pepper

Chicken Salad Recipe

Add 2 Tablespoons sweet pickle relish to chicken and add enough mayonnaise to bind chicken salad. Add salt and pepper. In this case, the chicken with seasoned enough before it went into the cooking bag.

Stuff like cranberries, celery, grapes, red onions, curry powder, raisins, strawberries, pecans, almonds and other dried fruits or fresh fruits work too.