When I first joined PH, some lady mentioned that she was doing sous vide in conjunction with pellet cooking. I can't remember her name but I'd never heard of sous vide and started doing research on the process. I, like Bentley, started with an old crock pot and a Chinese thermal switch that I had laying around in a drawer. I now have three Anova circulators and several DIY versions. The two things that I like best sous vide, are chuck roast @ 132° for 36-48 hours and shrimp @ 130° for 30-45 minutes. 

Why 3 Anova’s? Upgrade or just needed two more

you don't really need a vac sealer, you can use freezer bags and displacement method of getting the air out, put the object in the bag and with it open let it sink under the water and the water pressure on the bag will force the air out. heck you can leave the bag open as long as the water level is above the object. Some just use a binder clip and clip it to the side of the pot.

A lot has been said about how not putting anything in the bag or on the meat for flavor work as things cook out of the meat and not into it.

As for cooking, temp is equal to doneness and time is equal to tenderness.

here is a great table for different items.

douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html

I enjoy many different ways of cooking to include SV.  It is definitely different and in some cases take longer to cook.  I enjoy takes cooked using SV and then finishing them on a very hot grill or in a pan with butter.  I do not think I would cook a brisket and/or a butt but many have.  they say they liked it however I just don't see them picking up the smoke flavor or developing the bark that I like.  But don't dismiss SV cooking as it has been used for years by restaurants  and cruise lines

"A lot has been said about how not putting anything in the bag or on the meat for flavor work as things cook out of the meat and not into it. "   Big Dave, I'm confused by this statement, (easily done with me)  do you put flavoring on before sealing or not?

I’m thinking anything with direct contact with the meat would leave some sort of Flavor.

Why 3 Anova’s? Upgrade or just needed two more

I have two in Arizona and one on my boat in Washington. In AZ, I frequently SV vegetables at the same time that I have meat in the other SV. On the boat it's invaluable, get it going before leaving port, cruise all day and dinner is ready as soon as you anchor/arrive at the next port.

Ahhhhh  gotcha, must be a good unit if you bought 3

from what I have read the only thing that will penetrate the proteins is salt, all of the other things are surface treatment which come off in the liquid that cooks out of the meat. beter to Sv then dry and season and finish in your preferred manner.

So what I am hearing is I need to brine my meat before I sous vide it!

SV pork chops. No better way. Before I had a SV I tried my Dutch oven over my smallest stove burner with a silicon trivet inside to deflect the direct heat. I was sold.

FWIW, here's my method for SV steaks.  It's what I use when I want to "hold" the steaks for some reason (arriving guests, side dish preparation or such).  Also, I don't normally reverse sear because I'm of the opinion that searing after smoking burns off the smoke flavor from the steak's surface, but it's necessary after SV in this sequence.

Doneness will vary as you vary the length of sear time and the SV temperature.  Experiment.

Season and refrigerate
Sear in a 350°F cast iron for 45 seconds (use a stopwatch) [1]
Cold smoke
SV cook at 135°F
Pat dry (very important)
Sear again for 30 seconds [2]

[1] Oil or butter increases the browning.

I sear steaks before cooking them SV because cold steaks brown without cooking and it rapidly kills bacteria where they are most likely to be found—on the steak's surface. 

350°F is suitable for browning meat.  Above 355°F a different set of reactions occur:  pyrolysis, also known as burning.  With pyrolysis comes bitterness.  The black compounds that pyrolysis creates also may be carcinogenic, so go easy on charring your foods for visual appeal.

Also, I think the Maillard flavor increases during SV cooking.  It would be difficult to prove, though.   

[2] Sous vide cooking softens the first browning.  The second sear is required to make it crisp again.

3/11/19 EDIT:  I've abandoned this method.  I kept adding steps in an attempt to overcome cooking while smoking and it got too complicated.

FWIW, here's my method for SV steaks.  It's what I use when I want to "hold" the steaks for some reason (arriving guests, side dish preparation or such).  Also, I don't normally reverse sear because I'm of the opinion that searing after smoking burns off the smoke flavor from the steak's surface, but it's necessary after SV in this sequence.

Doneness will vary as you vary the length of sear time and the SV temperature.  Experiment.

Season and refrigerate
Sear in a 350°F cast iron for 45 seconds (use a stopwatch) [1]
Cold smoke
SV cook at 135°F

thanks except for the initial sear which i will do next time I follow the same process
Pat dry (very important)
Sear again for 30 seconds [2]

[1] Oil or butter increases the browning.

I sear steaks before cooking them SV because cold steaks brown without cooking and it rapidly kills bacteria where they are most likely to be found—on the steak's surface. 

350°F is suitable for browning meat.  Above 355°F a different set of reactions occur:  pyrolysis, also known as burning.  With pyrolysis comes bitterness.  The black compounds that pyrolysis creates also may be carcinogenic, so go easy on charring your foods for visual appeal.

Also, I think the Maillard flavor increases during SV cooking.  It would be difficult to prove, though.   

[2] Sous vide cooking softens the first browning.  The second sear is required to make it crisp again.

I got a 2.4lb Chuck that I am trying when I get back from CA.  I am told it should go 36 hours.  I do not understand why that long, but will give it a go!

So what I am hearing is I need to brine my meat before I sous vide it!

Here's one technique I often do. I portion out steaks, chops, ect, then season with salt and pepper and vac seal. Put into the fridge and leave 12 hours to allow salt to penetrate, and then freeze so it's ready to go whenever you want. When I want to cook one, it's already seasoned and can go right into the SV pot. I doing a Tri-Tip today using an ice water bath. You fill your SV pot with cold water and a bunch of ice and then put the meat (cold or frozen) into it. Then I will start it from work at 3:30 PM so it will be done by 7PM. The ice water bath keeps it safe. The Anova has an ice water alert that sends you a notification when the water temp gets above 40F and warns you to start cooking. But if you wrap towels around the pot and put in plenty of ice, it will stay below 40F for many hours.

But I've also seasoned fresh meat and put right into the bag and into the SV and have great results, so a long dry brine time is not required.