scottranda - a wise man graciously gave me a tip that worked well this weekend. 3-4 hours in the smoker at 250°F, then ice bath, then vacuum seal. Then you can keep it in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days as needed. The day you plan to eat it, do roughly 4 hours in the sous vide bath at 180-185°F. Toss it on a hot grill for a minute or so per side to restore the bark.
I think using the smoker first has a couple of advantages. First is the smoke ring, which you can't get after you sous vide. Second is that I think the bark is partially a function of the stuff coming out of the meat while it smokes. If you sous vide it, you take away part of what would become bark, and it just sits in the bag.
As a general approach for sous vide, when I do an ice bath I make sure I use about half ice and half cold water. It cools the contents of the bag down much faster because the water conducts heat much better than air, just like when you're cooking a bag. I suggest 20 mins, or more, depending on what you're trying to cool down.
I think using the smoker first has a couple of advantages. First is the smoke ring, which you can't get after you sous vide. Second is that I think the bark is partially a function of the stuff coming out of the meat while it smokes. If you sous vide it, you take away part of what would become bark, and it just sits in the bag.
As a general approach for sous vide, when I do an ice bath I make sure I use about half ice and half cold water. It cools the contents of the bag down much faster because the water conducts heat much better than air, just like when you're cooking a bag. I suggest 20 mins, or more, depending on what you're trying to cool down.
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