I’m doing a 72hr roast recipe. After 24hrs I added a cup of water to replace what had evaporated and noticed I can smell seasonings. There is some liquid in the bag, but not an excessive amount. I can’t tell if that’s from the meat or if some got in. The bath doesn’t appear to be discolored.
This is the second time I’ve used the Anova. Any thoughts on what I should do?
There could be a leak, but not necessarily. The bags are not totally impervious. And an meat will give up fluid as it cooks.
Personally, I don’t think you have a problem, but I’m curious as to what your seasonings are.
Shaun, i agree with Ember, carry on cooking.
If you will share more details of your cook we can better assist you here.
For example:
What temperature are you using?
The higher the temperature you use the more moisture cooking meat expresses. It’s probably normal. Newcomers to SV cooking frequently comment on their observation of liquids in the bag. They forget that the SV bag captures the liquids that would evaporate during conventional cooking.
During long cooks seals fail with greater frequency, particularly freezer bags. Long cooks using freezer bags deserve a second sealed bag, just in case.
What type of bag are you using and what method did you use to seal it did you seal it?
Some plastic bags allow odours to escape.
Thanks for the responses!
For better or worse, I got a little creative because that’s what I do. Sometimes it works out.
I covered a chuck roast with kosher salt for several hours, patted it dry, and seared it. It was smeared with a paste (rosemary, thyme, sage, onion powder, paprika, crushed garlic, better than bullion, worstecire, and olive oil) then vacuum sealed in one of those bags-on-a-roll and placed in the bath @ 130.
My plan is to dry and let it cool for half an hour and sear it again and hope it’s good 
Shaun, you couldn’t be more correct as creativity drives learning and improved outcomes.
That’s a party in a bag you have there.
As a matter of habit i always make a double seals 1/4-inch apart using Foodsaver film.
I’ve discovered pre-sears didn’t improve my results.