I would like to start a 30 hour cook and pause it for a 3 hour one and then resume the thirty for the balance of the time. Is this possible?
I know I would add some time to allow the 30 hour time to get back to temperature from the refrigerator.
Arnold, you ask, - is this possible?
Yes, just about anything is possible. However, bringing a refrigerator into action during your cooking technique is usually a bad idea food safety-wise.
You are so economical with details it’s impossible to provide much guidance other than don’t.
Could you leave the long cook item in the container while you cook the 3 hour item. What are the items and their cooking temp? Maybe someone can suggest a good way of doing it.
I can’t help but wonder what you’re looking to achieve with the pause in cooking. Much safer to complete the cook in one session. And if you’re just looking to time shit the finishing time, an extra 3 hours cooking time will make no discernible difference to your cook.
Hi @Arnold_Milstein,
If your 30 hour cook is at a higher temperature than the 3 hour “interruption” cook you might consider leaving your 30 hour cook item “in the bath”, adding your new item, then dropping the temperature down for your 3 hour cook,. Once the three hour item is done pull it out and raise the temp back up to continue the 30 hour cook.
Good luck!
FYI - Looks like I overlooked the post by @Lew1 ! Basically the same thing I said, only he said it first! 
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Mike, thanks for chiming in. I look to more experienced cooks to validate my thinking or point out where I’m wrong.
Personally I would do the total 30 hour cook in advance, chill it in an iced water bath and leave. Depending upon the size and finishing temp of he 30 hour meat 1 would heat the SV to the lower temp and reheat the 30 hour meat and then add the 3 hour cook. Its all about size, time and temp to ensure that the meat is fully pasteurised and that no further microbes are added during the second warming stage. Without temperatures it is difficult to be precise, but I am assuming that the 3 hour temp is above 130 f. Both cooks could then be reversed seared at the same time, e.g Steak and Brisket served to the table at the same time perfectly cooked
Thank you all for your comments.
The original problem was I had two products that were expiring that I had to cook. I did not want to freeze either one.
I decided to freeze one.
This is one reason why you need at least two circulators (I have three). The other reason is to be able to cook vegetables while you’re also cooking meats. Veggies (especially the dense ones like potatoes, carrots, broccoli) generally have to be done at high temps, 180F-195F, for an hour or two to get to al dente or more well done. You can’t expect to cook some steaks and then cook some veggies and be able to serve both at the same time with the intended results.
As for cooking two different products at the same time, if the temp is the same for both foods, why would you need to stop one cook before starting the other? If the difference in temperatures is only a few degrees, it should have little or no effect on a 30-hour cook to run the water bath a few degrees hotter for a few hours, because the focus of your long cook is breaking down tough muscle fibers rather than getting the meat to rare or medium rare or medium.