I was exhausted from a long day, but I kept my spirits high because I had ropa vieja cooking for the past 24 hours, and it was looking choice as hell. On Sunday, I got everything started: onions, green and red bell peppers, tomato paste, cooking wine, oregano, sazon, adobo, lime juice, and garlic all in the pan, smelling incredible. I seared some skirt steak, bagged it, mixed in the sauce and veggies, sealed it up, and submerged it. As soon as I got off work, I bolted to the kitchen to finish it. Skirt steak is one of my favorite proteins, so I knew this was going to be dynamite. Well… it blew up in my face. I pulled the bag out of the cooker and was admiring the color of the juices, thinking about how I’d reduce it a bit before plating. As I’m letting the excess water drip off, I see a thin red stream of liquid starting to come out. Panic sets in. I start looking around frantically because I don’t want to bare-hand close this gap.…