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| Joined: | Tue Jun 7th, 2005 |
| Location: | Colorado Springs, Colorado USA |
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This one definitely needs advance planning, but the Sous Vide method ensures the pork pig belly is lusciously tender, juicy, and packed with flavor from its own fat and collagen. Luckily, you can rest the finished meat in the fridge for a day or so after cooking (in fact, you HAVE to, to prep it for the crispiest skin!). So you can do the Sous Vide part, then put the meal together a couple days later when you're ready.
Despite the length of time needed, this is really a fairly easy prep. The only real "cooking" comes when crisping the skin and searing the portions. It's going to get a bit messy from splattered oil, but it's pretty easy to pull off.
And, if you are a fan of bacon, pork fat, rich and tender pork, you're going to LOVE the results. Note; this IS a pig belly, so you shouldn't expect anything resembling "lean meat" here. There is LOTS of fat in this dish! Size your portions accordingly!
Ingredients:
For the Sous Vide
~4 lb Pig Belly
~2 Tbs Sweet Thick Soy Sauce
~3-4 tsp Mesquite Grill seasoning
~2-3 tsp Sriracha sauce
~1/4 tsp liquid smoke
For the crisp skin
~3 tsp Kosher Salt
~2 tsp Baking Soda
Directions:
Leave the skin on the pork belly
Score the flesh side of the pig belly every inch, about 1/2" deep
Rotate the meat 90 degrees and score it again
Sprinkle a light coat of Mesquite Seasoning over the flesh side and rub it in
Mix the liquid smoke with the sriracha sauce and spread it over the scored meat. Rub it in.
Drizzle the scored meat with the thick sweetened soy sauce and rub it in.
Place the pork in a large zip-top bag. Using the displacement method, remove the air and zip the top.
Place in 155 degree Sous Vide for 36-40 hours. If necessary, weight it with a drying rack to keep it submerged. Use a large sheet of aluminum foil over the pot to reduce evaporation.
When the pork is done cooking, remove the bag from the water. Slightly open the zip top and pour the accumulated juices into a small jar or bowl. Refrigerate until frying the pork.
Remove the pork from the bag. Pat the skin side thoroughly dry with paper towels.
Mix the kosher salt and baking soda together. Rub the skin thoroughly with the salt/soda mixture.
Place uncovered, skin-side up, in the refrigerator for 6 hours or over night. (The chemical reaction from the salt and soda makes the skin extra crispy when fried later.)
When ready to fry the pork
Retrieve the reserved juices. Pour into a small sauce pan and reduce by about 1/3 over medium heat to make a wonderful pan jus.
In a large frying pan, heat about 1/4 " of high smoke-point oil until it reaches 350-375 degrees.
Remove the pork from the refrigerator and rinse the salt/soda from the skin.
Pat thoroughly dry with paper towels. Make sure to get ALL the water off or the oil will erupt!
Carefully place the slab of pig belly skin-side down in the hot oil.
Deep fry the skin until dark and crispy (about 90-seconds to 2 minutes).
Remove the pig belly to a resting plate. Pour off the oil in the pan, leaving just a little coating the metal.
Slice your pig belly into serving-sized portions.
Return it to the hot skillet and sear the cut sides until they are somewhat toasted and the fat slightly crisped (about 1-2 minutes a side).
Plate, and pour a bit of the reduced pork jus over the meat.
Devour!!
Attachment: pan_seared_sous_vide_pork_belly.jpg (Downloaded 6 times)
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