Sous Vide + Soy Sauce

Hi all,

I've just started using a sous-vide machine and I am completely inexperienced with it, so any comments/suggests are much appreciated.

Currently, I am trying to sous-vide pork belly in a simple soy-sauce marinade at 60C. In my first attempt, after 72 hours the pork belly developed a sourish taste. I understand that it may be a sign of bacterial growth, so I tried to sous-vide the pork without the soy-sauce marinade and the pork turned out fine w/o the sourish taste. However, on my third try with the soy marinade, that sourish taste came back.

Within my marinade, I just have star anise, 5-spice powder, light soy-sauce and sugar.

Might anyone have any idea why this keeps occurring?

Thanks!

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Comments

Samuel_68313

I've never tried long cooking with soy sauce, but from my experience an awful lot of things develop really strange flavours when cooked for a long time (say over 24 hours) sous vide. Personally I am inclined to just cook the meat as it is (or with a cure/spice rub if that's what I'm after) and then flavour it afterwards.

Also, if you're cooking over 24 hours you should really pre sear or Blanche the meat. Hugely reduces the chance of off flavours and stops that depressing moment when you waste a huge piece of meat you've been cooking for three days.

Yi_Ming_36384

Thanks @SamuelG

I actually pre-seared the meat on my third try because I was afraid that it could be due to bacteria on the outside of the meat but it still resulted in that sourish after-taste...

I've seen other recipes cook with soy past 24 hours (usually to 36) so that's why I am a little puzzled, maybe 72 is too long?

Brendan_Lee_56950

Maybe it's that variety of soy sauce, try with a different brand and see if that makes a difference.

davidattala

Are you cooking it in the marinade, or are you brining/marinating it first, rinsing, bagging/cooking? If for some reason you are cooking it in the marinade, I would avoid doing that for fear of too strong a flavor.

Yi_Ming_36384

Thanks for the replies guys.

I am cooking the pork belly in the same marinade, but I heat up the marinade and then cool it down before bagging it.