Sous Vide Pork Belly what did I do wrong?

Hi, I am very new to sous vide cooking and am still experimenting and trying to get my head around this very different way of cooking. Yesterday I cooked a small port belly (about 3in thick) for 7 hours at 86 degrees. It wasn't succulent and a little dry in places. There was an awful lot of juice in the bag and I wonder if that is where the moistness went! However, the flavour was very good. Reading some of the posts here, I know I am amongst some amazing chefs, can someone please tell me how to make it better next and what I did wrong. Thank you.

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Johan_Edstrom_5586

That sounds awfully high a temp to me. This might be a good start. http://www.chefsteps.com/activities/sous-vide-pork-belly I usually do mine at 63C, 24h, then chill and press - finally pan sear.

Brandon_Byrd_40557

+1 for Johan's suggestion of a lower temp. There are a lot of ranges/times that people suggest, but few advocate a temperature that high unless they're looking for more of a traditional braised texture. I cook mine at 60C for 36-48 hours. Also, brining helps pork quite a bit. I'd definitely try brining before hand next time (in combination with a lower temp/longer cooking time).

Tim_Salazar_36007

adding #help

tshewman

+2 for Johan's suggestion assuming you did not chill post cook. These temps for approximate times (though much closer to 5 hours) can be used, but the meat needs to be chilled after to allow the meat to relax. Then cut portions and sear, or warm at a much lower temp and sear. Brining etc is also a consideration.

Luis_58461

as sous-vide has become so popular there are obviously a lot of different temps, times, etc. online and everywhere. it can be really confusing in the beginning because you must stick to some recipes that you found somewhere unable to check as you could do with a "normal" method during the cooking process. But here you got a really good help. On one side you have the recipes with step by step videos on the other hand you have this forum where you can get good help. don't be afraid of low temps this is the great advantage with sv. i usually do mine with 48 hour brine and then at 60° like brandon. good luck and i hope you will enjoy a more pleasant belly soon.

wendy_130693

Thank you so much, guys. I'm going to follow your advices next time!!