Go to the Recipe: Fat Duck–Inspired Ultimate Pork Belly
The salty gelatinous cooking liquid is from the cooking step and not the brine? If you smoked the belly what type of use would you do with it?
We have refreshed our pork belly recipe. In the old one we added a small amount of water to the bag before cooking it. In this new we simply brine the belly then bag and cook it. The liquid being referenced is just the juice that comes out when cooking the belly. It is salty because of the brining step. I like to add it to stocks, soups etc... as it tends to be pretty unctuous.
How long can the belly be stored in the refrigerator? Is it safe for a few weeks due to the curing with Insta Cure No. 1?
What sides of the belly do you recommend searing? Skin only, or all sides?
I assume the belly should be cool on the inside when presented on the plate? the heat should only be enough for the sear, correct?
Do you not have to press the belly post-cook to an even thickness throughout?
Yes you should press the belly if you need to have even thickness throughout.
The belly should be fine for several weeks if stored properly. Searing is completely up to you. We prefer the skin side when serving a larger piece, however sear the flesh side when doing smaller pieces such as in the above photos.
Skin on or skin off? Why? And what advice do you have for getting that extra crispiness?
Hello. I would like to know if is truly necessary to use "insta cure" in a 10% salt solution when the meat is brined for 96h.
It helps to maintain the pink color of the pork belly.
I don't have a smoker, but I like smoked bacon. Do you have a recommendation for bagging with liquid smoke?
Maybe try adding liquid smoke during the brining process
Skin on for sure. Because the skin is full of delicious gelatin(after being cooked). This is my personal opinion. As for getting extra crispy, just make sure you have good hot sear and that should do the trick.
I would definitely try adding it during the brining process. Also consider smoked salts and sugars.
I want to make Fuschia Dunlops red braised pork sous-vide. Would you use the same time and temperature as here? Would you use insta-cure? Would you brine with salt or soy/chili paste?
My last try I did 65C for twenty four hours. I reduced the heck out of the braising liquid before I put it in the bag but did not brine the pork. The flavor was great but the texture was a little dry.Would you brine with salt or soy/chili paste?
For how long time do you recommend the smoking?
That totally depends on your smoker, what temp, smoke type etc... You should yield pretty good flavor if you use a relatively mild smoke such as oak or alder for about 4-6 hours.
I am not familiar with that recipe, but it sounds almost as if it is a marinade? You could just bag and cook everything together then reduce the resulting cooking liquid in post. Time and temperature should work equally if you are using pork belly. You should be fine using instacure.
Thanks Ben! I meant if you guys had a recommendation, since the stuff is pretty powerful. It's all good though, I'll experiment!
Does smoking or cooking with wood chips or charcoal work in a comby oven?
Done the last try today. Without insta cure, I've brined pork belly (portioned) in a 10% salt solution for 24/36/48/72 and 96 h. All of the pices of meat have then been cooked for 16h at 70 in ziptop bags with pork fat. I have found the 72 and 96 h too salty and a bit drier and gray then the others. Anyway the only result which I've found satisfying is the 48h. Thanks for your answer I'll try to use insta cure for the next try.
Yes. It does make quite a mess though
This is my version, with violets mashed potatoes, basil jelly, pickled onion and mint leaf
It is possible to store the belly until cooking it in the fridge after brining for 1 day?
How can I adjust this recipe given that I do not currently have any Insta Cure No. 1?
How can the belly be safe for several weeks in the fridge? I thought Botulism can develop in the fridge and if the fridge is not that cold, sous vide foods should only be kept in fridge for a few days?
I brine my pork for 48 hrs but I cook it whole with ribs and rind the result is astonishing also out of the ribs I make a ragout divine the only thing it comes salty coz of the brine but I add brwn sugar and it's perfect .. Sweet salty and a dash of wht wine vinegar guarantee hit all the notes:))
Wen I said I cook I meant sous vide at 63.5
For 24hrs or wen needed urgent 82deg for 12 hrs I find it much better wen cooked on the bone it's tastier and it works like a coating so it's very tender !
But will def try ur recipe brine it for 96hrs . Cheers love ur recipes and always watchin u on u tube well done guys!
Check out the Storage Techniques segment of the class: they discuss food safety (according to USDA, for pasteurized food, up to 30 days at 1c). Basically, botulism would take much, much, longer than a few weeks. Additionally, the pork belly is cured by the salt and insta-cure, so it will have a longer fridge-life than other food cooked sous vide.
I have just completed this. I only had time to brine for 48 hours but the resulting texture and taste was fantastic.
One issue I have is with the gelatinous liquid that is expelled during the cooking process. I have found that when chilling and pressing, the liquid forms a very solid jelly like coating that is hard to remove. I trimmed the majority of it off but when searing, the remaining gelatine that was still stuck on the skin, inhibited the browning process and created a deep brown sticky fond. Has anyone else had an issue with this? How do you remove the liquid from the skin before searing it? Any suggestions would be appreciated
Very beautiful
I'm,very low spikes English
thank you for this tomorrow i will try this recipe in my work place^^
i was think about new menu and i am sure it will be perfec for me~~
i will let you know about my resurt~~^^
I usually just rinse it of with hot water at about 50C, which is the hottest my tap gets. If you want to reserve the liquid just warm the bag. As long as you stay below the temp you cooked it at, you shouldn't have any problems.
Can anyone advice if there is a bad effect on the pork if I put vinegar in the bag?
I would like to try a recipe and it calls for vinegar.
My first attempt with the MCAH lentil salad. Plating leaves something to be desired but the dish was awesome.
What if I can't get insta cure #1?
Took me ages to find but, If you're in the uk: http://www.smokedust.co.uk/
Prague Powder #1
I completed this recipe over the weekend, and achieved results as ChefSteps intended (see pic below ), HOWEVER....
BORING!
What this recipe created seems to be very nice, tasty, fatty bacon. But that end result can also be achieved in 20 minutes by going to your nearest butcher and buying this nice fatty bacon. I am now trying methods of rendering more fat and adding more flavor than this low temp method allows. 16hrs @ 70°C will not render much fat. BEGIN RANT: This lack of flavor seems to be an ongoing problem with Modernist cookbooks and web sites. The belief that method alone will yield sufficiently awesome results is a little misplaced. A friend owns the giant 'Modernist Cuisine' book, and his greatest complaint is that he has to amp up almost every recipe. My wife and I, and a revolving coterie of friends, have been serious home cooks for over 20 years (20 course showoff dinners at home), and restaurant groupies too, having searched for and eaten at many of the most innovative restaurants all over the world. (I realize that sounds snotty, and I apologize) The point is that while Modernist cuisine has advanced American food culture in fantastic ways, it needs to get over itself on the flavor front. Take a look at how much flavor is involved in making of the Pork Belly Confit in the "Charcuterie" book by Michael Rulhman. A friend recently made a combination of that recipe and the one by Gordon Ramsey. The results were stunning on both texture and flavor. Many of the comments I read on this site seem to touch on ways to add flavor to the recipes as presented, so Chris, Grant, Ryan, help us out here! END RANT. On the positive side, the methods are pretty spot on. The Egg Calculator and Time and Temp Guide are fantastic aids (even if, inexplicably, many recipes do not follow them). I have made many other ChefSteps recipes successfully and altered them as necessary to great acclaim by friends and spouses.
I don't really think this post should be dignified with a response, but boy are you on about nothing. This recipe is clearly an entry level approach to sous vide so as not to scare off people who are new to it. If you were such a master culinarian, you could pretty much read the recipe and know that there is not too much depth to the recipe. There is literally zero connection with this fact and your perception of modernist cooking lacking oomph.
Sous vide equals precision, replication, and convenience. Nothing implied that it equals flavor. It all depends on what you do with the end product. I think Ruhlman would agree. So keep buying your bacon from your butcher, some of us like to do it at home.
Botulism only occurs in an anaerobic environment ( oxygen free). You are much more likely to experience mold, use your nose...if it stinks it's bad. Cured meats will keep for a long time. Store in a container rather than a plastic bag which tend to sweat and hold moisture next to the meat.
Is tinted curing mix interchangeable with Insta Cure No. 1?
I recently had massive success roasting Pork Belly according to the Cook's Illustrated recipe. You slice the fat cap like in the photo below. After dry brining overnight in the fridge, into the oven at 250 for 3 1/2 hours (internal temp 195 F); the magic happens after you take it out of the oven -- crisp up the skin in the pan with about a cup of oli/pork fat. The crispy skin paired with the melting fat and delicious meat is unreal. I'm thinking that instead of the oven part, cook the Pork Belly souls vide, then finish off crisping the top layer of fat. Will let you know how that turns out.
On a side note, I suggest everyone Pressure Cooks come fresh cherry tomatoes for an hour and make an insane BBQ scratch sauce to match (pic below).
I think the comments were spot on. To the poster that disagreed - re-read the post. which seems an objective, reasoned comment based on the poster's experience. I am likewise a long time home cook who worked through school in what Craig Claiborne called at the time, one of the best French restaurants in America. Doesn't mean much except I know enough to know what I like and don't like. While I thoroughly enjoy the ChefSteps classes and recipes, more than once I have felt that the flavor bang falls a bit short of the eye candy, so to speak. And I agree, this seems to be a byproduct of certain interpretations of modernist cuisine. .However, everyone's sense of taste is different and what different people look for in food covers a wide spectrum (and thank goodness for that) so no one is wrong here. I too, however, would like to taste a little more pizazz in some of the creations.
Yum!!
Why not make a smaller amount of brine and seal the belly in a bag of brine? Or make a dry cure vs. the brine, like you would when curing for bacon?
Maybe the brine will have a reaction with the plastic bag? Try it and let us know.
Rock salt
Just finished this recipe tonight and loved how simple and easy everything was. It'll be a great go-to when I have an extra hunk of belly or just want to conquer a craving.
Any reason you couldn't freeze the pork belly after the SV cook and then defrost and sear as needed?
Did you try sous vide vs. oven roasting yet? I'm currently vacillating between the two recipes for the pork belly I'll be cooking next week. I'm mainly interested to know if there was a difference in the quality of the crackling.
I'm so glad you asked, because I was thinking about posting something. Basically, unless you're looking to cause a major grease fire in your kitchen, you can simply go from sousvide to fry. Water & Hot Oil don't mix. I even try to pat down the delicate fat with paper towels, still almost cause the kitchen to blow up. Therefore, I'm sticking with the oven roast to fry as featured in Cooks Illustrated to get the multi texture. Of course, as always, open to thoughts from others on this.
Don't do this if you use Insta Cure No 1 (or anything else with sodium nitrate in it). Acidic ingredients shouldn't be combined with sodium nitrite.
Hi Chris, I had the same question. Did you find out how this works? Cheers.
The recipes here that are often labelled bland I found pretty much are always made tasty simply by seasoning with sufficient salt after cooking
TCM, Prague #1 and Insta Cure No. 1 are interchangeable. I've used all with success.
I've made this recipe and it turned out to be amazing. My friend prepared the belly sous vide without the brine and it had an off taste that was undesirable to me. Could the brine be the reason it didn't have the off taste? I plan to sous vide a loin wrapped in belly porchetta and was wondering if I should brine the belly first. I am going to sous vide the porchetta for 36 hours at 155F. I don't want the off taste I experienced before without the brine but I'm concerned the brine will tighten the belly and make it difficult to wrap around the loin. Any insight would be appreciated.
Hi David, without knowing exactly what the off-taste is, it's hard for us to say whether this was due to the brine or another factor. Sorry we're able to be of more help!
Hi Chris, no! You could absolutely do that!
Thanks Ellen. The off-taste came from the sous vide belly that was not brined. It was kind of a gamey (stronger pork but not pleasant) taste I've only gotten when I sous vide pork without brining it first. When I brine pork before sous vide, it tastes good. Have you ever experienced this too? This is the recipe I'm preparing - http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/12/the-food-lab-deep-fried-sous-vide-36-hour-all-belly-porchetta.html. It says to salt, etc. and place in fridge for at least overnight but up to three days. Maybe this accomplishes the brining effect and I won't get the off-taste I've described. I'm thinking about adding pink salt too. Your thoughts? Thanks again.
Could you add liquid smoke to the brine and save the actual smoking step? If so, how much?
Careful with the sodium nitrite (instacure) if using in a highly acidic (vinegar) brine. It can cause the salts to rapidly decompose into nitric oxide - unsafe as a concentrated gas.
Does the pork belly comes with the skin?
You can buy it from your butcher with or without skin, just ask them to remove it if you don't want it.
David, about 25 years ago, one of the best wild-game chefs that I know taught me a trick that describes what you are talking about. He always did 1 of 2 things with wild game that he swore removed the gamey, strong taste that you are referring to. The first technique is to soak the meat overnight in milk; don't ask me the science behind it, but it works. I do venison backstrap this way, after slicing it into 1 1/2" cuts, then pound them flat, bread them and fry them like chicken-fried steak. Simply amazing, and no gamey flavor at all. People that don't "like" venison have tried it and love it. The second technique, which I use on larger cuts, is to brine the meat in a product called Morton's Tender Quick for 1-2 days. Again, no gamey flavor. I have used both techniques on many varieties of game with successful results. So in conclusion, I suspect that your off flavor did indeed come from the lack of brining. I can't speak as to whether the dry curing technique you describe will work or not; I suspect that the key is to pulling to blood from the meat, which both techniques I described accomplish (the milk turns quite pink, as does the Tender Quick solution), and dry curing should do the same.
Hi Chris, yes! You could just take our Smokerless Smoked Brisket recipe and adapt!
just leave it overnight uncovered in the fridge after u pat it dry, it should turn out pretty dry after that and then just shallow fry it in a wok while basting it continuously at 200C and finishing it in 150C oven just to warm up the interior, with lower amount of oil, it shouldn't make so much mess
As I write this I have my porchetta assembled, seasoned and drying in the frig til Monday. I've made several over the years and was told by a butcher in Phillies Little Italy to make sure that after I took the belly our of the plastic wrap wash it thoroughly for several minutes in cold water to get all the slimness off of it. AND he said, if I froze it, make sure to slow thaw in the refrigerator still in the wrap and then wash it thoroughly.
