Pork belly burnt ends

Ingredients for 8

• 2.5 kg pork belly

• 1/3 cup soy sauce

• 1/6 cup white vinegar

• 1/6 cup apple cider vinegar

• 3 tbs vermouth

• 1 tbs honey

• 1 tbs sesame seed oil

Directions

• Step 1

  Set sous vide to 165

• Step 2

  For the marinade, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, mirin, honey and sesame oil in a small bowl and blend well.

• Step 3

  If the skin (also called the rind) is still on the pork belly, leave it intact for additional flavor. Note that the sous vide stage of cooking will soften the skin significantly.

• Step 4

  Place pork belly in a sealable freezer bag and add the marinade. Carefully submerge the freezer bag in the water bath until most of the air has been removed and then seal the bag. Once the bag is sealed, work the pork belly with your hands to ensure that the marinade covers the meat as well as possible. Submerge the bag completely in the water bath and cook the pork belly for 16 hours. If you prefer not to finish the pork belly immediately after the water bath then submerge the bag in a large container filled with a 50/50 mix of ice and water to quickly reduce the meat's core temperature to a safe range of 34-38°F. At this point the meat can be refrigerated for two to three days or frozen

• Finishing Steps

• Step 0

  Fire up. As the pork belly nears completion in the water bath, prepare a grill for 2-zone cooking. On a charcoal grill, place a chimney full of pre-heated charcoal briquets on one side of the grill's charcoal grate in order to create direct and indirect cooking zones. Adjust the grill vents to maintain a temperature of about 225°F on the indirect side for smoking. Add 2 to 3 chunks of your favorite smoking wood to the charcoal for flavor. On a gas grill, adjust the temperature knobs so that the gas on one half of the grill is off and the other side is heated enough to maintain a temperature of approximately 225°F on the indirect side.

• Step 1

  Cook. Once the grill is ready, remove the pork belly from the water bath and from the freezer bag. Use a sharp paring knife or chef’s knife to score the skin by making a series of diagonal cuts 1-inch apart, followed by additional diagonal cuts the opposite way to create a crosshatch pattern.

• Step 2

  Place the pork belly skin side up in the indirect zone on the main cooking grate as far from the heat source as possible. Position the lid on the grill with the fully opened top vent positioned directly above the indirect side in order to force the smoke over and around the meat.

• Step 3

  Allow the pork belly to smoke until it reaches an internal temperature of 185°F, about 45 minutes (longer if it is coming from a chilled state). Flip the pork belly over and grill the skin over the direct heat cooking zone, moving the meat frequently with tongs until it is evenly browned and crisp.

• Step 4

  Serve. Remove the pork belly from the grill, slice and serve immediately. Slices can also be refrigerated for up to two days and re-heated in a skillet over medium heat.

Latest Comments