Sous Vide Pork Belly with Cherry Compote

RECIPE Ingredients

1 Berkshire Pork Belly, ribs & skin removed 

FOR THE CURE

  • 2 ½ liters water
  • 70 grams salt
  • 75 grams sugar
  • 1 jalapeño, sliced
  • 25 grams fish sauce
  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 3 grams ginger, peeled and smashed
  • 3 grams scallions, sliced
  • 25 grams onion, julienned
  • 12 grams celery root, cut in small dice
  • 1 gram ground cloves
  • 55 grams pink curing salt (tinted curing mixture)
  • ¼ bunch parsley
  • ¼ bunch cilantro

FOR THE DRIED CHERRY COMPOTE

  • 1 star anise
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 clove
  • 1 gram coriander seed
  • 2 grams yellow mustard seed
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 1 Japones dried chili
  • 1 nub ginger, peeled and crushed
  • 18 grams Turbinado sugar
  • 16 grams Kirsch
  • 25 grams apple cider
  • 125 grams dried cherries
  • 55 grams Ruby Port
  • 50 grams water
Recipe notes
This sous vide pork belly recipe is a great entry-level sous vide dish and the mouthwatering results are definitely worth the wait.
RECIPE Preparation
  1. Combine all cure ingredients (except pork belly) in a sanitized container and stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Brine pork belly for 4-5 days in the refrigerator. Discard brine. Cook the pork belly sous vide in an immersion circulator at 66 degrees C for 24-36 hours, until tender. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.
  2. For the dried cherry compote: Place the first 8 ingredients into a doubled square of cheesecloth and using kitchen string, tie into a sachet. In a medium saucepan, over medium high heat, combine sugar and cider. Cook slowly until an amber caramel forms. Deglaze with the Port and 1 gram of Kirsch. Add cherries and sachet. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Add remaining Kirsch and water. Bring back up to a boil then remove from heat and steep in a warm place.