I want to make some crispy pork belly (skin on). I did a sous vide in the machine for 145/72 hour. Came out super ridiculosuyl tender. What are the next steps for the “crispy” or “cracklin” skin that people with a non-sous vide method?
I use a torch.
Personally I have never managed to get a proper awesome crackling skin withe sous vide.
For roast pork, I always cut the skin off the meat and cook the pork sous vide and cook the skin in the oven on a wire rack above potatoes so the fat drips off and coats the potatoes.
Taking a step back… I realised the key to sous vide is moisture…. The key to crackling is the polar opposite.
I would try a slightly sweet glaze (sugar will caramelize) in a very hot skillet. Or maybe over a bed of hot charcoal.
This might be tricky, since any sugars in your marinade will tend to burn before the skin gets crispy. Here are two things to try: (1) wrap the meat with foil, exposing only the skin, and then broil it. (2) Place pork belly with skin side down on a plate, after sous vide, and then place a weight on top. This is to flatten the skin surface. Chill in this position until it retains its shape and flatness. Then place skin side down in a cold frying pan with about 1/4 inch (6 mm) of pork fat. Bring to a simmer and render the skin until desired crispiness.
Hi Boo, here’s how to get that skin super crispy/crunchy after SV cooking.
First, remove it from the belly meat. Pat the skin dry, dust it with a little baking powder, just a couple of grams now, or about 1/8 tsp for scale-challenged cooks, for some pork belly. Rub the baking powder well into the outside skin surface and let it sit for a few minutes while you preheat your oven to 375ᴼF with convection, no steam. Bake the skin on a wire rack set over a rimed sheet pan for about 10 minutes and thoroughly crisp. If you’ve brined that pork belly or earlier applied salt you may not need to add more salt.
If you use this technique, please don’t substitute baking soda. You won’t like it’s flavour and it doesn’t help dry the skin to help it crisp.
The method I use is to:
1 Score the skin
2. Bag and sous vide
3. Chill with weight to flatten the meat and skin, leave in bag. I put bag in iced water container with weight on it.
4. Removed meat from bag and get as dry as possible, especially skin
5. Very lightly oil cold frying pan.
6. Turn on oven to around 200 c
7. Put meat skin side down and start to warm pan slowly. This will start to render the fat and remove any water allowing the skin to crisp. Keep the meat flat using tin foil and a weight.
8. Once the skin nearly done transfer to oven, skin side up and allow meat to get to eating temp. Check with thermometer.
9. Enjoy
Its a trial and error process, but this method I have found to be the best