Description
Sous vide is an incredible tool for chashu. It allows you to produce meat that is both exceptionally tender, well structured, and gorgeously pink, while still being fully cooked and safe to eat. This is a fantastic way to make chashu, and most high-end shops are pivoting to this approach, because it allows them to cook with marvelous consistency.
It also allows you to store the pork in the bag well in advance before use. Simply remove the bag from the water bath, chill the bag in an ice bath, and then reserve in the fridge. This pork should keep well for several weeks, provided you keep it in the vacuum-sealed bag, as the pork itself will be pasteurized and won’t be exposed to oxygen.
Notes
- salt pork belly before rolling
Ingredients
- 1lb Pork belly with rind/skin trimmed off
- Weight is not important here, you can make as much as you like
- 125 mL (approx. 0.5 cup) mirin
- 125 mL (approx. 0.5 cup) soy sauce
- 250 mL (approx.1 cup) water
- 12.5 g (1 tbsp) brown sugar
- 60 mL (approx. 0.25 cup) sake
- Ice water for shocking
Method
-
- Preheat a water bath to 79 °C/175 °F using a sous vide water circulator.
- Roll belly fat side out and tie.
- To tie start at one end and wrap a few times and tie a knot.
- Wrap tightly until you get to the other end and tie another knot.
- Sear the pork belly on all sides on high heat in a pan until golden brown, then place in a sturdy bag (ideally one used for a vacuum sealer).
- Turn off the heat and deglaze the pan with the remaining ingredients, then reserve this liquid and allow it to cool.
- Add cooled liquid to the pork in the bag. Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible.
- Cook the pork belly sous vide for 7-12 hours.
- Remove the meat from the bath, and add to the ice water to chill quickly. 8. Reserve in the fridge until needed, then slice as desired.