Honey Garlic Sous Vide Pork Belly with Crispy Skin

There’s nothing quite as delectable as tender, succulent Honey Garlic Sous Vide Pork Belly. This thick and meaty cut of pork is popular in Asian cuisine. The sous vide method cooks pork belly perfectly, and a quick sear makes the skin crispy and packed with all the umami goodness of sizzling bacon.

Pork belly responds best to slow, methodical cooking. With this recipe, you’ll be using the sous vide method to cook the pork for ten hours in a sweet, savory honey garlic sauce. The end result is sticky-sweet cuts of pork, perfect for topping a hearty bowl of ramen.

Why Sous Vide Pork Belly?

When it comes to pork belly, there are so many delicious methods of preparation. While slow cooking and roasting are popular options, sous vide pork belly is a total game-changer. The sous Vide cooking ensures you get a perfectly tender and succulent pork belly every single time! The sous vide technique allows you to precisely control the temperature and cooking time for restaurant-quality cuts of juicy meat.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Pork Belly: Your local butcher or meat shop will have fresh, center-cut pieces of pork belly. For this recipe, we recommend getting skin-on pork belly for a golden brown, crispy skin.
• Honey: Pure honey is preferred for this recipe, but can be substituted for maple syrup or agave nectar.
• Garlic: Use cloves of fresh garlic for this recipe. If it’s more convenient, you can use pre-minced garlic.
• Soy Sauce: It adds flavor and color to your pork. Use low sodium to reduce salt intake.
• Vegetable Oil: Use vegetable oil or another neutral oil such as canola or corn oil for this recipe.
• Sesame Seeds: You’ll be garnishing your pork belly with sesame seeds, but go ahead and skip this ingredient if you don’t have any on hand.
• Green Onions: Green onions or scallions will be used as a garnish. If you prefer, use chopped chives.

How to Make Sous Vide Pork Belly

Step 1: Season the Pork Belly

• In a mixing bowl add honey, garlic, soy sauce. Mix well.
• In a zip-top bag, add pork belly. Then pour in the seasoning mixture. (Cut the pork belly into smaller strips if needed.)

Step 2: Vacuum Seal the Pork Belly

• Seal all but one corner of the bag.
• Slowly place it in the water bath, making sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag.

Step 3: Sous Vide Cook the Pork

• Cook the pork belly in the warm water bath at 170°F (77°C) for 10 hours.
• Cover the pot with several pieces of aluminum foil, which will minimize water evaporation.

Step 4: Sear the Pork Belly

• When the timer goes off, remove the pork belly from the bag and keep the juices. Pad it dry with paper towels.
• Cut the Cooked Pork Belly into smaller pieces.
• Add oil to a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the pork belly. Cook for about 1-2 minutes until the skin is nicely seared.
• Flip the pork and 1/2 cup of the juices from the bag, season with salt to taste. Cook for about 1 minute. Remove the pork from the skillet. Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.

Tips for the Best Sous Vide Pork Belly

• Skinless vs skin-on pork belly: You can use skinless or skin-on pork belly for this recipe, depending on your personal preference. Just remember, if you want that crispy, seasoned pork skin, you will need skin-on pork belly.
• Seal a bag without a vacuum sealer: If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, don’t worry. You can use a technique called the “Water Displacement Method”. All you need is a Ziploc bag and a large pot of water. Put your meat, sauce and seasoning into the bag and seal all but one corner of the bag while squeezing out as much air as possible. Next, immerse the bag into the water, ensuring everything below the opening is fully submerged. The water pressure will push the remaining air out of the bag, which can now be sealed.
• Check the water level from time to time, and add more water if necessary.

What Temperature to Sous Vide Pork Belly?

For this recipe, we recommend setting your sous vide machine to 170°F. This will result in a succulent, braise-like texture. If you’d like your pork belly to have a gelatin-like texture, you can reduce the temperature to 150°F.

How Long Do You Sous Vide Pork Belly?

The cooking time varies depending on the temperature you set. You’ll need to cook for 10 hours 170°F. Cook for 72 hours at 150°F, or 36 hours at 155°F.

Can You Overcook Pork Belly in Sous Vide?

Because the internal temperature of the meat will not exceed the temperature of the bath, you won’t overcook pork belly with sous vide. However, the texture can become mushy if you leave the meat in the water bath for too long.

Can I Sous Vide Frozen Pork Belly?

Yes, you can make this recipe using frozen pork belly. This means that you can season your pork ahead of time and store it in a Ziploc bag in the freezer, so it will be ready to cook. The cooking time is the same if you cook from frozen.

How to Serve Sous Vide Pork Belly?

• Serve with Ramen: Pork belly is a popular topping for ramen. This crispy, savory meat is the ultimate addition to a comforting, hearty bowl of noodles.
• Add to Buns (Momofuku Pork Buns): If you’ve been to any Momofuku restaurant, you’ll know how tasty their steamed pork buns are. These buns are soft, fluffy and stuffed with honey garlic pork belly.
• Use it as Char Siu: Use it as Chinese BBQ pork for other recipes.

If You Like This Recipe, Try These Sous Vide Recipes Out

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If you tried this recipe, let me know how your Sous Vide Pork Belly turns out in the comments below!