This sous vide pork belly recipe makes savory, juicy, and tender pork belly that's addictively crispy on the outside. It really cooks to perfection thanks to the sous vide cooking method, and you can make this juicy pork belly with just 4 ingredients!
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The Best Sous Vide Pork Belly
If you love pork belly, just wait until you cook pork belly sous vide style. Honestly, after one bite, you'll never want to make pork belly any other way! It's seriously that good.
This recipe makes a crazy flavorful pork belly that is so juicy on the inside with the perfect char on the outside. And along with being delicious, it really is so easy to make too.
All you have to do is season the pork belly, let the sous vide do its thing, then pan sear the pork belly for a few minutes to give it that signature crust. That's really all there is to it, and you won't believe that only a few ingredients and a simple cooking method can make such a delicious pork belly.
Now, since most of the time spent making this delicious pork belly is letting it cook in the sous vide water bath, you'll have plenty of time to make a side dish - or two - to serve with it. If you're wondering what to eat with pork belly, a few of my favorite recipes is this loaded baked potato casserole, Velveeta broccoli casserole, and crack green beans.
Oh, and for dessert, you can whip up this sous vide creme brulee!
Ingredients
The ingredient list to make this sous vide pork belly is incredibly simple since half of the ingredients are basic kitchen staples. In fact, you probably have most of 'em on hand already!
Anyway, here's what you'll need to make sous vide pork belly:
- 1-2 lbs. pork belly, skin removed
- Salt and pepper
- 2 Tbsp. Garam Masala Spice Mix (or your favorite spice mixes such as Cajun or BBQ)
- Parsley, for garnish
Not too bad, eh?
By the way, if you're looking for another recipe to use your garam masala spice blend, then I definitely suggest you make this tandoori chicken recipe next!
Ingredient Substitutions And Suggestions
While I think this sous vide pork belly recipe turns out best with the ingredients listed above, there's definitely room to switch it up and also possibly save you a trip to the store.
Make A Sauce
This recipe is kept pretty simple since it's the preparation of the pork belly that shines. That said, if you wanted to add more flavor, then you could serve your cooked pork belly with a sauce. I personally love making a simple combination of soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and Sriracha. Alternatively, you could marinade the pork belly in the sauce before cooking it in the sous vide.
Use Frozen Pork Belly
One of the best parts about using the sous vide technique to cook pork belly is that it's easy to sous vide frozen pork belly. No thawing is needed, so you can follow this recipe as is and just add an extra hour to the cooking time.
How To Make Sous Vide Pork Belly
Now it's almost time to make some sous vide pork belly!
This easy sous vide recipe is honestly the best way to cook pork belly. You barely have to lift a finger, and it cooks to perfection every single time.
Anyway, let's stop talking about how great it is and get cooking!
Step 1: Prepare The Pork
First, you'll want to begin by setting the sous vide machine to 165°F.
Then you can season the pork belly with a little salt in pepper on all sides. Next, you'll want to place the pork belly in the sous vide bag and remove all of the air from the bag using a vacuum sealer.
After that, you can place the vacuum sealed bag and sous vide immersion circulator in a pot or large container full of water and let it cook for 10 hours at 165°F.
Step 2: Season and Sear The Pork
As soon as the 10 hours are up, you'll want to remove the pork from the sous vide bag and pat it dry with kitchen towels. Then you can cover the cooked pork belly on all sides in the spice mixture of your choice.
Next, you'll want to heat a large skillet on high heat and add some oil to it. Once the oil is hot, you can sear the pork belly fat side down for 2-3 minutes or until it's nice and crispy. Then you can flip the pork bell and sear it on each of the other sides for 1 minute.
Step 3: Serve The Pork
After every side of the pork belly is seared, you can remove it from the pan and place it on a plate to rest for 5 minutes.
Finally, you can serve the pork belly warm with fresh parsley along with anything you want.
Enjoy!
How To Store Sous Vide Pork Belly
This recipe for sous vide pork belly makes about 6 servings, so it's perfect for a big dinner or to keep and enjoy as leftovers throughout the week.
Speaking of leftovers, you can store the leftover cooked pork belly in an airtight container or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and put it in a sealed bag. Stored either one of those ways, the pork belly will last in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Alternatively, if you want it to last even longer, you freeze cooked pork belly in a freezer bag - or airtight container - for up to 6 months. When you're ready to reheat your frozen pork belly, just let it thaw in the fridge overnight first.
How To Reheat Pork Belly
Once you're ready to enjoy this sous vide pork belly again, you can either eat it cold or reheat it first. For what it's worth, I think it's pretty good cold, but you can definitely reheat it.
So with that said, to reheat your leftover pork belly, just transfer it to a baking dish and warm it up in an oven at 350°F for around 10 minutes or until it's warmed through.
FAQs About This Sous Vide Pork Belly Recipe
How long does pork belly take in sous vide?
Pork belly in the sous vide will take about 10 hours at 165°F. After that time, it's cooked to perfection, but you can pan sear it for a few minutes on each side to get that crisp exterior.
What temperature do you sous vide pork belly at?
Pork belly can be cooked sous vide at a variety of temperatures. The exact temperature will depend on your preferred level of doneness and if you want to pan sear it or not. Personally, I like to cook it at a higher temperature of 165°F so it takes less time to cook.
How do you get crispy skin on sous vide pork belly?
To get crispy skin on sous vide pork belly, you'll want to immediately pan sear it after it cooks in the sous vide. Just put the pork belly in a pan over high heat with some oil and sear it on the fat side for about two minutes. Then on every other side for a minute or until it has a nice crispy skin.
Should you brine pork belly before sous vide?
Brining pork belly before cooking sous vide really isn't necessary since the sous vide method will make for an incredibly tender and juicy cut of meat. So to save time, you should not brine pork belly before cooking it in the sous vide.
Wrapping It Up
Well, that's how to make sous vide pork belly!
I know I'm biased, but I really think this is the best pork belly that you'll ever eat. I have no doubt that it'll rival any pork belly you've had from a high-end restaurant! It's just so tender and savory, and that quick sear makes for a crisp and golden brown crust that's absolutely irresistible.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this sous vide pork belly as much as I/we do.
As always, if you give this recipe a try, leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts.
More Sous Vide Recipes
If you liked this easy sous vide pork belly recipe, we have a bunch of other sous vide recipes on the blog that you can try next!
Check all of these out:
- Sous vide chicken thighs
- Sous vide chicken breast
- Sous vide pork chops
- Sous vide pork tenderloin
- Sous vide steak
- Sous vide London broil
Oh, and as always, make sure to check us out on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube! We post new recipes on them every day.
Juicy and Tender Sous Vide Pork Belly
This sous vide pork belly recipe makes savory, juicy, and tender pork belly that's addictively crispy on the outside. It really cooks to perfection thanks to the sous vide cooking method, and you can make this juicy pork belly with just 4 ingredients!
Ingredients
- 1-2 lbs. pork belly, skin removed
- Salt and pepper
- 2 Tbsp. Garam Masala Spice Mix (or your favorite spice mixes such as Cajun or BBQ)
- Parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Set the sous vide machine to 165°F.
- Season pork belly with salt and pepper. Place in the bag, and remove the air through a vacuum sealer.
- Drop the bag in the bath with the sous vide machine for 10 hours.
- Remove the bag from the bath. Take the pork belly out of the bag, pat dry with paper towels, and cover with the spice mix.
- Heat up a large skillet on high and add oil to it. Sear pork belly fat side down for 2 to 3 minutes or until crispy. Flip and sear each side for one minute. Remove from the pan, and place on a plate to rest for 5 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 331Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 26g
Gaspar
the sous vide function on my instantpot worked beautifully
Brendan Cunningham
That's great to hear!