Sous vide pork belly with Sichuan pepper and crab apple ketchup
This deliciously tender pork belly is glazed with a tart crab apple jelly spiced with the unique numbing heat of Sichuan peppercorns. Topped with crispy shallots for texture and sharp fresh apple to cut through the fatty meat, this dish can be served as a perfectly balanced starter, or can be part of a larger main. The pork needs cooking overnight in a water bath, so bear this in mind when preparing.
Matt serves his pork belly as part of a larger tasting menu, but you can increase the size of each portion if you're looking to create a larger main course.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pork belly , Matt uses Blackwater pork from Hampshire
- sea salt
- 1 dash of vegetable oil
Crab apple ketchup
- 1 jar of crab apple jelly
- 50g of Sichuan peppercorns
- cider vinegar to taste
Crispy shallots
- 2 shallots
- 1 tbsp of flour, to dust
- vegetable oil, for deep-frying
To garnish
- 1 apple
- 1 dash of lemon juice
- rocket cress
Equipment
- Sous vide equipment
- Spice grinder
- Squeezy bottle
Method
Begin by cooking the belly at least a day in advance, as it takes 10 hours to cook then needs pressing for a further 10 hours. Remove the ribs from the belly if still attached, then season the non-fatty side with salt all over and seal in a vacuum bag. Cook in a water bath at 85ºC for 10 hours
- 1/2 pork belly , Matt uses Blackwater pork from Hampshire
- sea salt
Once cooked, place the belly (still in its bag) in a tray and top with a second tray. Place something heavy on top of the top tray to weigh it down and press the pork flat. Place in the fridge and leave to set for 10 hours
To make the ketchup, grind the peppercorns in a spice grinder or blender to a fine powder, then blitz with the crab apple jelly until smooth. Taste and season with a dash of vinegar. Pass through a fine sieve and transfer to a squeezy bottle if you have one. Reserve in the fridge until needed
- 1 jar of crab apple jelly
- 50g of Sichuan peppercorns
- cider vinegar to taste
Once the pork is fully set and chilled, remove it from the bag. Slice it into batons – Matt aims for 2.5x7.5cm batons to create 10 portions, but if you are after larger portions or cooking for fewer people then you can of course make each slice bigger. Set aside to come up to room temperature
To make the crispy shallots, place a small pan of oil over a medium heat and bring to 160ºC. Finely slice the shallots, then dredge the slices in the flour. Fry for a minute or 2 until crisp and golden; you may need to work in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan. Drain on kitchen paper then roughly chop up to create a crumb
- 2 shallots
- 1 tbsp of flour, to dust
- vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Peel, core and dice the apple into 5mm cubes. Reserve in water with a dash of lemon to prevent it from discolouring – though be sure not to do this too far in advance
- 1 apple
- 1 dash of lemon juice
Place a non-stick frying pan over a high heat with a dash of oil. Once hot, add the slices of pork belly and colour on all sides until crisp and golden
- 1 dash of vegetable oil
Plate up the pork in the centre of each plate and glaze with the crab apple sauce. Top with the crispy shallot crumb, diced apple and cress and serve immediately
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Sous vide pork belly with Sichuan pepper and crab apple ketchup
