Pork Belly with Steamed Buns and Quick Pickles

YIELD:Makes about 2 dozen pork buns, serving 8 to 12ACTIVE TIME:30 minutesTOTAL TIME:1 dayRATED: Ingredients1/2 cup soy sauce1/2 cup mirin1/2 cup granulated sugar2 tablespoons fish sauce2 whole scallions, roughly chopped3 medium cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 (2-inch) chunk ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

2 1/2 pounds pork belly, in as large pieces as possible (preferably 1 or 2 whole slabs)

2/3 cup mayonnaise, preferably homemade

24 fresh or frozen Chinese-style steamed buns

1 head bibb lettuce, washed, dried, and torn into medium-sized pieces

1 recipe Quick-Pickled Cucumbers with Rice Vinegar (see recipe below)

Directions

Preheat a sous-vide style water bath to 170°F (77°C). Combine soy sauce, mirin, sugar, fish sauce, scallions, garlic, and ginger in the bowl of a food processor. Process until vegetables are roughly pureed. Transfer pork belly and marinade to a food-saver style vacuum bag and seal. Alternatively, transfer to a heavy duty gallon-sized freezer bag and seal by slowly submerging into a pot full of water, sealing the top just before it goes underwater to remove all air. Transfer to sous vide cooker and cook until completely tender, about 10 hours. Remove bag from cooker and chill thoroughly. Pork belly can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks after cooking if the bag remains sealed.

When ready to serve, open sous vide bag and remove pork belly. Discard solid chunks of fat. Warm congealed liquids in a small saucepan, then strain through a fine mesh strainer. Return to saucepan and simmer until reduced to 2 tablespoons, making sure that the syrup doesn't reduce too far and burn, about 15 minutes.

Transfer reduced cooking liquid to a medium bowl. Add mayonnaise and whisk to combine.

Preheat broiler to high. Cut pork belly into 1 1/2-inch wide strips, then slice into 1/2- to 1/3-inch slices. Transfer to a foil lined broiler pan. Broil pork belly until crisp and charred on one side, about 3 minutes.

To Serve: Steam buns in a bamboo steamer or in the microwave on a large plate under a damp towel. Spread mayonnaise onto each bun, then stuff with lettuce leaf, slices of pork belly, and pickles. Serve immediately.

Quick Pickled Cucumbers in rice vinegar

Ingredients

1 cup rice wine vinegar

1 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon Kosher salt

4 cups thinly sliced Japanese or English cucumbers (about 3 Japanese or 1 English)

Directions

Combine vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat. Add cucumber slices and stir. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or a double layer of heavy duty paper towels, pressing down until towel is saturated with liquid and in direct contact with the cucumbers. Let rest 10 minutes, then transfer cucumbers to a sealable container. Top up with liquid and discard the rest. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Credits to J Kenji Lopez-Alt 2018

Urban Cowgill

March 2018