Sous Vide Pork Belly, Tri-color Quinoa with Tomatoes, and Boiled Okra

It's been some time since I've used and written about my Joule.  I'd been wanting to try their recipe for pork belly but every time I'd get one I'd cure the whole thing for bacon.  Last week I had stopped at the Commissary to get some cokes (generic Southern word for carbonated beverages) and saw they had a nice 3lb piece of pork belly in the meat case.  I decided that would be a half for sous vide and the other half for smoking.

Some weeks ago, ChefSteps came out with a combination offer of the big mouth clamp for Joule, a silicon pot cover, and a silicon mat to protect your counter from the heat.  This put those to the test and they did what they were supposed to do.  For long cooks I like to use a small cooler to help retain heat and that is exactly why the big mouth clamp was developed.  It worked like a charm with enough room left to have fit an even thicker cooler.  The silicon pot cover kept the water from evaporating and kept the heat in very well.  I'm quite pleased with them both.  I didn't bother with the mat since I was using the cooler.

Fresh from under the broiler

One thing I will change the next time I make this is the amount of the "cure" I will use.  In the ingredient list they say 5 heaping spoonfuls of salt and 2 heaping spoonfuls of sugar.  When they get into the process, they say 5 parts salt and 2 parts sugar.  I went with what was in the ingredient list and used it all for my 1.5lb piece of pork belly.  There was lots of extra "cure" that fell off and gathered in the corners of the vacuum bag.  While the belly had good flavor it was a bit saltier than I thought proper.

Succulent pork belly slices

I did do one variation to their instructions.  I ground 2 tablespoons of Szechuan peppercorns and added them to the "cure" mix before applying it to the belly.  Another thing I did, though not really a variation since they didn't address it was to put some roasted sesame oil in the bottom of my cast iron skillet.  The cast iron skillet is used to put the sous vide pork belly under the broiler to crisp the skin before serving.

A tasty supper

The tri-color quinoa with tomatoes was done in the pressure cooker.  I used chicken broth instead of water then stirred in some diced tomatoes along with some salt and pepper when it was done.  Adding some fresh sage, oregano, and thyme along with the tomato would be good as well.

Preparing the boiled okra can be found in this post.

We really like pork belly and this method of preparation will definitely find its way into the rotation.  If you have a Joule, give this pork belly recipe a go.  Pair it with the quinoa and okra and I think you'll be pleased with the results.

Let me know what you think.

Uncle T