Cured Pork Belly Salad En "Sous Vide" With Apples And Walnut Oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Make some small holes in the pork belly slabs and insert the whole cloves.
3. In a large stainless steel pot, combine the remaining ingredients and bring them to a boil. Once is have boiled, remove the pan from the heat and cold the brine down to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Transfer the brine to a large plastic container and submerge the pork belly in brine and cure it for 48 hrs in the fridge.
4. Remove the pork from the brine and throw away the brine. Cut the pork belly into 6 to 8 oz squares and place 2 or possibly 3 squares in each Ziplock bag. Add in about 1/2 c. of rendered bacon fat to each, expel excess of air from bags and zip lock the bags.
5. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and poach the pork belly pcs en " Sous-vide" for 1 1/2 hrs at a simmer over a medium-low heat. After this time, remove the pork pcs from the zip lock bags, throw away the fat, and pick the cloves out from the meat.
6. Cut each pork belly square in half. In a stainless steel frying pan bring 2 Tbsp. of peanut oil to a sizzle over a medium-high heat and place the pork belly pcs in it to caramelize. Cook till the meat is crisp on all sides, add in 1/4 c. of verjus to the pan to deglaze it, then reduce this by half. Add in 1/2 c. of brown veal stock to the pan and transfer the pan to the oven to cook the belly for 20 to 25 min.
7. Remove the pan from the oven and set the pork belly pcs aside. Reduce the liquid over a high heat till reduced by 2/3. Add in 2 Tbsp. of minced black truffles, season and add in 1 Tbsp. of maple syrup and 1 Tbsp. of minced thyme.
8. Serve the pork belly pcs on a bed of frissee lettuce tossed in walnut oil, garnish with sliced granny smith apple, and spoon the jus around the plate. Garnish with a few drops of walnut oil and fleur de sel.
9. Preparation time is 45 min.