Pork Belly Sliders with Thai Mango Salad Recipe

1. 24 hours in advance, prepare a water bath and preheat the Sous Vide to 154°F. We used Joule by ChefSteps.
2. In a sturdy zippered bag, or vacuum bag, combine the honey, soy, rice wine vinegar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and chili flakes. Set the pork belly into the liquid and seal the bag, removing as much air as possible. Submerge the bag into the water bath and set your timer for 24 hours. If you have issues with the bag floating, a small ramekin or spoon in the bag will keep your meal underwater. Don’t forget to clip it to the side of the pot too. Cover the pot with plastic wrap, leaving a small vent. This will prevent excessive evaporation.
3. After 24 hours, remove the pork belly from the water bath. Place the pork on a plate to dry, reserve the sauce in a saucepan for later.
4. While your pork belly is drying (this helps you crisp up the skin later), make the mango salad. This is the hardest part of the prep work for this recipe. Peel and then julienne the mango. Julienne the red pepper, and toss the mango and red pepper with the red chili, and white part of the green onion. Refrigerate until serving.
5. Juice the lime, and whisk in the sesame oil, soy, garlic, and maple syrup. Refrigerate until serving.  
6. Spoon a tablespoon of the pork sauce into a ramekin and add the cornstarch. Add more sauce if the cornstarch is too thick. Bring the pork sauce to a simmer and add a little of the pork and cornstarch mixture, simmering until thickened. Remove from heat.
7. Preheat your grill to 500°F, or high, or preheat your side burner to high. Slice the pork belly into about eight slices. Grill over direct heat until the outside has crisped nicely on both sides. Remove from heat.
8. Assemble the sliders; toss the mango salad with the salad dressing. Dip, drizzle, slather, or brush the pork with the thickened sauce. Place one or two slices of pork onto your chosen bun, then top with a generous helping of mango salad, green onion and sesame seeds for garnish. 

These Pork Belly Sliders with Thai Mango Salad were delicious. The sweet, nearly buttery texture of the pork, combined with the crunch from the grilled crust and fresh mango salad; the salad itself providing a tart and spicy counterpoint to the pork. Take a bite of these delicious sliders when you see a great play and you’ll be sure to enhance the entire experience. Or make these just because you want to treat yourself to some delicious dinner. Either way you won’t regret it. What’s your favorite way to eat pork belly?

Happy Grilling!