Pork Scotch Fillet sous vide
Pork Scotch Fillet (AKA Collar or Boston butt) prepared for use as a Steak. It requires several days worth of preparation but the end result is totally worth it. You end up with a meal that is the flavour of bacon in the texture and form of a juicy medium-rare fillet steak.
Servings Prep Time
12Steaks 3days
Cook Time
4-6mins
Servings Prep Time
12Steaks 3days
Cook Time
4-6mins
Ingredients
Brine Mix
Instructions
Brining
  1. We’ll use the archimedean technique for estimating how much Brining liquid you’ll need. Place the meat into your Brining container and fill it with water from a measuring Jug until the meat is well covered. Take a note of how much water you needed. Remove the water and discard.
  2. Fill a pot with the amount of water you determined you would need in step 1, and measure out 250g of salt for every litre of Water you calculated.
  3. Dry Fry the spices in small frypan a on a low heat until some of the seeds start to pop. This will release the aromatic oils, and your kitchen will smell fantastic.
  4. Grind the spices in a mortar, or you can use an automated spice blender. I add a little of the salt to help carry the essential oils.
  5. Add the spices to the brine mic. Hand crush the bay leaves to help release the aromatic oils.
  6. I also added fresh Fennel pollen because it has just started flowering in my garden. Fennel loves Pork and Fennel Pollen is very potent (and stupid expensive to buy).
  7. Bring the pot to the boil to brew the brine mix. Then take the pot off the heat and allow it to return to room temp (You can put the pot in the sink and run cold water if you are in a rush).
  8. Cover the meat and put a small weight on it to ensure it is fully submerged. I use an upturned plate.
  9. Leave it in a cool place to brine for 24 hours
  10. Take the meat out and give it a quick wash to remove the Brining liquid from its surface. Pat the meat dry with a kitchen towel and it’s ready to cook.
Sous Vide
  1. Rub the fillet with a little Olive Oil and vacuum pack it a vacuum bag.
  2. Sous vide the meat for 12 hours at 58C.
  3. Drop the bag into an ice bath to quickly reduce its temperature out of the Danger zone. You are trying to get the meat down to a temperature where bacteria don’t rapidly grow – in other words fridge temperature – before you open the bag to expose it to potential bacteria.
  4. Portion the fillet up into steaks, put into Sandwich bags and freeze until you are ready to eat them. We generally portion 2 x 150g steaks per bag because most of our meals are for 2.
  5. Reserve the bag liquid and freeze it in an ice cube tray to be used in recipes that need a quick hit of pork stock.
Sear and serve
  1. Thaw the steaks and get them to room temperature (I often just fill a bowl with water and chuck them in for an hour).
  2. Remember the meat is already cooked, to serve it you just have to warm it and sear it (for looks).
  3. Heat up a cast iron pan. Add a teaspoon of lard and let it melt, then lay the steaks on the hot pan and cook 2 minutes each side until the surface is seared and the meat warmed for service. I find that a cast iron Bacon weight placed on top of the steaks maximizes the surface of the meat touching the hot pan.
  4. Take out the steaks and let the meat rest on the plate for 2 minutes before serving. Meanwhile put one of the ice cubes of the bag liquid into the pan to deglaze and make into a simple sauce.