Smoked Pork Belly
Smoked Pork Belly is a delicious cut of meat that has a deep, smoky flavor and requires just a few ingredients to taste amazing! The perfect recipe to throw on the smoker for guests!
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BACON AND PORK BELLY
Next in my smoker series recipes is this Smoked Pork Belly. Let’s start by comparing bacon with pork belly. Pork belly has a nice fatty content that makes it a perfect candidate for smoking. Pork belly actually comes from the pig’s belly (the underside of the pig) hence the name. Bacon can come from the same area but it can also be sourced from other areas of the pig. Pork belly is the whole underbelly section of meat and fat and that is how it is sold – in a slab. Bacon is sold in slices and is often already smoked and cured. Pork belly is not smoked or cured. So if you are concerned about nitrates or nitrates, this is the perfect cut for you! You can slice and serve it any way you like!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
You can add this smoked pork belly to so many other dishes to add amazing flavor! You can add it to stews or ramen or toss it in a honey garlic glaze to serve over rice. It adds a smoky, salty twist to your other main dishes! Just remove the fully cooked smoked pork belly from the smoker before adding the barbecue sauce.
This recipe uses a 10 lb belly, but I have also smoked much smaller pork belly with great results.
The pork belly is ready when an internal temperature of 200 degrees F is reached. A meat thermometer is a must-have when cooking or smoking any meat.
Also note: cook time can vary greatly depending on the size of the pork belly, strips, and with each individual smoker. Maintaining a low temperature in your smoker of around 225F-250F degrees is your best bet to get tender meat.
Pork belly is great as an appetizer! Serve it sliced in chunks and pop in some toothpicks. Serve with extra BBQ sauce for dipping.
I used a Traeger pellet smoker for this. It really makes smoking so easy. A traditional smoker can also be used. Just follow the instructions according to your smoker type.
Place the cooled Smoked Pork Belly in an airtight container and it should keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
This can also be frozen (although I don’t recommend it as it can affect the texture when defrosted.) Place any leftovers in a freezer bag or container and place in freezer where it will last for up to 2-3 months.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- whole pork belly
- barbecue rub (or use my HOMEMADE RUB RECIPE)
- barbecue sauce (maybe try my HOMEMADE BBQ SAUCE)
- mustard
- brown sugar
- honey
HOW TO MAKE SMOKED PORK BELLY:
Preheat smoker to 225℉. Slice the belly into ½” thick strips. Lightly season all surfaces of belly strips with barbecue rub.
Place the strips directly on the rack in the smoker. Close the lid and cook for approximately 45 minutes.
Flip all of the strips, close the lid, and cook for approximately an additional hour.
Meanwhile in bowl add the barbecue sauce, mustard, brown sugar, and honey.
Stir the mixture together to create your basting sauce.
Transfer the pork belly strips into aluminum pans (I used three, which filled the grill). Coat strips evenly with basting sauce.
Place the pans in the pellet-grill. Continue to cook, basting every 30 minutes until the belly reaches an internal temperature of 200℉ (about 1 ½ hours).
Remove pans from grill.
Slice the strips into smaller bite-sized pieces for serving immediately.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Smoked Pork Belly
Ingredients
- 1 whole pork belly (8 – 10 pounds)
- 3 Tablespoons of your favorite barbecue rub
- 2/3 cup barbecue sauce
- 2/3 cup yellow mustard
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2/3 cup honey
Instructions
- Preheat smoker to 225℉.
- Slice the belly into ½” thick strips.
- Lightly season all surfaces of belly strips with barbecue rub.
- Place the strips directly on the preheated smoker. Close the lid and smoke for approximately 45 minutes.
- Flip all of the strips, close the lid, and smoke for an additional hour.
- Meanwhile, combine barbecue sauce, mustard, brown sugar, and honey in a bowl to make a basting sauce.
- Transfer the pork belly strips into aluminum pans (I used three, which filled the smoker). Coat strips evenly with basting sauce.
- Place the pans in the smoker. Continue to cook, basting every 30 minutes until the belly reaches an internal temperature of 200℉ (about 1 ½ hours).
- Remove pans from smoker. Slice the strips into smaller bite-sized pieces for serving immediately.
Notes
- Cook time can vary greatly depending on the size of the pork belly, strips, and with each individual smoker. Maintaining a low temp around 225F-250F is your best bet to get tender meat.
- You can add this smoked pork belly to so many other dishes to add amazing flavor! You can add it to stews or ramen or toss it in a honey garlic glaze to serve over rice. It adds a smoky, salty twist to your other main dishes! Just remove the fully cooked smoked pork belly from the smoker before adding the barbecue sauce.
- This recipe uses a 10 lb belly, but I have also used a 3 lb belly with similar results.
- While an internal temp of 200 degrees F is a sure-fire way of knowing the meat is tender, another method is to simply use a fork to test the meat. The fork will easily slide in and out of the meat when done.
- Leftover or extra basting sauce can be made and used for dipping once the meat is done.
- Pork belly is great as an appetizer! Serve it sliced in chunks and pop in some toothpicks. Serve with extra BBQ sauce for dipping.
- I used a Traeger pellet smoker for this. A traditional smoker can also be used. Just follow the instructions according to your smoker type.
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup smoked paprika
1 tablespoon coarse ground black pepper
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
