BBQ Smoked Pork Belly
On February 28, 2020 (Updated May 11, 2024)
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Smoked Pork Belly is the next big thing in low and slow barbecue. It combines everything you love in good BBQ: luscious smoky flavor of slow barbecued pork dripping with finger lickin’ juiciness.
Smoked Pork Belly
Pork belly used to only be available as cured bacon or off of the whole hog, but nowadays it is easy to get your hands on a slab of the uncured stuff at most butchers (even Costco!). With it more readily available, it’s a great option for making some delicious smoked pork belly!
I have played with pork belly before when curing my own bacon and making my famous pork belly baked beans. The meat-to-fat ratio in pork belly makes it ideal for both the quick cooking crisping (like in bacon) and the low and slow style of cooking to render the fat and tenderize all of the muscle. The direction I took with this particular BBQ smoked pork belly was to keep things as simple as possible and really maximize the natural flavor of the meat itself.
I used a pork belly with the skin/rind removed, and I definitely recommend it. Having the rind removed will allow the smoke and flavor from the rub to better penetrate the meat. I bought my belly with the skin already removed. If you would also like to start with the skin removed on your pork belly, I’m sure your butcher would do this for you. Otherwise, you can remove it yourself with a sharp fillet knife.
How to Smoke Pork Belly
Here’s the breakdown on how to smoke a pork belly. The ingredients are few, and the process is a cinch. You can also scroll down to the recipe card to view the video for additional help in this process.
To begin, liberally season the pork belly with my Sweet Rub and then stick in in the the smoker (I used my SmokePro pellet grill) at 225 degrees F. I used apple wood for this recipe, but go with whatever is your favorite for pork. Spritz with apple juice every hour to help deepen the color of the bark and keep things moist.
Once the belly hits an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, wrap the belly in foil with a little extra apple juice and cook until the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees F. After that, remove the glorious belly from the foil cocoon and glaze it lightly with your favorite BBQ sauce before returning it to the smoker for a few more minutes to tighten the sauce. Voila! You’ve now cooked the perfect smoked pork belly.
How Long to Smoke Pork Belly
The whole process from start to finish took about 8 hours for a 4 pound belly, but as with any low and slow cook that can vary based on the thickness of your meat and temp swings in your grill.
Always shoot to cook for internal temperature instead of time. I use my ThermoWorks thermometer to track the correct temperature while smoking, and I love it! This thermometer is the industry standard for accuracy.
How to Eat Smoked Pork Belly
Once you have your pork belly beautifully smoked and rested, the options at this point are really endless.
- Shred for the juiciest pulled pork of your life.
- Cube and eat as much as you want, like tender and moist ribs without the bone.
- Chill completely and then slice into large pieces the next day for sandwiches. All you need to do is simply grill the pork belly for a minute or two over High heat and get after it!
Basically, you have entered the realm of meat heaven. The possibilities with smoked pork belly are many, so go ahead and experiment to find what you like best.
More Pork Recipes
If you liked this recipe, you’ve gotta try my other pork recipes available on this website. Definitely give my pork belly baked beans a go! You can also search all my Pork Recipes here.
Smoked Pork Belly Recipe
BBQ Smoked Pork Belly
Video
Ingredients
- 4 pounds slab pork belly uncured
- 2 cups apple juice divided use
- ½ cup BBQ sauce
- ¼ cup Signature Sweet Rub
Instructions
- Get your fire going in your smoker and preheat to 225 degrees F.
- Using a sharp knife, score the top layer of fat on the pork belly in 1 inch squares. Don't cut too deep, just barely into the muscle. Season liberally with the Sweet Rub on all sides.
- Place the seasoned pork belly on the grill and smoke until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F (about 6 hours). Spritz with the apple juice every hour while it is cooking.
- Once the belly reaches 165, remove from the grill and wrap in heavy duty tinfoil with 1/2 cup of the apple juice. Seal the edges of the foil completely and return to the grill until the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees.
- Carefully remove the belly from the foil and drizzle with the apple juices from the foil. Return the pork belly to the grill and brush with BBQ sauce. Cook on the grill for 10 more minutes.
- Remove the finished pork belly to a cutting board and let it rest for 10-15 more minutes before serving, You can shred like pulled pork or slice into cubes to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
**This post was originally published October 2016. We recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. The recipe remains the same.
I made this recipe today. I used applewood chips for smoke and it was the best thing that has come out of my smoker yet. It really was like baby back ribs without the bones. Thank you for posting this.
Thanks for coming back and leaving a comment, Jack! I’m so glad you liked the recipe.
Billy P
I bought a 12 lb belly from Costco. Do I need to cut it into three 4 lb sections or should I leave it whole? What’s the pros and cons either way?
You can leave it whole for sure! I usually cut it in half- turn half into homemade bacon and smoke the other half with this recipe.
How long did the pork belly take to go from 165 to 200 deg? This weekend I’m smoking a 5 pounder.
Hey Richard! For 3 pounds, I would estimate about an hour and a half to 2 hours.
Do you ever brine the pork belly first , then smoke?
Hey Rob! I haven’t tried brining first, I think the fat content keeps everything moist and flavorful so I never felt like I needed to.
We are smoking pork belly now using a Bradley Smoker, we brined it for 3 weeks in the fridge. The brine is maple, brown sugar with a touch of Kikoman. Usual salt and cure. Cold smoked at 100 deg. F for ideally 8 hours. Turned out really tasty and what wasn’t used, we sliced into bacon. You can use a maple syrup mop in the last stages of smoking if desired.
What kind of BBQ sauce works the best?
I think a pretty sweet sauce works best, I really like Sweet Baby Ray’s!
Sounds perfect to me! Love your recipes! God Bless You!
Done belly several times – basically similar method except I take it off in the foil, rest until cools a bit then refrigerate – reheat in a variety of ways next day(s), that way the fat is not so delicate as it is taking it back to the grill to sauce right out of the foil. I have never scored one but will try that next time. Foiling I’ve found is absolutely necessary or the lean is just a little too tough. Highly recommended. Will try it scoring and serving same day next time.
I love having leftovers to refrigerate and reheat like that! Serving it warm, it definitely has that delicate melt in your mouth fat, so it’s worth trying!
What kind of wood chips would be best? Hickory?
Thank you
Hey Ryan! Hickory works awesome, I also like cherry and maple with pork belly.
I have an eight pound belly on my Traeger right now, I was going based off of your IG video. Mine seems to be getting to temp a little faster than yours did but I also think I scored my a little to deeply. Hope it will still be delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Hey John! So glad you’re trying it out and that you’re going by temp and not time. Every piece of meat is so different, and cooks at different speeds. Hope you love it!!
Wow, that looks so good! How do you get your meat to cook so perfect?! I’ll definitely have to try this recipe- it reminds me of my favorite restaurant, BBQ Smokehouse. Maybe if they weren’t so good, I would learn to grill better, lol.