This smoked pork belly recipe is seasoned with barbecue rub, smoked low and slow over cherry or apple wood, then wrapped until perfectly tender. Slice it for dinner, cube it into burnt ends, or save the leftovers for breakfast.
Recipe by Jeff Phillips on August 7, 2019
Prep time: PT30M
Cook time: PT360M
Total time: PT420M
Rating
4.86 stars (7 reviews)
Ingredients
1 whole pork belly (9 to 13 pounds, skin removed)
¼ cup Jeff's Barbecue Sauce (or yellow mustard as a binder)
½ cup Jeff's Original Rub
½ cup Jeff's Texas Style Rub (optional)
Categories
Entree
Cuisine
Hot Smoking
Steps
Preheat the smoker to 225°F (107°C).
Remove the skin if necessary and score the fat cap in a crosshatch pattern about ¼ inch deep.
Apply a light coating of barbecue sauce or mustard and season generously with your favorite barbecue rub.
Repeat the seasoning process on the meat side.
Place the pork belly fat side up on the smoker and cook until it reaches about 160°F (71°C) and develops a rich mahogany color.
Wrap tightly in foil, butcher paper, or a foil pan covered with foil.
Continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 195 to 200°F (90 to 93°C) and the probe slides in with very little resistance.
Rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Reviews
Dom on 2025-05-26 (5 stars): Came out great! No wrap and used brown sugar as a binder, and
hot honey hog for the rub. 195 and rested for an hour
Matt Marvin on 2025-05-26 (5 stars): I used this recipe, but when it came time to wrap, I did at 190 with apple juice( enough to cover bottom of pan) and butter(3 tablespoons) and touched it up with a bit of seasoning. Turned out wonderful. Highly recommend
Stacy Pursell Sr on 2023-12-17 (5 stars): Excellent recipe!
Larry D Thornburg on 2022-01-02 (5 stars): Hey Jeff,I have made your pork belly and all my wife said was "DAMN!". I wasn't a fan of pork bellies but you convinced me differently. Thank you so much for opening my taste buds.
