This smoked pork belly is melt-in-your-mouth-tender, super easy to smoke—it's just three ingrediens—and can feed a *lot* of people. What I love most about smoked pork belly is it's so versatile: you can eat it on its own, use it like bacon, or make it the centerpiece in dishes like pork belly tacos and pork belly banh mi.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
- Pork Belly — I grabbed a full, 10-pound slab of Swift pork belly from Costco. I'm going to portion this out into ~3.5 lb. pieces (to make other pork belly recipes), and then slice it into slabs before smoking it.
- Mayonnaise — Most people use mustard for their binder, but I prefer mayo. So that's what I'm going with here. This will allow the rub to adhere to the pork belly.
- BBQ Rub — Use your favorite BBQ rub here. I had Sweet Preacher by Fire & Smoke Society on hand, so that's wha I used.
HOW TO MAKE SMOKED PORK BELLY
1. Prep the Pork Belly
Start by prepping the pork belly—remove any excess fat, and any silver skin from the pork. Then, cut the pork into long slices, like in the picture above.
2. Season the Pork Belly
Now it's time to season. Apply a thin layer of the mayo on the pork belly, and rub it in thoroughly. Then, generously season the pork belly with the BBQ rub and let it "set" for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your smoker to 250F.
3. Wire Rack
Add the seasoned pork belly to a wire rack. This will allow the smoke to hit all sides of the pork, while still keeping your smoker clean.
4. Smoke the Pork Belly
Add the wire rack to your 250F smoker and let it ride. You want to cook the pork belly until it hits an internal temperature of about 205F. On my smoker, this took about five hours.
5. Rest & Serve
When you pull the pork belly off the smoker, it will be *very* hot—so allow it to cool down for at least 10 minutes. Then, serve and enjoy. You can eat the pork belly as-is by cutting up long slices, or adding it to things like pork belly tacos.
SIDE SERVING SUGGESTIONS
- Coleslaw. A classic side dish that complements the rich, smoky flavor of the pork belly with its tangy, crunchy texture.
- Smoked baked beans. A flavorful side dish that adds a hearty and savory element to the meal.
- Smoked mac and cheese. A classic comfort food that pairs nicely with the smoky, savory flavors of the pork belly.
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE
- Portion your pork belly. I grabbed a 10 lb. slab of pork belly from Costco. Instead of just smoking the whole thing, I portioned it out so I could make a few different recipes, including pork belly burnt ends and homemade bacon. Trust me, 10 pounds is a LOT of pork belly—you can definitely create multiple meals out of one slab.
- Give yourself time. To be safe, I would build-in at least 7 hours if you're smoking this for a big crowd and you need to be "on time". The temperature of the pork ends up stalling on the smoker, and always ends up taking longer than you think. This is a very simple recipe, but it takes a lot of time.
- Sauce it. This recipe calls for a simple dry rub. But if you like, you can apply a mop rub or BBQ sauce to the pork belly to mix things up. Just add the sauce directly to the meat when the internal temperature hits about 195F, and let it finish cooking on the smoker.
Smoked Pork Belly
Ingredients
- 3.5 pounds pork belly cut into long slices
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise as a binder
- 1/4 cup BBQ rub
Instructions
- Remove any excess fat and silver skin from the pork belly, then cut it into long slices for even cooking.
- Apply a thin layer of mayonnaise to all sides of the pork belly, ensuring it is fully coated.
- Generously season the pork belly with BBQ rub, then let it rest for at least 15 minutes while preheating the smoker to 250°F.
- Place the seasoned pork belly slices on a wire rack to allow smoke to circulate evenly and to keep the smoker clean.
- Add the wire rack to the smoker and cook at 250°F until the internal temperature reaches 205°F, which should take about 5 hours.
- Once done, remove the pork belly from the smoker and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. Slice and enjoy.
Notes
- Portion your pork belly. I grabbed a 10 lb. slab of pork belly from Costco. Instead of just smoking the whole thing, I portioned it out so I could make a few different recipes, including pork belly burnt ends and homemade bacon. Trust me, 10 pounds is a LOT of pork belly—you can definitely create multiple meals out of one slab.
- Give yourself time. To be safe, I would build-in at least 7 hours if you're smoking this for a big crowd and you need to be "on time". The temperature of the pork ends up stalling on the smoker, and always ends up taking longer than you think. This is a very simple recipe, but it takes a lot of time.
- Sauce it. This recipe calls for a simple dry rub. But if you like, you can apply a mop rub or BBQ sauce to the pork belly to mix things up. Just add the sauce directly to the meat when the internal temperature hits about 195F, and let it finish cooking on the smoker.
Hands-down the best pork belly I’ve ever had. Bang up recipe. Love the Meat Church seasoning.