Texas-Style Smoked Pork Belly
Texas flavors shine through this slowly smoked pork belly slab, encased with a crusty bark of spices. This simple process is one worth repeating many times over. Slice and serve up with some sides, fry in a pan for breakfast, or stack for delicious sandwiches. The choices are yours, and they are all good choices.
Try serving this up with a side of creamy Smoked mac and cheese, Smoked baked beans, Blue cheese coleslaw, or even Southern macaroni salad.
Why This Recipe Works
- Tender beyond imagination. Think of smoked pork belly like a meaty marshmallow, melting away as it hits your tongue. You’ll almost be disappointed, and have to grab another slice to verify how amazing it was.
- Reminds you of bacon. This isn’t cured, but the salty smoked pork belly sure tastes similar to bacon when it’s done. Some people refer to this cook as a “bacon brisket” and it’s not far off.
- Simple process. Preparing a smoked brisket is like a ritual, with many tricks along the way. Thankfully, pork belly is very straightforward and is mostly on autopilot. With this guide, you should be able to nail it on the first try.
What to Look for When Purchasing
- Size: Purchase a large slab, at least 4-5 pounds if possible. Thick strips of pork belly do not work using this method.
- Color & Freshness: Fresh pork belly is the most important factor. Check out the color, the fat should be a creamy white color. If there is yellow or grey, that’s a sign of aging. The meat should be a healthy pink – try to avoid pork with a brown or grey hue, another sign that it’s not fresh.
- Marbling: Look for a slab that has a good amount of meat ribboned through. If it’s mostly fat, try to find another one that is meatier, around the 50:50 range. Having an even distribution of intramuscular fat and muscles creates the ideal eating experience.
- Skinless: Typically they aren’t sold with the skin, but make sure to purchase a skinless pork belly.
Prepping the Pork Belly
Pork belly slabs can be quite large, making them very difficult to slice when it’s ready to serve.
Slice them in half along the width, creating 2 smaller pieces (see image below). Each slab should be about 2-3 pounds.
This step is optional, but highly recommended for ease of use. It also cuts down on the cooking time, as each piece is smaller. Plus, you’ll have more smoked seasoning on the outside.
Seasoning Choices
Most purists from Texas will say that you only need salt and pepper… which is mostly true. Many places will sneak in some Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, but we aren’t going there today.
Texas Dry Rub Recipe for Pork
- 1 part Kosher Salt
- 2 parts 16-mesh Black Pepper (medium-coarse)
- Granulated Garlic
- Smoked Paprika
Similar to smoked chicken thighs, pork belly is a blank palette for flavors. It can take on any rub or seasoning you’d like to use and is very flexible.
More Seasoning Options
- Signature Sweet & Smoky Rub – This is my favorite, and it leans more into classic barbecue flavors. It has a brown sugar base with added smoky notes of ancho chile, chipotle, and smoked paprika. The end result is a deep reddish brown color, typical of smoked pork recipes.
- Korean BBQ Seasoning – Bold and spicy, this seasoning is going to pack a huge punch of flavors while forming a nice crusty bark.
- Sedona Sand All-Purpose Rub – This seasoning is a carefully crafted blend of Southwest chiles, herbs, and spices to create an earthy, savory flavor with a little kick.
Do I need to add a binder?
It’s not necessary, but it will help the seasoning stick. Apply yellow mustard or thin hot sauce to the surface and rub it in before adding the seasoning.
Do I need to dry brine?
It’s not necessary, but dry brining will remove excess moisture and help to form a crusty bark. Season your pork belly generously on all sides, at least 30 minutes before you’re ready to smoke. You can also dry-brine by seasoning the pork and placing it in the fridge on a wire rack with a baking sheet for at least 2 hours, up to overnight.
How to Smoke Pork Belly
Step 1: Preheat Smoker
Set the temperature of the smoker to 250°F, which will be the same temperature used for an offset smoker, pellet grill, or even a charcoal grill.
If you’re using a charcoal grill, create a 2-zone setup with a warm and cool side. Choose your wood flavor to pair with the pork.
TIP: If you are dry brining, make sure to take the pork belly out of the fridge while the smoker warms up.
Step 2: Smoking Process
Place the pork belly in the smoker, fat-side up. Allow it to cook for 4-5 hours undisturbed. Time will vary depending on the size and the fat content of the pork belly.
Cook until it feels tender, which should be around 200-210°F. A temperature probe should slide right through with little resistance, almost as if you’re sticking it into a jar of creamy peanut butter.
Top Tips During Smoking
- Spritzing is not necessary. You can use a spritz to add extra flavor or to hydrate the edges if the pork is drying out. There is generally enough moisture with the fat from the pork belly, it’s not required.
- Liquid might pool on the top. This is normal and can happen if the top of the pork has a dip where the liquid can pool. Just lift the meat gently and let it drip off.
- Fat-side up is crucial. Pork belly has fat that renders down into a soft, gelatinous texture that tends to stick to the grill grates. It’s not a guarantee that it will happen, but it’s best to keep the fat cap on the top to prevent the pork belly from sticking and ripping away on the grill grates.
Step 3: Rest the Smoked Pork
Remove the pork belly from the smoker and allow it to cool at room temperature for about 45 minutes, resting on a cutting board loosely wrapped in butcher paper. Using foil will create too much steam, and ruin the bark. Pink butcher paper is porous enough to allow it to cool slowly without compromising the hard work you’ve put into that crispy bark.
If you try to slice through too soon, the fat might shred. It’s important to use a very sharp knife or even a brisket slicer. I mean, you just smoked the pork belly like a brisket, might as well slice it like one too!
Step 4: Slice and Serve
Finally, the payoff! Slice along the width, and let the party start.
The pork belly slices can be served immediately with sides, piled onto sandwiches, or even pan-fried to a crisp for breakfast. Endless recipe options create some delicious meal opportunities with smoked pork.
Pairings and Serving Suggestions
Smoked pork belly is quite rich, and pairs well with various sauces and sides to round out a great meal. Though, there’s no judgment if you’re just going to eat off the cutting board!
- Coleslaw – Serve up a bright bowl of your favorite slaw, or try one of these: Fennel Apple Slaw with Hot Honey, Tangy Blue Cheese Coleslaw, or the classic Creamy Southwestern Coleslaw.
- Pickles – Homemade Sweet and Spicy Pickles are perfect, especially for sandwiches. Also try the Spicy Curtido (pickled cabbage slaw), or the popular pile of Quick Pickled Jalapenos.
- Grilled Veggies – Try out the Grilled Zucchini Skewers, Grilled Sweet Potato Fries, or the buttery Spicy Blackened Corn.
How to Store Smoked Pork Belly
This recipe makes quite a bit, with leftovers being some of the best there is. It’s worth properly storing this to be sliced, seared, and served as needed.
Don’t slice all of the pork belly prior to storage. Larger pieces will help maintain texture and moisture.
Vacuum sealing is the best option, which will allow the smoked pork belly to stay fresh in the fridge for up to a week or more, and in the freezer for months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, I do get this question often. You can absolutely cook the pork belly at the same time and temperature, however, you will obviously be missing out on the smoke flavor. I would recommend using a wire rack with a baking sheet to cook it, so the pork belly is elevated.
Spritzing periodically during the smoking process will keep the edges of the pork belly moist. There’s so much fat and moisture that renders out from the top, that it’s very unlikely you’ll have an issue.
Purchase a cut without the skin for this recipe. If yours has a skin, you’ll want to remove it carefully prior to prepping the pork.
Absolutely, and it will taste very similar to bacon! Slice thick steaks and sear over the grill, or slice thin strips and cook them in a cast iron skillet for some bacon.
More Pork Recipes to Love
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Texas-Style Smoked Pork Belly
This salty and savory Texas-Style Smoked Pork Belly slab needs to be on your menu. Smoked low and slow like a brisket, each slice is like a juicy, tender slab of smoked bacon. The process is straightforward and fool-proof, one of the easiest cooks in barbecue!
- Total Time: 6 hours
- Yield: About 20 1x
Ingredients
- 4 to 5 pounds pork belly slab, skin removed
- Yellow mustard for binder (optional)
- 1/2 batch of Texas Dry Rub for Pork (recipe below)
Texas Dry Rub for Pork
- 1/3 cup Kosher salt
- 2/3 cup 16-mesh black pepper (medium coarse)
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
Instructions
- Season the pork belly on all sides generously. Allow the pork belly to rest for at least 30 minutes with the seasonings, or you can choose to dry-brine overnight by having it rest on a wire rack with a baking sheet in the fridge uncovered.
- Preheat the smoker to 250°F. Place the pork belly with the fat-side up into the smoker. Allow it to cook for about 4-5 hours.
- Check for doneness. Make sure that juices are not pooling on top – simply tip it to let the juices drop off the side. If you notice the sides are drying out slightly, spritz it with apple cider vinegar once or twice during the cook. Smoke the pork belly until it’s probe tender, where there is little resistance when you prod the meat. This will happen around 200-210°F.
- Rest the pork. Wrap it loosely in pink butcher paper. Allow the pork belly to rest at room temperature for about 30-40 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- The meat is done when it’s done. Don’t focus too much on temperature as much as you should to feel for tenderness. Start checking around 200°F.
- You will have leftovers of the dry rub, this will be enough for about 2 batches of smoked pork belly.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Marinade Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 hours
- Category: Pork
- Method: Smoking
- Cuisine: Barbecue
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 473
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 401.2 mg
- Fat: 48.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 0.4 g
- Protein: 8.6 g
- Cholesterol: 65.4 mg
This pork belly is hands down the juiciest I’ve ever had! We sliced up some thin for breakfast the next day and made the best egg sandwiches ever. Absolutely will be keeping this handy. Thank you!