Can I prepare the pork belly in an oven?

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.

How do you prevent it from drying out?

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.

Do you smoke pork belly with skin on or off?

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.

Can I sear smoked pork belly?

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.

Texas-Style Smoked Pork Belly

Ingredients

Scale

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

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

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.

Author: Brad Prose
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