🥓🔥 Smoked Pork Belly
Smoked pork belly is rich, flavorful, and tender with a smoky crust—perfect for slicing, serving as a main dish, or adding to sandwiches, ramen, or salads.
🧾 Ingredients
- 2–3 lbs (1–1.5 kg) pork belly, skin on or off
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- Optional: ½ tsp cayenne pepper for heat
- Wood chips for smoking (hickory, apple, or cherry)
👩🍳 Instructions
1. Prepare the Pork Belly
- Pat pork belly dry with paper towels.
- Mix salt, brown sugar, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne.
- Rub mixture all over pork belly.
- Let sit 1–2 hours at room temp or refrigerate overnight for deeper flavor.
2. Prepare Smoker
- Preheat smoker to 225–250°F (107–121°C).
- Add wood chips for smoke.
3. Smoke the Pork Belly
- Place pork belly on the smoker rack.
- Smoke 3–4 hours, or until internal temperature reaches 195°F (90°C) for tender, juicy meat.
- Optional: spritz with apple juice or apple cider vinegar every hour to keep moist.
4. Finish
- Optional: Sear in a hot pan or under the broiler for 5–10 minutes to crisp up the skin before serving.
5. Serve
- Slice into thick pieces.
- Serve with coleslaw, pickles, or barbecue sauce.
- Great for sandwiches, tacos, ramen, or as a main dish.
⭐ Pro Tips:
- Use a water pan in your smoker to maintain moisture.
- Score the skin if you want crispy crackling.
- Leftovers can be pan-fried for crispy pork belly bites.
I can also give you a Korean-style smoked pork belly recipe (samgyeopsal) with a sweet and savory marinade that melts in your mouth.
Do you want me to do that version?
