Smoked Pork Belly
A whole pork belly sliced lengthwise to mimic a slab of ribs, seasoned rib-style, smoked low and slow, then glazed with barbecue sauce. Boneless, foolproof, and ready faster than a full rack of ribs.
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
- 5-5½ pound whole pork belly skin removed, see notes
- 3 tablespoons 'Que That BBQ Rub and Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon coarse black pepper
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or yellow mustard for binder
- 1 cup barbecue sauce for glazing
Instructions
- Cut it rib-style: Slice the whole pork belly, skin removed, in half lengthwise so you end up with one long slab shaped just like a rack of ribs.
- Season it: Coat the pork belly with apple cider vinegar or mustard (for binder) to help the seasoning stick. Season generously with barbecue seasoning on both sides, then finish with a layer of coarse black pepper on top (the fat side).
- Preheat the smoker: While the seasoning sets, preheat your pellet grill or smoker to around 250°F.
- Smoke it: Place the pork belly directly on the grates of the grill or smoker. Smoke at 250-275°F until the internal temperature reaches about 196℉.
- Glaze it: Once the internal temp reaches about 196°F, brush on about 1/2 cup barbecue sauce. Then continue to smoke until the internal temperature reaches about 200-203℉, as measured by an instant read probe thermometer.
- Rest: Pull the pork belly off the smoker and let it rest until the internal temperature drops to about 155°F. *If using a wireless meat thermometer, I like to leave the thermometer in during the resting period to monitor the temp. Most smoked meats take much longer to rest than what you might think.
- Slice and serve: Cut crosswise into individual rib-shaped strips, just like you would a rack of ribs, and serve.
Video
Notes
- For the pork belly - We used a whole pork belly (about 11 pounds) so that we could cut it in half to mimic the shape of a slab of ribs (about 5.5 pounds). We have gotten the best results with a skinless pork belly for this recipe. You can also purchase a skinless half pork belly, but still cut it in half lengthwise to smoke like ribs.