This 3-hour smoked pork belly is crave-able perfection. Smoky-sweet with a little bit of heat. Crisp it up to eat in sliders, tacos or even on a BLT salad.
Mix all ingredients of the dry rub together in a small bowl using a fork or a whisk.
Prep the pork by removing the skin (if it is still attached). Slice scores through the fat but not through the flesh with a very sharp knife to make 1" cross-hatch throughout the whole skin. This is much easier to do when the pork belly is cold.
Place the pork belly on a sheet pan or baking dish and sprinkle a liberal amount rub on the belly, rubbing it into all the crevices. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
To smoke the pork belly
Remove the pork belly from the refrigerator at least 1 hour prior to smoking to bring it to room temperature.
Follow your smoker's instructions and bring the temperature up to 225 degrees Fahrenheit / 107 degrees Celsius. Add wood chips to start the smoke and place an aluminum drip pan with a few inches of water under the grates to catch drippings.
Place the pork belly fat side up on the grates and smoke until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, which will take 3 to 4 hours.
Remove the pork belly from the smoker and let rest on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes.
It can be sliced and eaten right away, or it can be chilled, sliced and crisped up on the grilled/pan fried for a few minutes on each side.
Notes
This recipe takes two days to complete. One day to dry brine and one day to smoke the pork shoulder.
Try not to open the lid until close to the 3-hour mark, unless you need to add more wood chips.
The pork belly is even better the next day after it has been refrigerated overnight.