Smoked Pork Belly Texas-Style

I firmly believe that not everything needs to be smoked like a brisket (I’m looking at you, trisket-style lovers!), but I make an exception for a slab of smoked pork belly.

Pork belly is often cubed and smoked with a sweet rub to make pork belly burnt ends. But smoking the whole slab with a savory brisket-style rub is just as good, especially if you’re using high-quality pork.

Without all the sugar, the meat’s natural flavor shines through and you end up with a slab of smoky, melt-in-your-mouth meat.

Smoked pork belly Texas-style

This pork belly is smoked low and slow with a simple salt and pepper rub, spritzed with vinegar, and wrapped in butcher paper, just like a Texas-style brisket.

Unlike smoking a brisket, most of the cooking process is hands-off, making it a great choice when you’re cooking for friends and family. The process only takes about five hours.

Ingredients you’ll need

• Pork belly – You will need a 5-7lb slab of pork belly. I recommend purchasing pork belly with the skin removed, but if you have skin-on pork belly, you will need to remove the skin with a boning knife before cooking. 
• Mustard – Used as a binder, but you could also use olive oil, hot sauce, or Worcestershire sauce. 
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper 
• Apple cider vinegar – Or spritz of choice.

Choosing your pork belly

You want to look for a fresh, center-cut piece of pork belly. Most local butcher shops and grocery stores will offer pork belly, or you can buy it online. Here is a guide on where to buy pork belly.

Look for meat with a rich, reddish, or pink tone. Try to find a slab with an abundant layer of meat breaking up the layers of fat.

Many butchers offer pork belly with the skin on, but I prefer pork belly with the skin removed. If you are unable to find pork belly with the skin removed, you can always ask your butcher to remove it for you, or take a small, sharp knife and run it between the skin and the first layer of fat. It should slice away fairly easily.

Should you sauce your smoked pork belly? 

I don’t typically add sauce since this is a Texas-style pork belly. Here in Texas, we like to serve sauce on the side (and judge you for using it!).

But if you want to add sauce to this recipe, feel free to use your favorite (or try our Texas style sauce) you can brush it with a basting brush during the last 20 minutes of cooking.

How to smoke pork belly Texas-style

1. Prep

If your pork belly has the skin on, you’ll need to remove it first with a sharp knife. The skin doesn’t break down like the meat and fat do, so it ends up pretty chewy and can ruin the end result. 

Another thing I recommend is slicing the slab of pork belly into halves or thirds to make it easier to work with. Ideally, you want two to three small sections that are about 6” wide, give or take. This helps cut down on the cooking time and also helps the pork belly cook more evenly on the smoker. 

2. Season

Once you have your pork belly cut into smaller slabs, coat them with a layer of mustard as a binder. You won’t taste the mustard at the end, but it will help your seasoning stick to the meat more evenly.

This recipe is going full Texas-style, so for the seasoning, you need only Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper.

You want to season the pork belly on all sides, being sure to get the edges as well. Then it’s ready to hit the smoker! 

3. Fire up the smoker

Heat your smoker to 250°F.

I smoked this pork belly on my Weber Searwood XL with Bear Mountain Gourmet Blend pellets. If you prefer, you can opt for oak or apple. If you want to be extra authentic, post oak would be the correct choice.

I don’t recommend stronger woods like hickory or mesquite because their bold flavors tend to overpower pork.

4. Smoke the pork belly

As I mentioned before, pork belly is best prepared when it is cooked low and slow – that is, at a low temperature for an extended period of time. You want to give the fat plenty of time to render, and we all know that patience is a virtue when it comes to great barbecue.

Place the seasoned pork belly on the smoker with the fat cap facing down. 

It’s going to smoke for 2-½ to 3 hours for the first part of the cook. I like to spritz with apple cider vinegar every hour during this portion of the cooking process.

Spritzing meat on the smoker helps to build bark more evenly and also helps produce a more prominent smoke ring. 

After it’s been on for 2-½ to 3 hours, the internal temperature should be up around 165°F and the bark should be firm to the touch – then it’s time to wrap. 

5. Wrap it  

This recipe calls for wrapping the pork belly in butcher paper for the second half of the cooking process, just like you would wrap a brisket.

Butcher paper allows air to flow, so the bark continues to form, but it also keeps the pork belly moist and juicy while it finishes cooking. You can use aluminum foil if you don’t have any butcher paper, but I find you don’t get quite as good a bark.

I like to use the same spritz I used on the pork belly to moisten the butcher paper before wrapping.

The spritzing makes the butcher paper more pliable and allows you to get a tighter wrap on the meat. 

Once it’s wrapped tightly, you can place it back on the smoker for an additional 1-½ to 2 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches about 195°F. 

6. Rest

Once your pork belly reaches about 195°F internally, you can pull it off. But before you grab that slicing knife, it’s essential to let it rest. 

Resting meat is arguably the most important step in BBQ. This gives the meat time to cool down and for the muscle fibers to relax. The moisture in the meat will redistribute, leaving you with more tender, juicy meat at the end.

Once it has rested, you can slice it up and enjoy! 

What to serve with Texas-style Pork Belly

This recipe pairs well with just about any classic barbecue side dish. Anything that you would normally eat with your brisket, ribs, or pulled pork will taste great alongside smoked pork belly

Once you’ve tasted Texas-style smoked pork belly, with its rich, smoky fat and crackling bark, you’ll not only serve it as the main course but also use it for sliders, nachos, tacos, sandwiches, and ramen.

If you gave this recipe a go, leave a rating and a comment below. We’d love to know what you think.