Smoked Pork Belly
This smoked pork belly is cooked low & slow in a BBQ until it turns so tender, it will melt in your mouth. A simple brine also improves the flavour & texture.
Servings: 8 People
Equipment
- Smoker/Barbecue
- Large Rectangle Container
- Butcher's Paper
- Spray Bottle
Ingredients
- 2 kg Bone In Pork Belly Skin Removed
Brine
- 1½ Litres Water
- 75 g Table Salt
- 60 g Light Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp Black Treacle
- 1 tsp Instant Coffee
- 1 tsp Pink Peppercorns
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 1 Star Anise
Rub
- 20 g Maldon Salt
- 15 g Coarse Ground Black Pepper
- 40 g Demerara Sugar
- 1 tsp Espresso Powder
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Onion Granules
- 1 tsp Garlic Granules
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1 tsp Cumin
For The Cook
- 2 tbsp French’s Mustard
- 75 ml Apple Cider Vinegar
- 75 ml Water
Instructions
Brining The Pork Belly
- Place all of the brine ingredients (use only half of the water) into a large saucepan. Place over a medium heat & cook until the salt & sugar has completely dissolved.
- Next, remove the brine from the heat, transfer to another container & stir in the remaining water. Leave to cool completely.
- Lightly score the fat on the top of the pork belly then place into a large container. Pour over the cooled brine then leave in the fridge for 4-6 hours, turning the pork over halfway through.
- Once cured, remove the pork from the brine & rinse off under cold water. Transfer to a clean tray & leave uncovered in the fridge overnight.
Rub
- To make the rub, add all of the ingredients into a bowl then stir to combine. Set this aside for now.If you've made the rub ahead of time, store it in an airtight container.
Seasoning The Pork & Lighting The Smoker
- The next day, coat the pork belly with the French’s mustard then cover completely with the rub. Leave at room temperature whilst your barbecue gets up to temperature.Make sure that the pork belly is completely coated in a thin, even layer of rub.
- Preheat your barbecue/smoker to 275°f/135°c & set up for indirect cooking.
Smoking
- Once your BBQ is up to temperature, add in the pork belly, facing it fat side up then leave to cook undisturbed for 3 hours. In the meantime, combine the water & apple cider vinegar then place into a spray bottle.
- After 3 hours have passed, continue cooking but spray the pork with the vinegar/water every 30 minutes until a deep bark has formed. This will roughly take another 2-3 hours.
- Next, give the pork a good spray with the vinegar then wrap in a double layer of butcher’s paper. Place back in the smoker (the same way up) & continue cooking until the pork probes like butter. This will take another 3-5 hours (roughly).You can do this step in the oven if you'd prefer. The meat won't take on anymore smoke once it's been wrapped. The internal temperature of the pork should be between 195°f-200°f (90°c-93°c) once cooked but it's best to go by feel.
Resting & Slicing
- Once the pork is cooked, take it out of the smoker, leaving it wrapped in the butcher’s paper but also wrap in a tea towel. Leave to rest for a minimum of 1 hour.
- Once rested, remove the bones from the belly (they should just slide out) then slice to serve. Make sure to slice against the grain.Alternatively, leave the belly whole & chill in the fridge to set. Once set, slice thick then pan fry to heat up.
Notes
1. Pork Belly -
2. Rub/Seasoning - The rub that we use on the pork contains espresso powder. You can buy this online but it is cheaper to make & is also surprisingly easy to do. My guide to making espresso powder can be found here.
3. Oven Method - I recommend cooking the pork belly indirectly on a barbecue but you could also cook it uncovered in an oven set to 130°c/266°f. Keep in mind that you won't get a bark on the outside of the pork if you cook it in the oven!
4. Wood & Charcoal - For longer, slow cooks, I use briquettes as the fuel as appose to lump wood charcoal. Meat only takes on smoke during the first 3-4 hours of cooking so I’ll throw a small lump or two of oak (or another mild wood) in with the charcoal at the beginning of the cook then leave it to burn. For the best flavour, it's key to use a good quality charcoal.