Smoking Pork Belly like a Brisket

When it comes to smoked meats, there is one that most would consider The King of Meats.  That’s right, I’m talking about the brisket.  The tasty bark, the pencil thin slices, the smoky flavor, it’s a favorite wherever you go.  What if I told you that you could smoke a pork belly in the same fashion and it would be a flavor sensation?  You would be interested, wouldn’t you?

Well, this is the one for you. While we were doing some research, we came across BBQ Legend, Harry Soo cooking pork belly just like a brisket and we were intrigued.  I mean pork belly is what bacon is made from.  How bad could it possibly be?  We followed Harry’s method to a tee.  We took a beautiful slab of pork belly  and smoked it just like you’d smoke a brisket.  Have you ever even heard of such a thing?  The only change we made was to finish it on the smoker while Harry finished his in the ..GASP…oven.  

Our results were remarkably interesting to say the least.  Not only that but we went way out there and used mayo as our binder.  If you are wondering how, it turned out, follow the link, and enjoy the video.  The results may very well surprise you!  We enjoyed this cook very much and hope that you do too. A big thank you to Harry for making his video and showing the way.  I’m glad that he ate at Melt restaurant in France and discovered this method.

When you watch the video, do not forget to subscribe to the YouTube channel, leave a comment and click on the bell to receive notifications of when we release the next video.  Smoke on, get out and grill and thank you for living #TheFOGOLife!   

Video Recipe

Directions

1. Light your grill and prepare it for indirect smoking at 250°.
2. Prepare your pork belly for smoking.  Remove it from the  packaging and wipe dry.
3. Rub the pork belly with the mayonnaise to use as a binder.  
4. Combine ¼ cup Kosher Salt and ¼ cup Coarse ground black pepper. (16 mesh pepper if you can find it)
5. Apply the rub over the entire piece of meat.
6. Place the smoking chunks in your fire (We used Barrel Proof bourbon barrel blocks)
7. Place the belly on your smoker.  I recommend doing this with the fat cap down if you are cooking in a kamado style cooker.  This will protect the bottom layer from getting overdone.
8. Allow the meat to cook until it reaches 165-170° internal temperature, spritzing it with water once or twice.  Once it hits the proper temperature and you are happy with the formation of the bark, remove the meat from the smoker and wrap it in peach butcher paper and place it back on the grate.
9. Just like you would for a brisket, finish cooking the belly.  When it’s done cooking, the temperature probe should slide in and out with no resistance.
10. Once it is done cooking, remove it, let it cool a bit, and slice.

Related Links

• Route 83 Knives
• Barrel Proof Bourbon Smoking Chunks
• Big Green Egg 
• Cambro Containers and shakers