First time smoking pork belly

hallsofmontezuma

Well-known member
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203
Location
Raleigh, NC
Grill(s) owned
  1. Bull
This will be my first time smoking pork belly. Wish me luck!

Also pictured is a brisket and pork butt.
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I had a 3 lb slab after using the rest of the pork belly for bacon. I was not real thrilled with the pork belly on the grill. Probably need to research more. I make porchetta in my oven and love it. It's stuffed with garlic and herbs, rolled and trussed and it bakes long and slow. All of the fat renders out and the crust is crackling.
I seasoned this 3 pounder with my rubs and cooked it 225F until internal temperature was 165. Long cook. When I cut into it, it looked like bacon. Very little fat rendered. It tasted good but I'm not into eating fat. My guess is that it needed to go longer.

I'll try it again as I know it's supposed to be amazing on the grill. But for serving, I'll stick to my crunchy oven recipe.

Please let us know how this turns out! Looks like a feast is happening on your grill.
 

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I had a 3 lb slab after using the rest of the pork belly for bacon. I was not real thrilled with the pork belly on the grill. Probably need to research more. I make porchetta in my oven and love it. It's stuffed with garlic and herbs, rolled and trussed and it bakes long and slow. All of the fat renders out and the crust is crackling.
I seasoned this 3 pounder with my rubs and cooked it 225F until internal temperature was 165. Long cook. When I cut into it, it looked like bacon. Very little fat rendered. It tasted good but I'm not into eating fat. My guess is that it needed to go longer.

I'll try it again as I know it's supposed to be amazing on the grill. But for serving, I'll stick to my crunchy oven recipe.

Please let us know how this turns out! Looks like a feast is happening on your grill.

Thanks for reminding me to put porchetta on my list of things to make. :)

As far as the smoked pork belly, I've seen recipes saying to do 165, 180, or even 190. I have no idea. Looks like you trimmed off the skin on yours. I don't see a lot of fat either, did you trim it?
 
Thanks for reminding me to put porchetta on my list of things to make. :)

As far as the smoked pork belly, I've seen recipes saying to do 165, 180, or even 190. I have no idea. Looks like you trimmed off the skin on yours. I don't see a lot of fat either, did you trim it?
It was skinless. Purchased whole at Costco. And I did no trimming. The very end was more meaty, but the meat was nowhere as tender as it should be.
 
It was skinless. Purchased whole at Costco. And I did no trimming. The very end was more meaty, but the meat was nowhere as tender as it should be.
Just checked my log book and it cooked for 8 hours at 225. After 5 hours, I decided to spritz and wrap in foil. I took it off 3 hours later. I wrapped it in a towel and put it into the cooler for 1 hour. FYI...I did inject it with apple juice. The next day I put it back on the grill at 180 to reheat (I was smoking some salmon). Cutting into it, it looked like an uncooked strip of bacon.
 
Just checked my log book and it cooked for 8 hours at 225. After 5 hours, I decided to spritz and wrap in foil. I took it off 3 hours later. I wrapped it in a towel and put it into the cooler for 1 hour. FYI...I did inject it with apple juice. The next day I put it back on the grill at 180 to reheat (I was smoking some salmon). Cutting into it, it looked like an uncooked strip of bacon.
Yeah it will look a bit like uncooked bacon, since bacon is cooked at a higher heat it looks darker. Other than bacon, have you eaten a lot of pork belly? It can be an acquired taste. Your pic definitely looked good to me. :)
I wonder if next time not wrapping would help.
 
Yeah it will look a bit like uncooked bacon, since bacon is cooked at a higher heat it looks darker. Other than bacon, have you eaten a lot of pork belly? It can be an acquired taste. Your pic definitely looked good to me. :)
I wonder if next time not wrapping would help.
I was hoping the wrapping would break down some of the fat. I've used pork belly many times in the same method in the oven. Here is a photo. All of the fat breaks down and it is just a spiral of meat and herbs. Melt in your mouth. Right now, I'm leaning on doing it that way from now on. Presentation is beautiful and it's very easy to make. Granted it's not grilled but not all things benefit from being smoked (did I really say that!!!). I do have two 3 pound slabs of bacon curing in the fridge. I like it for that for sure!
 

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I was hoping the wrapping would break down some of the fat. I've used pork belly many times in the same method in the oven. Here is a photo. All of the fat breaks down and it is just a spiral of meat and herbs. Melt in your mouth. Right now, I'm leaning on doing it that way from now on. Presentation is beautiful and it's very easy to make. Granted it's not grilled but not all things benefit from being smoked (did I really say that!!!). I do have two 3 pound slabs of bacon curing in the fridge. I like it for that for sure!
That looks so delicious. You've definitely inspired me to try a porchetta soon.
 
Looks amazing! Hope you don't mind some questions. How was the texture of the meat? Did you slice or pull? Did the fat render out completely? Beautiful color!
 

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