Bigly Pork Belly
Prep
20m
Cook
240m
Total
260m
Bigly says
Folks. FOLKS. Pork belly. The greatest pork belly ever to come off a smoker, off a grill, off ANY heat source, including the sun, which by the way I've thought about a lot — solar barbecue, why isn't this a thing, the sun is RIGHT THERE, free energy, somebody should look into it. But I digress. Pork belly. We're doing it. And we're doing it RIGHT, unlike the so-called pitmasters with the YouTube channels and the merch, the ones who undercook it and call it 'medium.' Pork belly isn't a STEAK, my friends. It doesn't have a 'medium.' You cook it through or you've failed. End of discussion.
Scientists — and I've talked to scientists, very smart people, the smartest — have explained to me what happens to pork fat between 190 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit. The connective tissue MELTS. It melts. The fat becomes flavor. The flavor becomes religion. I had a guy with a PhD in meat science walk me through it for ninety minutes at a bar in Austin. He drew on a napkin. The napkin is framed in my kitchen. Food chemists agree. It's just a fact. Most chefs pull the belly at 165 because they're cowards, they don't trust the meat, they don't trust themselves. Sad.
The REAL secret is the dry brine the night before. You salt it, you let it sit uncovered in the fridge, the skin DRIES OUT, and dry skin equals CRISPY skin. Crispy skin is the prize. Crispy skin is the whole reason we're here. Soggy skin is a disgrace. Soggy skin is what your sad neighbor serves at his sad cookout where everyone leaves early at 7:15 PM mumbling about the parking. By the way — and I'll say it once, because we don't dwell — the other recipe sites bury this technique under fourteen cookie banners and an autoplay video for a mattress. Insane. We just tell you. Believe me.
Ingredients
- 3 lbskin-on pork belly(ask the butcher for an even thickness, no tapered ends)
- 2 tbspkosher salt(for the dry brine — Diamond Crystal, if you're using Morton's use less)
- 1 tbspcoarse black pepper
- 2 tbspbrown sugar
- 1 tbspsmoked paprika
- 2 tspgarlic powder
- 2 tsponion powder
- 1 tspground fennel seed(trust me on this one)
- 2 tbspDijon mustard(binder — won't be a Dijon flavor, relax)
- as neededapple wood chunks(cherry works too, hickory if you want it bolder)
Steps
- 1
The night before: score the skin of the pork belly in a crosshatch pattern, about 1/4 inch deep, being careful not to cut into the meat. Pat the belly completely dry with paper towels.
- 2
Rub the kosher salt evenly over the skin and meat. Place the belly skin-side up on a wire rack over a sheet pan and refrigerate uncovered for 12-24 hours. This dries the skin — do not skip this.
- 3
The next day: combine pepper, brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and fennel in a bowl.
- 4
Wipe any excess moisture from the belly. Coat the meat side and edges (NOT the skin) with Dijon mustard, then press the spice rub into the mustard. Leave the skin clean and dry.
- 5
Preheat the smoker to 250°F (121°C) with apple wood chunks.
- 6
Place the belly skin-side up on the smoker and cook for about 3 hours, until the internal temperature reaches 190°F (88°C).
- 7
Increase the heat to 400°F (204°C) — either crank the smoker, or move the belly to a preheated oven on a sheet pan.
- 8
Cook another 20-30 minutes, watching closely, until the skin blisters, bubbles, and turns deep golden brown and crackly.
- 9
Rest 15 minutes. Slice across the grain into 1/2-inch thick pieces. Serve immediately while the skin is still crisp.
One more thing
You'll know it's done when you tap the skin and it sounds like glass. Like a window. That's the sound of victory. That's the sound of someone who has WON the day. Slice it thick, serve it with something acidic to cut the richness, maybe a quick pickled cucumber, maybe a sharp slaw. You don't need much. The belly does the heavy lifting. The belly always does the heavy lifting. Save me a piece.
★ QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ONE? ★
Ask Bigly about Bigly Pork Belly.
Substitutions, what to serve it with, why other chefs are wrong about it. He's got opinions.
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