Did you know you can smoke a pork belly brisket style? Well, you can, and you should! My Brisket Style Pork Belly uses one of the greatest smoking techniques to create a juicy piece of meat. This recipe contains notes of paprika, chili, garlic, pepper, and a little mustard.
It cooks low and slow on the Outlaw BFO Smoker, giving the meat plenty of time to tenderize. The end result is a fantastic Brisket Style Pork Belly you can use for sandwiches, tacos, or snacks. The possibilities are endless.
Though this recipe sounds fancy, it’s pretty straightforward. Add binder and seasoning, smoke for a couple of hours, then wrap the pork belly to finish it off. Anyone can handle that, right? Be sure to watch the video to learn my pro tips for making the process even easier.
Serve this recipe for dinner or use it as a tool to prep delicious meals all week long. The choice is yours!
The Ingredients
A tasty dinner with less than four ingredients? Count me in! You won’t use all of your binder or seasonings, so save the rest for the next great recipe.
- Pork Belly. Unsurprisingly, pork belly comes from the belly of the pig. It’s the same tasty cut that makes bacon. Many believe that pork belly is the pig's most tender, flavorful part. Everyone has their own opinion, but no one can deny that this cut is lip-smackin’ good. My pork belly was about 8 pounds, and I cut it in half.
- Mustard. Mustard is one of my favorite binders. It’s simple, easy to find, and gives the meat a delicious twang of flavor. I recommend using smooth mustards like French’s.
- Heath Riles BBQ Beef Rub. This tasty rub combines chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and garlic into one excellent blend. You can use it on so much more than beef, though! Try it on pork, chicken, seafood, and even veggies.
- Heath Riles BBQ Competition BBQ Rub. This rub helped us win 1st place ribs at the 2022 Memphis in May World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest. I’m confident it’ll make you a winner too. It includes a fragrant mix of all things sweet and savory. I love using it on pork, chicken, and beef.
The Smoker Setup
Here’s the main equipment I used for this recipe. More of my grilling favorites can be found in the Equipment and Tools section.
- Charcoal. I stoked the pit with Royal Oak Charcoal. I love this brand because it contains no fillers, just pure charcoal. Charcoal infuses beef with a rich, deep flavor, and Royal Oak ensures your meat tastes authentic, not artificial. I used Royal Oak’s Super-Sized Charcoal and was so impressed by its quality!
- Smoker. I cooked my Brisket Style Pork Belly on the Outlaw BFO Smoker. This is a great setup that I love bringing to competitions. It was specifically designed to smoke a lot of food at once. It works great for caterers, pitmasters, or food trucks. If you’re looking for a smaller model, try the Outlaw Patio Smoker. It works just as great on a smaller scale.
The Process for Making Brisket Style Pork Belly
You can find a detailed demonstration of this recipe in the video or recipe card. For now, here’s a quick rundown of how this pork belly came together.
- Fire up the grill. I stoked the Outlaw BFO Smoker with Royal Oak Charcoal and hickory wood. This created a great combination of rich charcoal with a delicate hickory accent. I fired up the pit to about 300℉.
- Season the pork belly. I removed the pork belly from the package and cut it in half. Pork belly is meant to be a fattier cut of meat, so I didn’t do any trim work. I flipped the pork over, meat-side down, and drizzled on a good layer of mustard. I liberally sprinkled Heath Riles BBQ Beef Rub and Heath Riles BBQ Competition BBQ Rub over the meat, then flipped the pork and repeated the process on the other side.
- Start cooking. I laid the pork belly on the Outlaw BFO Smoker, let it go for 1 hour and 15 minutes, then spritzed it with water. This keeps the meat moist and helps form that beautiful crust. I closed the grill’s lid and let the meat cook undisturbed until it reached 160℉.
- Wrap the pork belly. My Brisket Style Pork Belly had a total cook time of 3 hours before it was ready to wrap. I placed the pork belly on a double-lined sheet of aluminum foil, wrapped it tightly, then placed it back on the Outlaw BFO Smoker for 2 more hours. The pork belly is such a fatty cut of meat that it doesn’t need an actual wrap mixture! It’ll steam to perfection in the tin foil.
- Rest and finish. After a total cook time of 5 hours, I removed the Brisket Style Pork Belly from the smoker. I let it rest for 30 minutes before digging in. Allowing the meat to rest keeps the juices where they belong, in the meat! The only thing left to do was to try a bite.
The Results
The moisture on this Brisket Style Pork Belly was unrivaled! The crust was flavorful and perfectly complemented the natural pork flavors. A hint of hickory smoke was the cherry on top of a fabulous pork belly. Once you try this recipe, you won’t believe how simple it is to make pork belly brisket style. I know you’ll want to bookmark this one. Family and friends will beg you to make it again!
Serving Suggestions for Brisket Style Pork Belly
You can always snack on this Brisket Style Pork Belly, but sometimes you want to make something extraordinary. Since this pork belly is done brisket style, you can use it in any of my recipes that call for brisket. Here’s a little inspiration:
- Chopped Brisket Sandwiches. This simple sandwich is hearty, filling, and full of BBQ flavor. It’s a great way to repurpose leftovers. Add a bag of potato chips and some fruit for a complete meal.
- Brisket Street Tacos. If you like Tex-Mex food, you’ll adore my Brisket Street Tacos. They’d taste great with pork! Complete the spread with tortilla chips and fresh pico de gallo.
- Smoked Brisket Baked Beans. Everyone needs a good side dish. Baked beans are a universal favorite. These aren’t your Mama’s canned beans, though! They’re packed with meat, veggies, and plenty of sauce. Serve the baked beans alongside burgers, brats, or steaks.
- Brisket Shepherd’s Pie. Try my Brisket Shepherd's Pie if you want hearty comfort food. Veggies, mashed potatoes, and decadent bites of meat. This is one for the books! Shepherd’s pie is a complete meal on its own, but you can always add some bread for good measure.
Storing Leftovers
If you have leftovers, you can store them in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze them for up to 4 months. Freeze the Brisket Style Pork Belly in slices for easy meal prep!
Equipment and Tools
Outlaw BFO Smoker, Royal Oak Charcoal, Nechtik Disposable BBQ Gloves, disposable cutting board, aluminum foil, Victorinox Fribrox Pro Chef’s Knife, spray bottle, aluminum pan, ChefAlarm, Thermoworks Thermapen One
