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There is nothing like pork belly – it is one of my favorite easy, tender, juicy dinners to make – but in summer, you can’t beat these burnt end style BBQ Smoked Pork Belly Bites. We’re slow-smoking perfectly seasoned bites of pork belly and making an addictive, thick, and sticky bark – for the best BBQ Pork Belly you’ll ever taste!
This recipe is perfect for cookouts and is simple to smoke, even if it’s your first time.
Don’t want all the extras in a recipe post? We provide a skip to recipe button in the top left corner, as well as a clickable table of contents, just below, to help make this page easier to navigate.
At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
Table of Contents
How to Smoke Pork Belly Bites
We designed this recipe to be super simple – just like our smoked pork ribs – so you can have the confidence to get it right your first time, and everytime!
BBQ Pork Belly Bites Ingredients
To make this recipe, we will need the following ingredients:
Dry Rub Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar: Adds sweetness and helps form a caramelized crust (bark) on the pork belly during smoking.
- 1 tablespoon paprika: Contributes mild earthiness and a warm red color to the rub.
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika: Enhances the smoky depth of flavor, reinforcing the smoke from the wood and adding a subtle heat.
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt: Essential for seasoning the meat and helping draw out moisture, which improves texture and allows the rub to penetrate the pork.
- 1 teaspoon black pepper: Adds sharpness and a mild heat that balances the sweetness of the sugar and BBQ sauce.
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder: Provides deep, savory flavor and helps round out the spice blend.
- 1 teaspoon onion powder: Adds a mellow, sweet-savory base note that complements garlic and pepper.
- ½ teaspoon chili powder (optional): Offers a mild heat and earthy chili depth that intensifies the flavor complexity if you want a bit of a kick.
Glaze Ingredients (Added at the End):
- ½ to ¾ cup BBQ sauce (e.g., Sweet Baby Ray’s): Gives a sweet, tangy, sticky coating. Provides classic BBQ flavor with caramelization during the final cooking phase.
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar: Boosts sweetness and helps thicken and caramelize the glaze for a glossy finish.
- 2 tablespoons honey: Adds floral sweetness and viscosity to bind the glaze to the pork belly pieces.
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks: Enriches the glaze and softens the sweetness with a silky texture, while balancing heat if chili is used.
For the Meat & Smoking:
- Water pan for smoker: Helps maintain a consistent temperature and moisture level inside the smoker, preventing the pork from drying out and allowing better smoke adhesion.
- 3 to 4 pounds pork belly, cut into 1½ to 2-inch cubes: Rich, fatty, and flavorful cut perfect for smoking. The high fat content renders during the cook, resulting in tender, juicy cubes with crispy edges.
- Wood chunks (cherry, hickory, or apple): Add specific smoke flavor.
- Cherry: mild and sweet
- Hickory: stronger, classic BBQ flavor
- Apple: lightly fruity and subtle
Smoked Pork Belly Method
Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, we will use the following process:
Prep
Preheat your smoker to 250°F using indirect heat. Place a water pan in the smoker to help maintain moisture and catch drippings.
Make Rub
Mix the rub ingredients in a small bowl.
Season Pork Belly
Coat each pork belly cube thoroughly on all sides.
Smoke
Arrange the pork belly on a wire rack or directly on the smoker grates, leaving space between each piece for airflow.
Develop Bark
Smoke for 2½ to 3 hours, or until a deep bark forms and the internal temperature reaches around 190°F.
Sauce & Butter
Transfer the pork belly to a foil pan. Add the BBQ sauce, brown sugar, honey, and butter. Toss gently to coat.
Develop Sauce
Cover the pan with foil and return to the smoker for another 60 to 90 minutes, or until the pork reaches 200 to 205°F and becomes fall-apart tender.
Thicken & Crisp
Remove the foil and smoke uncovered for an additional 15 to 20 minutes to thicken the glaze and give slight crisp texture (broil for 5-10 minutes for even more), stirring once or twice as it caramelizes.
Serve & Enjoy!
Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Tips and Tricks for Perfect Smoked Pork Belly
Use skinless pork belly: Skin-on pork belly can be tough and chewy in BBQ applications. Use skinless pork belly with good fat marbling for the best bite and texture.
Cut into even cubes: Slice pork belly into 1½ to 2-inch cubes so they cook evenly and get a balanced amount of smoke and glaze on each piece.
Apply a balanced dry rub: Use a sweet-and-savory rub with brown sugar, salt, smoked paprika, garlic, and pepper. Let it sit for at least 15–30 minutes to absorb flavor before smoking.
Smoke low and slow: Cook at 225–250°F for the first few hours. This allows the fat to render slowly and infuses the meat with smoke without drying it out.
Use fruitwood for mellow smoke: Apple, cherry, or a blend of fruitwoods with hickory gives balanced, aromatic smoke that complements the fatty richness of the pork.
Spritz for moisture and bark development: Spritz the pork every hour with apple juice, cider vinegar, or water to keep it moist and encourage bark formation without burning the sugar in the rub.
Wrap or pan once tender: Once the pork belly cubes are mahogany-colored and have a good bark, transfer them to a foil pan or wrap them in foil with butter, honey, and brown sugar. This helps soften and glaze the meat.
Finish with BBQ glaze: Toss the pork belly in a sweet, sticky BBQ sauce and return to the smoker (uncovered) for another 15–30 minutes to set the glaze and crisp the edges slightly.
Rest before serving: Let the finished cubes rest 10–15 minutes before serving. This allows juices to redistribute and keeps the bites tender and moist.
Don’t rush the cook: BBQ pork belly usually takes 3.5 to 4.5 hours total. Cook to texture, not just time—the fat should render fully, and each cube should feel tender but hold its shape when picked up.
FAQs
Use skinless pork belly with good fat marbling. The skin is too tough for low-and-slow BBQ and won’t render well. Look for even thickness to ensure uniform cooking.
Cut it into 1½ to 2-inch cubes. Smaller pieces may dry out, and larger pieces take longer to cook evenly. Uniform cubes ensure consistent texture and glaze coverage.
Smoke at 225–250°F. This low-and-slow temperature lets the fat render gently, keeping the meat moist and flavorful.
Use fruitwoods like apple, cherry, or peach for sweet, mellow smoke. Hickory or pecan can be added for a stronger, more traditional BBQ flavor.
Generally 3½ to 5 hours, depending on cube size and smoker temp. It’s done when the pork is tender and the fat is fully rendered—check for a soft, bouncy feel when pressed.
Yes. Spritzing with apple juice, cider vinegar, or water every 45–60 minutes helps keep the surface moist, develop a better bark, and prevent burning sugars in the rub.
Yes, after the initial smoke phase (once the bark sets, usually around 2 hours). Place the cubes in a foil pan with butter, honey, and brown sugar or wrap them to tenderize and caramelize.
Add glaze during the final 30–45 minutes of cooking, uncovered, to set the sauce and slightly crisp the edges. The sugar in the glaze will caramelize and thicken.
The cubes should be tender and jiggly, but not falling apart. A probe should slide in with little resistance. Internal temp can range from 190–205°F, but texture matters more than temperature.
Yes. Let cool slightly, then refrigerate. Reheat covered in the oven at 300°F or warm gently in a smoker or skillet. You may need to refresh with a little extra glaze or sauce before serving.
What to Serve With Smoked Pork Belly Bites
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Smoked BBQ Pork Belly Bites
Ingredients
For the rub:
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder, optional
For the glaze:
- ½ to ¾ cup BBQ sauce – we used Sweet Baby Ray’s
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
For the meat:
- 3 to 4 pounds pork belly, cut into 1½ to 2-inch cubes
- Wood chunks such as cherry, hickory, or apple
- Water pan for smoker
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker to 250°F using indirect heat. Place a water pan in the smoker to help maintain moisture and catch drippings.
- Pat the pork belly pieces dry with paper towels. If using Costco pork belly strips, slice them crosswise into 1½ to 2-inch chunks.
- Mix the rub ingredients in a small bowl. Coat each pork belly cube thoroughly on all sides.
- Arrange the pork belly on a wire rack or directly on the smoker grates, leaving space between each piece for airflow.
- Smoke for 2½ to 3 hours, or until a deep bark forms and the internal temperature reaches around 190°F.
- Transfer the pork belly to a foil pan. Add the BBQ sauce, brown sugar, honey, and butter. Toss gently to coat.
- Cover the pan with foil and return to the smoker for another 60 to 90 minutes, or until the pork reaches 200 to 205°F and becomes fall-apart tender.
- Remove the foil and smoke uncovered for an additional 15 to 20 minutes to thicken the glaze, stirring once or twice as it caramelizes.
- Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
