I’ve only tried smoking pork belly once before, and that time I went the burnt ends route with mixed results. This time, I wanted to try something simpler — just a standard smoked pork belly, no cubing, no glaze.

I picked up a skinless pork belly from Sam’s, about 4 pounds for under $15. I sliced it into 4 equal strips, roughly 2″ wide each.

I used my food saver container and added lime juice, soy sauce, garlic, green onions, and black pepper, then vacuum-sealed it and let it marinate for two hours.

I prepped the smoker for about 5 hours, targeting 225-250°F with hickory for the wood. This wasn’t a hands-on cook — I checked on it every hour or so while working in the yard, mostly because pork belly wasn’t something I was used to cooking yet. I flipped the strips twice during the process, but didn’t add any glaze or sauce at any point.

 At the two-hour mark, they were starting to take on some color.

 

 Result

At the 5-hour mark I pulled the strips, and they had a nice char on both sides. I let them cool about 10 minutes, then sliced them into roughly 2″x2″ chunks.

 

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 I ate them with a little soy sauce, and it was a great addition to the finished product. The family liked it, and so did I — this is one I’ll definitely make again. Want to see the burnt ends version instead? Check out my Pork Belly Burnt Ends – First Attempt post.

Pork Belly Burnt Ends – First Attempt)