Pit Boss Smoked Pork Belly Strips

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Smoked pork belly strips are a huge hit with my family and friends. They take a bit of preparation, but if you do it right, you can end up with juicy caramelized pork candy!

I’ve perfected my strips, and they turn out crispy yet melt in your mouth. These will go so fast at any cookout or backyard BBQ that I would recommend doing a double batch.

What You’ll Need to Cook

• Pork Belly: Buy it as a slab from the butcher counter if you can — pre-sliced supermarket packs are usually thinner and less consistent. I keep mine cold before slicing — cold fat cuts much more cleanly than room temperature. Aim for 2-inch thick strips so they hold up on the smoker and have enough fat to render properly.
• Kosher Salt: This is the dry brine — it draws moisture from the surface, which concentrates the flavor and helps form a better bark. Don’t rush this step. One hour uncovered in the fridge is the minimum. Overnight uncovered is better.
• BBQ Rub: The brown sugar is important for the caramelised crust that forms during the sear. If your rub doesn’t have brown sugar, add a teaspoon per strip before it goes in the smoker.

What BBQ Rub Do I Use?

I use a cajun-style BBQ rub from my local butcher — something with paprika, brown sugar, garlic powder, and a little cayenne. The brown sugar is the important part for these strips — it’s what gives you the caramelised, slightly sticky surface when you hit them with the sear. If you’re using a store-bought rub without sugar, add a teaspoon of brown sugar per strip before they go on the smoker.

Want to Make Your Own BBQ Rub?

If you want to mix your own, this is the blend I use on pork belly strips. Combine 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp each of kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper, then half a teaspoon each of cayenne and ground cumin. Mix until combined — this makes enough for about 2–2.5 lbs of strips. Any leftover rub keeps in an airtight jar for up to 3 months and works well on ribs, pork chops, and chicken thighs too.

How to Smoke Pork Belly Strips

Step 1: Prepare Sliced Pork Belly & Add the Dry Rub

Pat the pork belly dry with paper towels — any moisture on the surface will slow bark formation. Trim the fat cap to about half an inch — you want enough fat to render through the meat during the low-and-slow cook, but not so much that it stays greasy and thick on the outside. Score the fat in a crosshatch pattern with a sharp knife, cutting through the fat but not into the meat. This helps the salt and rub penetrate and gives the fat somewhere to open up as it renders.

Cut the belly into strips about 2 inches thick — even-sized cuts mean even cooking. Apply kosher salt liberally to all sides and leave uncovered in the fridge for at least an hour to draw out the surface moisture. Then wipe off the excess salt and pat dry again with paper towels. Apply your BBQ rub to both sides and press it in firmly.

Step 2: Smoke the Pork Belly

Load the pellets, prime the Pit Boss, and set to 225°F. Wait until it’s fully up to temperature before the strips go on. Place the strips in an oven dish or directly on the grates with space between each piece — crowding traps steam and softens the bark instead of building it. Insert temperature probes and smoke to an internal temperature of 200–205°F. At 225°F, this takes approximately 2–2.5 hours depending on thickness — don’t rely on time alone.

Around the 90-minute mark, the surface should have gone from the reddish-brown of the raw rub to a deeper mahogany. The fat on the sides will look glossy and slightly pulled back from the edges — that’s the rendering happening.

Step 3: Sear the Pork Belly Strips

When the strips reach 200–205°F, pull them from the smoker and let them rest for 10–15 minutes. Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle over the highest heat you can get — you want an aggressive sizzle the moment the strip hits the surface.

Sear each strip for 1–2 minutes per side until the fat cap goes deep golden and the edges start to caramelize and crisp. Watch it closely — the brown sugar in the rub will go from caramelized to burnt in under a minute at high heat. When you pick up a strip, hear the sizzle, and see the deep golden color, it’s done.

If you’re not serving immediately, refrigerate after the smoke stage and sear just before serving — the sear is always best done fresh.

What Temperature to Smoke Pork Belly Strips At

Smoke at 225°F until the internal temperature reaches 200–205°F — approximately 2–2.5 hours for 2-inch thick strips. Always pull by temperature, not by time.

How to Store Leftovers

Store leftover smoked pork belly strips in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. For the sear stage, refrigerate after smoking and sear fresh just before serving — the sear always tastes better done immediately before eating rather than reheated.

To reheat already-seared strips, heat a hot, dry skillet for 2–3 minutes per side to bring them back close to their original texture. An air fryer at 375°F for 4–5 minutes also works well. Avoid the microwave — the fat goes soft and rubbery.

My Favorite Wood Chips for Smoked Pork

I run a blend of hickory and cherry on these strips — hickory gives you a deeper, more traditional BBQ smoke and cherry adds a mild sweetness that works with the caramelized rub. The combination produces a deep mahogany color on the bark that looks as good as it tastes.

Apple is a good alternative to cherry if that’s what you have — same mild, slightly sweet result. If you want to go full hickory without the fruit wood, use it sparingly. On a 2-hour cook at 225°F, it can get heavy and slightly bitter, especially on fatty cuts where the smoke absorbs more deeply. Mesquite I’d avoid entirely on pork belly — it’s too assertive and clashes with the sweetness of the rendered fat and the rub.

Some Hot Tips for Smoking Pork Belly Strips

• Take the strips out of the fridge about 20 minutes before they go on the smoker — cold meat straight from the fridge takes longer to cook through, and the outside can start to dry before the center reaches temperature.
• Always rest the strips for 15 minutes after pulling them from the smoker before the sear. This lets the juices redistribute, and the internal temperature stabilize. Skipping the rest and going straight to the skillet means the juices run out on the cutting board instead of staying in the meat.
• If the internal temperature is climbing slowly in the final push to 200°F, wrap the strips tightly in foil and return them to the smoker. The foil traps heat and pushes them through without drying the outside. This is the same principle as the Texas crutch on brisket — it works the same way on strips.

What Smoked Pork Belly Strips Look Like When They’re Done

After the smoke stage, the strips should be deep mahogany — the fat on the sides will have pulled back slightly and look glossy, and the surface will be matte and dry rather than shiny.

Press one lightly — it should give slightly with a little resistance. At 200–205°F the probe slides in with light to moderate resistance — these are strips, not a whole belly, so they won’t go completely probe-tender like a pork butt would.

After the sear, the outside will be deep golden to amber, the edges slightly darker and caramelized. The fat cap should be crisp to the touch. When you cut through one, the inside should be soft, fatty, and moist — if it looks dry or tight, the sear was too long, or the smoker temperature ran too high.

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What to Serve With Pork Belly Strips

For sides that hold up alongside pork belly strips, Smoked Mashed Potatoes are the natural pairing — the creaminess cuts through the richness of the fat. Smoked Mac and Cheese turns this into a full comfort food spread. Smoked Baked Beans work well alongside — the sweetness echoes the caramelized bark. Grilled Broccoli gives you something lighter to balance the plate.

For using them in other dishes, chop the strips and stir through fried rice, add slices to a Smoked Cuban Sandwich, or pile them on top of a Smoked Grilled Cheese. They also reheat well in a pan with a splash of soy sauce and serve over rice.

Smoke On!

Charlie

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