EPIC Smoked Crispy Pork Belly [With Crunchy Crackling]

Step 1: Score Your Pork Belly

I prefer to buy pork belly with the skin. You can use frozen pork belly to ensure you leave time for it to defrost.

For crispy pork, score it and rub it with sea salt. I like to do this the night before cooking the pork to ensure all the moisture is drawn out. If you don’t have time to leave it overnight, try leaving it uncovered in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Score the skin in a crosshatch — about 1 inch squares — with a sharp knife. You want to cut through the skin and just barely into the fat below, not into the meat. The salt draws moisture out of the skin overnight and that’s what allows it to blister and crackle under the broiler. If you skip this step the skin steams instead of crisping

Step 2: Apply Rub to Pork Belly

Next, I applied the yellow mustard binder and then the rub. Sometimes, we also use a Texas-style rub. I have included the recipe for it below.

Ingredients for Rub

• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Step 3: Place The Pork Belly in the Smoker

Preheat the smoker to 250°F and set it up for indirect heat. Place the pork belly in the smoker, fat side up, and insert the temperature probe. We used apple wood chips for this cook.

Spritz the pork with beer or apple juice every 45-60 minutes. This helps create a deep, dark, caramelized bark. Around the 1.5-hour mark, the fat cap will have started rendering — you’ll see it going from bright white to a darker, slightly translucent color, and the surface will look glossy. The smell shifts from raw pork to something sweeter and deeper as the rub caramelizes. By 165°F, the outside should be bronzed and a dark mahogany in the scored sections.

250°F is the right temperature for pork belly — hot enough to render the fat cap properly within a reasonable cook window, but low enough to give the smoke time to penetrate before the outside sets. Going higher risks tightening the meat before the fat has rendered

Step 4: Wrap The Pork Belly

Once your pork belly reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, I recommend wrapping it in foil with some liquid. I like apple juice.

Wrap the entire thing tightly in foil (including the crackling) with a small amount of apple juice, approximately 1/4 cup, to cover the bottom of the meat.

Then, place it back into the smoker until it reaches 200°F, which will take about an hour.

(We won’t get any crispy crackling using a smoker as the temperature doesn’t get hot enough, so we need to finish it off under a broiler)

To get crispy crackling, remove the meat from your smoker and throw it under a broiler. Turn the broiler to its maximum heat setting. The skin should begin to puff up and crackle. Be careful not to burn the cracking. Turn the tray or lower the rack to avoid burning.

Watch it constantly under the broiler — it goes from perfect to burnt in under a minute. When the skin blisters up and puffs, tap it with your finger. If it sounds hollow and feels hard, it’s done. If it’s still soft or hasn’t fully puffed, give it another 60–90 seconds. The crackling should shatter when you break it, not bend

Step 5: Rest and Slice

Allow the pork belly to rest for at least 15-20 minutes. Then slice and enjoy with your BBQ sides, don’t forget the apple sauce!

How Long to Smoke Pork Belly

It takes 3-5 hours to smoke 3 pounds of pork belly. However, that time can vary depending on your smoker’s temperature and the thickness of the meat.

You want the pork belly to have an internal temperature of 165°F before you remove it from the smoker. Then, wrap it in foil with beer or juice and return it to the smoker until it reaches 200°F.

➡️ If you use a Traeger to smoke your pork belly, see the recipe here.

How to Get Crispy Crackling on Smoked Pork Belly

Crackling requires two things that a smoker alone cannot provide: dry skin and very high heat. The prep work happens the night before, and the finish happens under a broiler. Over the Fire Cooking’s crispy pork belly burnt ends guide uses this same two-stage approach — dry brine the skin overnight, then hit it with high heat to puff and blister.

Follow this sequence for guaranteed crackling:

• Finish under a broiler on maximum heat for 5–10 minutes. Watch constantly — the skin will puff and blister rapidly. Rotate the tray if one edge is browning faster than the other.
• Score the skin with a sharp knife in a cross-hatch pattern, 1-inch squares, approximately ¼ inch deep. Do not cut into the meat.
• Dry brine overnight — rub kosher salt generously into the scored skin and refrigerate uncovered for at least 8 hours. This draws out moisture and seasons the skin deeply.
• Pat completely dry before the cook. Any residual moisture on the skin will prevent it from crisping.
• Smoke fat side up to 200°F as instructed in this recipe.

What Wood Should You Use For Smoked Pork Belly?

Cherry and applewood are the two best woods for smoked pork belly. This recipe uses both, and that combination is deliberate — apple brings a clean, mild sweetness while cherry adds a deeper color to the bark and a subtle fruitiness. For a full breakdown of every wood option and how it affects flavor, see the complete guide to the best wood for smoking pork belly. Hickory is a strong third option for those who want a bolder, more traditional BBQ smoke flavor.

Avoid soaking wood chips before use. Wet chips produce steam rather than smoke and delay the formation of the smoke ring on the bark.

My Favorite Sides for Pork Belly 🍖🔥

I like to serve this pork belly with a side of;

• Smoked Mac and Cheese
• Smoked Baked Beans
• Cheesy Smoked Potatoes
• Smoked Corn on the Cob
• Smoked Carrots in Brown Butter
• Smoked Broccoli
• Smoked Mashed Potatoes
• Bacon Mac and Cheese
• See all my smoked side dishes here