Pork belly is almost ready to remove.

[MeBuff8Fan]

Will wrap in plastic and into the freezer to firm up a bit. Then onto slicing and vacuum sealing.

 

[bbqking]

Very nice. I have approx 10lbs in the fridge right now. Day 3 in the 10-14 day curing process.

 

[Bluesmoke]

Looks great. Smoking pork belly is on my list.
Can you share some tips for smoking pork belly?

 

[MeBuff8Fan]

Looks great. Smoking pork belly is on my list.
Can you share some tips for smoking pork belly?

Pork belly is pretty easy, just time consuming. Remove the skin or have the butcher do it when you buy it. There are a ton of recipes for cures online, just find one that has ingredients you like and go with it. I put my cure on all over and then place into a big zip lock bag. Set it in the fridge for 7-10 days, flipping it each day so the juices are distributed. After the curing rinse them off very well, pat dry and sit on a rack uncovered in the fridge another day. When I smoke I go for the lowest temp I can, preferably 150-180*, but up to 200*. I tend to use apple pellets (or chunks if on my WSM) but hickory works too. Bring the belly temp to 145-150*. I then wrap in plastic wrap and put into the freezer for a few hours to firm up. Once firm I slice it and then vacuum seal into portions for freezing. The 3 lbs of belly gave me five of these (plus some scraps) but I like thick slices.



The bacon is fully cooked but I reheat in an air fryer for about 8 minutes at 400*.

 

[Bluesmoke]

Thanks. I have to try it. The bacon looks great.