Pork belly is what bacon is made out of, but it is not bacon. Bacon is cured meat and pork belly is the uncured version. This recipe is to make little pork dice that will melt in your mouth while also being jam packed with flavour. These little cubes are fatty and flavourful, so make sure to fast in advance or spend some extra time on the treadmill. Pork belly contains about 50% fat, so the goal here is to render down some of that fat to soften each bite but also to cook the meat and apply enough smoke to make them dance across your taste buds.
Preheat the smoker to 250 degrees.Coat the pork belly in the mustard sauce, this will act as a binder for the rub but also add some flavour to the belly. Next you want to add a heavy dose of both the Deez nuts rub and the sweet money rub, making sure to coat all side of the meat and the edges.
Get the meat on the smoker
Put the belly on the smoker fat side towards the heat (so on my Louisiana Grills that would be fat side down). Smoke the belly for about 3 hours uncovered until it gets to become a nice rich mahogany color on the outside.
Cube and Wrap
Once you get the color you are looking for, bring the belly inside and cut it into uniform small cubes (about ¾ to 1 inch cubes). Toss the cubes into a foil tray and then coat in the Kosmos Rib glaze. Cut the stick of butter into cubes and add it to the foil tray as well. Cover with foil and place the tray back onto the smoker for 2 more hours.
Add Some Sauce
Pour half of the bbq sauce into the tray and give the burnt ends a stir, check them for tenderness by giving one of the ends a squeeze, at this point it should feel quite soft in your fingers. You can also eat one to see how it tastes and feels in your mouth at this point as well. Place the tray back on the smoker for about 1 more hour. At this point you can also reduce the heat on the smoker to around 180 degrees to hold the belly until you are ready to eat.
Serving
I like to remove the burnt ends from the buttery cooking sauce and place in a serving dish, then hit them with the remainder of the You Need a BBQ sauce.
Step by Step
Preheat Smoker to 250 Degrees
Coat Pork Belly in Mustard Sauce
Season heavily with Deez Nuts and Sweet Money Rub
Place on the smoker for 3 hours, fat side down
Remove the belly from the smoker and cube it to ¾ to 1 inch pieces
Toss in Aluminum foil tray with butter and Kosmos Rib Glaze
Cover and Place back on the smoker for 2 more hours