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If you’ve never tried smoked pork belly before, you’re in for a treat. This recipe takes the rich, juicy pork belly and turns it into crispy, melt-in-your-mouth pinwheels that are perfect for any occasion. What makes these pinwheels so special? The combination of smoky, savory smoked pork belly with a sweet and tangy cherry bourbon glaze. It’s a bite of smoky goodness with the perfect balance of sweet and savory, and the fat side gives the pinwheels a wonderful, crispy finish that’ll leave you craving more. This recipe is sure to become one of your go-to pork recipes.
If you’ve ever seen me cook on Instagram, you know I love sharing new ideas and smoked pork belly recipes. This one is a game-changer, and I’m excited for you to give this smoked pork belly recipe a try!
Let’s Prep
When it comes to smoked pork belly, preparation is key. Start with a whole pork belly, preferably from a local grocery store or your trusted meat markets. I love getting a fresh slab, but a prepackaged uncured pork belly will also work if that’s what you have.
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Use a very sharp knife to slice the pork belly slab into strips that are about 1 to 1.5 inches wide. This is where you’ll get those perfect smoked pork belly pinwheels. Be sure to cut through the fat cap and meat, making sure each strip is uniform in size. This will ensure they cook evenly.
For the next step, start at one end and roll up the pork belly strip as tightly as you can into a pinwheel. Skewer them with bamboo skewers that have soaked in water for 30 minutes. This will prevent them from burning/catching fire while the pork belly cooks.
The soaking prevents the skewers from burning during smoking. This is where you get that nice tight shape, so the pinwheels hold their form throughout the cooking process.
Once the pinwheels are secure, it’s time to season. I like to use Queen Bee BBQ Rub, which is sweet and smoky—perfect for balancing the flavors of the smoked pork belly. Cover all the exposed surfaces generously with the rub. Don’t skimp! Every inch should be coated to get that rich, flavorful crust. If you’re using a homemade dry rub, just make sure it has a nice blend of onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, and black pepper. The kosher salt is important, too, as it helps draw out moisture from the pork belly for that crispy edge.
Now that the pinwheels are prepped and seasoned, set them aside at room temperature while you prepare the smoker. You don’t want the smoked pork belly to go straight into a cold smoker—it’ll help with even cooking and tenderness if you let the meat rest a bit before smoking.
Let’s Cook:
Smoked Pork Belly time is getting nearer!
It’s time to fire up your smoker and get it ready for the smoked pork belly pinwheels. Preheat your smoker to 250°F. I love using my pellet grill for this recipe because it gives me that consistent, even smoke flavor. But, if you’re using a gas grill or electric smoker, the results will be just as tasty. I recommend using apple wood chips to get that nice, mild-smoke flavor. It’s perfect for smoked pork belly, and the fruitiness complements the cherry bourbon glaze and the richness of the smoked pork belly.
Place the pinwheels directly on the smoker grates. It’s important that they’re not touching each other so that the smoke can circulate around them evenly. Keep the lid closed and let the pinwheels smoke for about two hours before checking on them. You’re aiming for an internal temperature of the pork belly to be around 200°F, so a meat thermometer is a must here.
While the pinwheels are smoking, let’s work on the cherry bourbon glaze. This glaze is what makes these pinwheels special. Next up, grab your saucepan and in it, combine the cherries, sugar, apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon, Worcestershire sauce, and paprika. Set your burner to medium-low and keep a close eye on it. Don’t walk away! We don’t want burnt flavors on our smoked pork belly!
Stir it frequently to make sure that it doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan. Bring it to a boil for 5 minutes to combine all the flavors.
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You can finish it out as is, and skip to adding cornstarch if necessary to thicken up further, or if you’re like me and prefer a smoother glaze, I like to put mine in a blender for a few good pulses until I get the consistency that I want. I like a smooth texture, however I like to keep some of the cherry pieces in it.
Once you’ve reached your consistency that you want, put back in your saucepan over low heat, and mix your cornstarch slurry of 1 TBSP cornstarch, and 1 TBSP water. Mix together and stir into the sauce. Stir constantly over low heat until it’s as thick as you’re wanting.
Now that your smoked pork belly pinwheels have reached the magic temperature of 200°F, brush them generously with the cherry bourbon glaze. Now close the smoker back up, let them cook for another 5-10 minutes. This last step, allows the glaze to soften more and seep into the nooks and crannies of the meat as well as cover it more evenly.
Let’s Eat
Once your pinwheels are done, it’s time to serve them up! Let them rest for about 10 minutes to lock in all those flavorful juices. Slice the pinwheels into bite-sized pieces and serve them while they’re hot.
These smoked pork belly pinwheels are great on their own, but they also pair perfectly with BBQ sides like coleslaw, cornbread, or some tangy pickles. The fat cap gives them a crispy edge while the interior stays tender and juicy. With each bite, you’ll get the sweet bourbon glaze, the savory smoked pork belly, and a burst of cherry flavor. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and savory.
If you have leftovers (which, let’s be honest, is unlikely), store them in an airtight container in the fridge. They reheat wonderfully and make for an amazing snack or lunch the next day.
Tips and Tricks for Perfect Smoked Pork Belly Pinwheels
If you want to elevate this smoked pork belly pinwheel recipe to the next level, here are a few tips and tricks to make sure everything goes smoothly:
Temperature Control: Keeping your smoker at a steady 250°F is crucial for getting the perfect cook. If you have a Wi-Fi-enabled smoker like a Traeger or Pit Boss, it’ll make life so much easier. These smokers allow you to adjust the temperature without opening the lid, keeping the heat consistent and ensuring that your smoked pork belly doesn’t dry out.
Fat Cap Management: The fat cap is what gives the smoked pork belly pinwheels their rich, melt-in-your-mouth texture. You want to make sure the fat side is facing up when you place the pinwheels on the smoker. This allows the fat to slowly render as it cooks, flavoring the meat and creating that crispy exterior. The key is low and slow cooking—rushing the process will result in chewy, greasy pinwheels, not the crispy perfection we’re aiming for.
Wood Choice: I mentioned apple wood earlier, but you can experiment with other woods as well. Cherry is also perfect.
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Bourbon Glaze Tips: when creating your own BBQ Sauce recipe, it’s important to make sure that the BBQ Sauce comes out the way you want it to. That’s the best part about cooking yourself is it should be tailored to you. Next time you make this, follow the recipe and taste it as you go along. Want it sweeter? Add more brown sugar. Saltier? Add salt. You get it. Either way, when you’re making your own BBQ sauce it’ll be a great thing to put on your meat candy! If I have any glaze left over I’ll put it in a small bowl or bottle and save it for sandwiches or any other time I’d put BBQ Sauce on a meat.
Resting the Meat: As with cooking any cut of meat, as mentioned in the recipe card below, you want to make sure that you’re resting the meat that you’ve worked so hard to make. Pork Belly pinwheels are no different than making another BBQ dish like pork belly burnt ends, or even brisket. You want it as juicy as possible, and resting is the only way you get to that. My recommendation is to rest the meat underneath a tent of aluminum foil or in a covered foil pan. The idea is that we want to let the heat lower slowly.
Other Smoked Pork Belly recipes you might like, (and and air fryer recipe):
Ingredients
- 4 lbs Pork Belly
- Queen Bee BBQ Rub
Cherry Bourbon Glaze
- 1.5 C Cherries 12 oz frozen bag
- 1/4 C Bourbon
- 1/4 C Brown Sugar
- 1/4 C Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 TBSP Honey
- 1 TBSP Dijon Mustard
- 1/2 tsp Worchestershire
- 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 TBSP Cornstarch mix with 1 TBSP water to make thickening slurry
Instructions
- Preheat Smoker to 250F
- Slice slab of pork belly into long strips that are about 1 – 1.5" wide
- Roll up pork belly strips tightly and insert skewer that has been soaking in water for at least 30 minutes
- Season liberally with BBQ rub on all sides (cover all exposed surfaces)
- Place in smoker directly on the grill grates make sure they aren't touching and are in a single layer. Leave lid closed and smoke for 2 hours before opening lid to check them for temperature.
- While cooking, combine all ingredients for the cherry bourbon glaze in a saucepan. Heat on medium-low heat and allow to boil for about 5 minutes stirring consistently so that nothing burns on the bottom of the pan.
- If you'd like a smoother consistency to the glaze place in blender or food processor and pulse until smooth, add back to sauce pan and bring back to boil and add cornstarch slurry to thicken. Cook for about 5 more minutes, and remove from heat to finish thickening.
- The pork belly will take between 3 – 3.5 hours generally to cook, but that could vary. You're aiming for an internal temperature of about 200F. Once it hits 200F add glaze on top of pork belly and close the lid to finish the pork belly at 205F.
- Remove from smoker and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve hot.
