Smoked Pork Belly Sliders

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1
• 2 Set up grill/smoker for indirect heat and shoot for a temperature between 225° and 250° degrees. Add some fruit wood chunks to the coals once they are up to the desired temperature. A mild fruit wood works best with pork as it won't overpower the flavor of the meat and rub/sauce combination.
• 3 As the grill is heating up, sprinkle the exterior of the pork belly with your Stubb’s rub. Coat both sides evenly. This is large piece of meat, so coat generously. Once the pork belly is coated with the rub, wrap in clear plastic wrap and allow the pork belly to marinate for 30 minutes. You can also do this overnight as the rub will penetrate even deeper.
• 4 After the meat has marinated, remove the clear plastic wrap and toss it on the hot smoker. Let it go for at least 2 hours. After a few hours, start basting the meat with the apple cider. Each time you baste, sprinkle some of the Stubb’s Pork Spice Rub over the top of the meat. This will help keep the belly moist and add additional layers of flavor. After 3 hours, start checking the internal temperature of the meat. We are shooting for an internal temperature of 205° degrees. At this temp, the fat has rendered out, leaving a very tender and moist pork belly. Once the meat reaches 195° degrees, start brushing the pork belly with the Stubb’s Sticky Sweet Bar-B-Q Sauce. You only need to brush the top of the meat. As the sauce warms, it will start to thicken and form a beautiful exterior that is sweet and bubbly. Once the internal temperature reaches 205° degrees, remove from the heat and loosely tent with foil. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before slicing.
• 5 Cut into cubes and enjoy on slider buns topped with arugula or over steamed rice.