Pork belly goes great with plum and other stone fruits. Charring the plum adds a layer of sweetness and complexity to the plum, and roasting it softens it up to make it work better as a marinade/sauce.
This can be slow smoked, but since there isn’t a lot of connective tissue in pork belly a faster roast will work just fine (plus, you’re not making bacon here). Fruits woods like apple or cherry are best, but even just lump charcoal will work great. You can cook this to a wide range of internal temps and it will work just fine. On the low end an internal temp of 140F will give you a firm texture that should be thin sliced. For a pull apart texture take it all the way up to 175-180F. I prefer a softer texture that still has some tooth to it, and pull it off the smoker at 160-170F. A high temp char at the end crisps up the fat layer nicely, and deepens the flavor of the plum.
This is also great as leftovers, and can be sliced and crisped up in a pan to use in sandwiches or eaten as is.
Smoke Roasted Plum Pork Belly
Ingredients
Instructions
Slice plum in half and remove pit. Place on a hot grill for 2 to 3 minutes until cut side is charred. Move to indirect heat and roast for 10 to 15 minutes (until soft). This can be done up to a week ahead of time and kept in the fridge.
Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend to a paste/slather.
Crosshatch the fat side of the pork belly to allow the marinade to reach the meat. Slather the marinade onto the pork belly, reserve about 1/4 of the marinade for basting as it cooks. Refrigerate overnight (or for at least 4 hours).
Prepare a smoker to run hot (about 350F) or set up a grill for indirect grilling at around the same temperature. Fruit wood works especially well with this, especially apple. That said, just lump charcoal will work fine.
Roast the pork belly for about 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the internal temp reaches 160F. Baste with the reserved marinade every 20 minutes or so.
Once the pork belly reaches 160F internal baste with the marinade and move to the hot part of the fire (or place under broiler) to carmelize the marinade. This should take 3 to 5 minutes per side. Final internal temp should be around 170F.
Let rest for 15 minutes, slice, and serve.