Smoked Pork Belly

On Time, Every Time.

Smoked Pork Belly

Pork belly is pure indulgence: fatty, rich, and endlessly versatile. Smoke it as a slab, or cube it for the crowd-favorite burnt ends. Set your time below and let the calculator schedule it.

How long to smoke pork belly

At 250°F, a slab runs about 45 minutes per pound to a 200°F pull, where the fat has rendered and it is spoonably tender. Burnt ends take roughly three hours to render, then a sauce-and-caramelize pass in the pit.

Pork belly burnt ends

Cube the belly, season, and smoke until tender and rendered, then toss with a sweet sauce and return to the pit to lacquer. They are the pork answer to brisket burnt ends: candy with a savory center.

Pork belly on a pellet grill

Indirect at 250°F renders the fat cleanly. Fruit woods and hickory suit pork; a little sweetness in the rub caramelizes beautifully on the bark.

FAQ

What temp is pork belly done? Around 200°F, where the fat has fully rendered and it probes tender. Below that it can be chewy and greasy.

How long do pork belly burnt ends take? Roughly three to four hours at 250°F plus the sauce pass. The calculator plans it to your weight.

Best wood for pork belly? Apple, cherry, and hickory. Pork belly is rich, so the wood can lean sweet.

How Much Pork Belly Do I Need to Buy and Cook?

🍽️ How much pork belly do I need?
Enter your headcount - we work backward through trim and cook loss to the raw weight to buy.
Fine-tune trim & cook loss
Buy about
-
After trimming: - · on the plate cooked: -
Lost to trim: - · lost to the cook: -
Pork belly is rich and fatty and renders down a lot - a slab loses about a third of its weight in the cook. It is filling, so plan on about 1/2 lb of raw belly per person. A whole slab runs 3 to 6 lb.
🐷 Got trimmed fat? Don't toss it. Render that trim into lard - gold for cooking, the flakiest pie crust, frying, and refried beans.

How Much Pork Belly Per Person (Serving Size Chart)

GuestsRaw Pork belly to buyTrimmed (on the smoker)Cooked (served)Good pick
1-52.8 lb2.5 lb1.7 lb~2.8 lb (sizes vary)
6-105.6 lb5.1 lb3.3 lb~5.6 lb (sizes vary)
11-158.5 lb7.6 lb5.0 lb~8.5 lb (sizes vary)
16-2011 lb10 lb6.6 lb~11 lb (sizes vary)
21-3017 lb15 lb9.9 lb~17 lb (sizes vary)
31-4023 lb20 lb13 lb~23 lb (sizes vary)
41-5028 lb25 lb17 lb~28 lb (sizes vary)

Raw weight to comfortably feed the top of each range at an average appetite (~0.33 lb cooked per person), no leftovers. Bump up a size for hearty eaters, light sides, or leftovers.

Pork belly prices this week (and the trend)

💵 What does pork belly cost right now?

$4.80/lb average grocery feature price (week of Aug 1, 2026)

$1.21$2.42$3.6$4.82024-09 retail $4.89/lbSep 242024-10 retail $4.58/lb2024-11 retail $5.07/lb2024-12 retail $5.29/lbDec 242025-01 retail $5.30/lb2025-02 retail $5.41/lb2025-03 retail $4.16/lbMar 252025-04 retail $5.11/lb2025-05 retail $4.72/lb2025-06 retail $3.99/lbJun 252025-07 retail $4.73/lb2025-08 retail $5.05/lb2025-09 retail $5.37/lbSep 252025-10 retail $5.25/lb2025-11 retail $4.64/lb2025-12 retail $4.93/lbDec 252026-01 retail $4.97/lb2026-02 retail $3.67/lb2026-03 retail $4.75/lbMar 262026-04 retail $4.59/lb2026-05 retail $4.82/lb2026-06 retail $4.87/lbJun 262026-07 retail $5.24/lb2026-08 retail $4.80/lbRetail (grocery ads)

This week at the grocery store, by region (green = cheapest)

MidwestMidwest $3.99/lb$3.99North WestNorth West $3.99/lb$3.99South EastSouth East $4.99/lb$4.99HawaiiHawaii $7.14/lb$7.14national $4.80

See prices for every cut → · How much should you buy? · Cooking for money? Price the whole job

Source: USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Market News weekly retail feature reports, tracked by MeatSmokingCalculator. Prices are advertised grocery features – your store will vary.

🔥 Pork Belly at a glance
Pit temps: Slow and Low 250°F / 121°C
Time rule of thumb: Whole Slab (Slow and Low): ~45 min/lb · Pork Belly Burnt Ends (Slow and Low): ~3 h
Rest: 30 min recommended
Best woods: Apple, Cherry, Hickory, Peach, Pecan

Times & temperatures

Style Method Pit temp Approx time Pull / done temp
Whole Slab Slow and Low 250°F / 121°C ~45 min/lb 200°F / 93°C
Pork Belly Burnt Ends Slow and Low 250°F / 121°C ~3 hr + ~75 min finish 200°F / 93°C

📊 See the full smoking times & temps chart for every cut →

Top community recipes

Browse all community recipes →

🐷 Save your trim - make lard. Pork belly is almost all renderable fat - the trim makes silky lard. Render it into lard, a clean cooking fat that's also gold for the flakiest pie crust, frying, and refried beans. See the step-by-step guide →

Written by John Kirker, who built the first meat smoking calculator in 2011. Times come from cooks we have actually run and logged; temperature and feel decide the finish, never the clock alone.

· · Spot something wrong? Tell us

By clicking Register, you acknowledge that you have read and accepted our Terms and Conditions.

Tagline

Other Options

The MeatSmokingCalculator will help you plan the timeline for any meal.

  • Smoked Cabrito (Whole Goat)

    Smoked Cabrito (Whole Goat)

    Job title

  • How Long to Smoke a Brisket – Pulled Brisket

    How Long to Smoke a Brisket – Pulled Brisket

    Job title

  • Smoked Brisket by admin

    How Long to Smoke a Brisket – Sliced Brisket

    Job title

  • Smoking a Pork Shoulder – Pulled Pork Time and Temp

    Smoking a Pork Shoulder – Pulled Pork Time and Temp

    Job title

  • Smoked Pork Loin – Time and Temp

    Smoked Pork Loin – Time and Temp

    Job title

  • Smoked Baby Back Ribs by John

    How to Smoke Baby Back Ribs – Time and Temp

    Job title

Planning, ingredients, preparation, and timing are the most critical elements to making and serving great food.
Having enough time is the most important part when it comes to slow and low!

Meat Smoking Calculator takes the thinking out of the process.
It makes cooking and serving amazing tasting smoked meats every time, on time.

SOME OF OUR FAVORITE SITES

Smoking a Turkey for Thanksgiving!
BBQ Brethren
Smoking Meat Forums
Deejay’s Smoke Pit
USDA’s Food Safety Guidelines
Smoking Pit
Virtual Weber Bullet
Smoking Times and Temps

* To help support this free site, posts contain affiliate links. If you use one of the affiliate links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.