Buying and lighting calculator · Pork
How much pork belly do I buy and when do I light?
Fresh pork belly is the fatty cut from the underside of the pig: layers of meat and fat that turn silky after many hours at low temperature and build a dark bark on the outside. It is sold in slabs of 1 to 3 kg, with or without rind, and for the kamado you want an even thickness of about 4-5 cm. Plan on 300 g raw per person: during the smoke about a third melts away as fat and water, leaving roughly 200 g on the plate. Time depends more on thickness than on weight, so do not trust the clock alone. Hold the kamado at 120 °C with the deflector in, use fruit wood and probe until 93-95 °C. Rest it for half an hour before slicing.
How to ask for it
For 4 people: Ask for fresh skinless pork belly in one even-thickness slab (4-5 cm), 1.5 kg in total. If it comes with the rind, ask the butcher to take it off.
Pork belly loses about a third of its weight as fat and water: 300 g raw leaves about 200 g on the plate. 93-95 °C (200-203 °F) in the thickest part; the probe slides in without resistance.
How we calculate it
We start from a reasonable cooked portion (about 200 g of meat on the plate, 170 g of cleaned fish) and convert it to raw weight using each cut's bone and trim loss. "Hungry" adds 25 %. We round up to what is actually sold: quarter kilos, whole pieces, units.
To the cook time (per kilo or per piece, at each method's temperature) we add the kamado's lighting and stabilising (20-45 min depending on the method, as on the recipe pages), the rest, and a margin for long cooks, which vary from one piece to the next. Times are approximate: your kamado, the wind and the charcoal decide; on big cuts, trust the probe.
Frequently asked questions
How much pork belly per person?
Plan on about 300 g of raw fresh pork belly per person. Smoking removes roughly a third as fat and water, leaving about 200 g of meat on the plate, which is a generous serving because belly is so rich. If it is one dish among several, you can drop to 250 g.
How long does smoked pork belly take on a kamado?
At 120 °C allow about 150 minutes per kilo, with a minimum of 4 hours even for a small slab. A 2 kg piece takes around 5 hours. This is a guide only: the probe decides, and it should read 93-95 °C in the thickest part, followed by half an hour of rest.
Skin-on or skinless belly for the kamado?
For smoking and burnt ends, go skinless: the fat renders better and the rub sticks all over. Skin-on only pays off if you want a crackling-style finish, and then it needs a final blast of heat. Always ask for a slab of even thickness so it cooks evenly.
Other Pork cuts
- Pork ribs (St. Louis and baby back)
- Pork shoulder (pulled pork)
- Pork collar (neck)
- Pork loin (roast)
- Pork knuckle (hock, bone-in and skin-on)
- Suckling pig (half, split and cleaned)
- Ibérico pork presa
Approximate figures. Sources and the portion rule are in "How we calculate it".