Barrel House Cooker Pork Belly Hot Dogs

By Christie Vanover | Published August 6, 2017 | Last Updated February 22, 2023

I have a secret love affair with hot dogs, but today, I’m moving away from the traditional weenies and mixing things up by using pork belly. 

Pork belly is the source of all things bacon. It’s usually cured, smoked, sliced thin and then baked or fried to delectable crispiness. But why should all that yum be limited to thin little strips. It shouldn’t. It should be carved thick and slapped between a bun.

These hot dogs receive a quick cure similar to bacon, using pink curing salt and my award-winning Pork Rub. I cure my homemade bacon for 5-7 days, but these only need an overnight chill in the fridge.

How to smoke pork belly hot dogs

Heat your smoker up to 250-275F degrees and place the pork belly strips on the grate over indirect heat for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. 

Once the meat reaches an internal temperature of 200F degrees, crank up the heat to 400F degrees. In about 10 minutes, your thick-ass bacon will be nice a crispy on the outside.

Slap them in a bun and top them with whatever you like. I like to cut the richness of the bacon with ketchup, mustard and my signature red pepper relish.

Pork Belly Hot Dogs

Pork belly hot dogs combine the rich tenderness of pork belly with the crispy, smoked saltiness of bacon wrapped in a bun.

Recipe by Christie Vanover

5 from 2 votes

Prep Time 8 hours hours

Cook Time 3 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8

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Ingredients

 

• ▢ 5 lbs. pork belly skin removed
• ▢ 3/4 cup Christie Vanover's Pork Rub
• ▢ 1 tsp pink curing salt
• ▢ 8 Hot dog buns
• ▢ Ketchup
• ▢ Mustard

Red pepper relish

• ▢ 3 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 3 tbsp sugar
• ▢ salt and pepper to taste
• ▢ 1 red bell pepper chopped
• ▢ 1 jalapeno chopped
• ▢ 1 shallot chopped
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced

Instructions

 

• Slice the pork belly into 1-inch by 8-inch strips. They should be about an inch longer than your buns.
• In a small bowl, combine the spices. Rub all over the pork belly strips. Place on the Barrel House Cooker grill grate over a large platter or pan. Place in the refrigerator uncovered for 8-12 hours.
• Heat your smoker to 250-275F degrees. Smoke for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the temperature of the meat reaches about 200F degrees.
• Heat the cooker up to about 400F degrees. Continue cooking the pork belly for 10 more minutes to get it nice and crispy.
• Serve on a hot dog bun with ketchup, mustard and red pepper relish.

Red Pepper Relish

• Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir in the peppers, shallot and garlic.

Notes

If you want to make these in advance and bring them to a tailgate party, smoke them until they reach 200 degrees. Let them cool and refrigerate them. When it’s time to party, heat the grill to high and crisp up the pork belly hot dogs for about 10 minutes over direct heat.

The recipe for the cure has been modified to make it easier. The original cure recipe was:

• 3 tbsp salt
• 3 tbsp black pepper
• 3 tbsp marjoram
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp pink curing salt

Nutrition

Serving: 1hot dogCalories: 1693kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 31gFat: 157gSaturated Fat: 55gCholesterol: 204mgSodium: 3214mgPotassium: 694mgFiber: 2gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 575IUVitamin C: 23.3mgCalcium: 115mgIron: 3.9mg

This estimate was created using an online nutrition calculator

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