Remove the pork belly from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Use paper towels to pat completely dry on all sides.
Place the pork belly, fat side up, on a rimmed baking pan. Use a sharp knife to score the fat horizontally in both directions, creating a diamond pattern. *Be careful not to cut into the meat.
Use 1 cup of sweet BBQ rub to cover the pork belly on all sides and edges. Allow meat to sit another 30 minutes at room temperature.
Place directly onto the grill plate of preheated 225°F. smoker, fat side up. Smoke for 4 hours, spritzing every hour with apple juice. When properly cooked, the internal temperature of the pork should be 160°F.
Once the pork belly has reached 160°F, place the meat, fat side down, on an aluminum foil lined baking pan and add 1/2 cup of apple juice to the meat. Wrap the pork belly tightly in foil and smoke for another hour, or, until the internal temperature reaches 190-195°F.
Keep wrapped and allow meat to rest for 15-30 minutes. Remove foil, slice and serve.
Notes
The typical weight of pork belly at the grocery store is between 4 and 8 pounds.Do not trim off the fat. Keep it on for insulation and moisture. Purchase pork belly with skin removed.