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.

Preheat your smoker to 225°F. Choose your favorite wood, I am using my favorite blend of oak, maple and hickory on my pellet smoker.

Place directly onto the grill plate of your preheated 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.

After the pork belly has been smoked, cut the ends (or as much as you desire) into about 1-inch cubes or 2x3 inch pieces. Arrange in a single layer in an aluminum foil pan.

Sprinkle the dry rub evenly over the cubed meat and toss to coat.

Pour the BBQ sauce over the ends and toss again. Use just enough BBQ sauce to coat the meat. If you use too much, it’s likely to burn.

Place in smoker, uncovered, at 225°F for about 1 hour, tossing half way through cooking time. Remove from the pan and place on the grate directly above the pan, so it can catch drippings. Smoke for an additional hour so BBQ sauce can become sticky on the outside. Serve with more BBQ sauce.